It’s official: The X-Men are making their big screen return in “Avengers: Doomsday.”
Marvel’s third teaser for its massive superhero crossover, released Tuesday, spotlights Ian McKellen’s Magneto, Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier and James Marsden’s Cyclops. It’s the latest “Doomsday” teaser that has been playing in theaters in front of Disney’s billion-dollar blockbuster “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
The short and somber clip starts with a look at some wreckage within the abandoned halls of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters — the home base of the X-Men. The teaser also includes footage of Xavier and Magneto sharing what seems to be a tender moment as well as an emotional Cyclops unleashing a massive optic blast as what appear to be large legs possibly belonging to Sentinels lumber along in the background.
“Death comes for us all,” Magneto says in the voice-over. “It’s all I know for sure. The question isn’t ‘are you prepared to die?’ The question is ‘who would you be when you close your eyes?’”
The clip concludes with text promising the X-Men will return in “Avengers: Doomsday” before fading into the countdown to the film’s release. The countdown was also featured in the previous “Doomsday” teasers spotlighting Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers and Chris Hemsworth’s Thor.
“Doomsday” will mark McKellen and Marsden’s Marvel Cinematic Universe debuts. Prior to Disney’s acquisition of Fox in 2019, the iconic mutant superhero team headlined its own franchise, which kicked off with the 2000 film “X-Men.”
Stewart previously appeared in the 2022 MCU installment “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” playing a different version of the fan-favorite X-Men leader. Other X-Men characters who have already appeared in MCU films include Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, who starred alongside the Merc with a Mouth in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” and Kelsey Grammer’s Beast, who had a cameo in one of “The Marvels” post-credits scenes.
Other X-Men characters expected to appear in “Doomsday” include Beast, Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) and Mystique (Rebecca Romijn).
“Doomsday,” directed by MCU veterans Anthony and Joe Russo, will feature “Iron Man” actor Robert Downey Jr. as the masked villain Doctor Doom. The massive superhero crossover will also feature fellow “Avengers” alums Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Captain America), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki); the “Thunderbolts*” antiheroes played by Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian), Lewis Pullman (Bob Reynolds), Wyatt Russell (John Walker) and Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr/Ghost); and “Fantastic Four: First Steps” stars Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm).
“Avengers: Doomsday” will hit theaters Dec. 18.
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