There’s a lot of supposed selling points for Avengers: Doomsday, with the return of Fox’s X-Men high up on the list. Deadpool and Wolverine might not entirely be around for this one (at least, on screen), but that’s okay. We’ve got Cyclops, Xavier, and uh…Gambit all together, and that should make up the difference, right? Kevin Feige and company sure hope so.
For Empire’s Doomsday cover story, the mutants came up in conversation. Individually, they should theoretically get something out of this movie; James Marsden talked about actually being Cyclops and playing him as “a noble and good man” trying to save his universe from destruction. Conversely, Channing Tatum’s Gambit, a more recent addition to the lineup, can show he’s more than just good with cards and owner of the world’s goofiest Cajun accent.
Overall, though, Doomsday is an opportunity to make good on an old quote Hugh Jackman made that Kevin Feige can recall: “People say it’s impossible, but maybe someday the X-Men and the Avengers can all get together.” Having these two teams share the screen together for a whole movie “felt right,” said Feige, and “the fun way to culminate a quarter-century of storytelling.”
That’s pretty funny to hear, given how many times we’ve been trained to think these X-Men were going away to make room for an MCU reboot. Seeing them fight and work with the Avengers and Fantastic Four will lead to some cool moments in Doomsday and 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars, because that’s what crossovers are good for. But on the whole, I’m ready for Marvel to get these guys out of their system (for real this time) and move on to new blood, and hopefully without trying to for any more do-overs.
Want more io9 news? Check out the best movies and TV shows to stream this month and all the upcoming sci-fi, fantasy, and horror books that should be on your radar.
