Tag: Marvel Studios

Films

James Marsden Calls Cyclops Return in Avengers: Doomsday a “Homecoming” After 20 Years

Tanisha Cardozo

After two decades, Marsden steps back into the visor as Scott Summers in Marvel’s upcoming multiverse epic.

It’s official: James Marsden is returning as Cyclops in Avengers: Doomsday, set for release in December 2026. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the 51-year-old actor opened up about slipping back into the role that introduced him to millions of fans in 2000’s X-Men — and what it means to revisit the Marvel universe after so many years.

“It’s a nice little homecoming to a role that really put me on the map,” Marsden said. “I’m getting a little long in the tooth to put on the superhero costume,” he joked, before adding that the experience has been “a blast.”

Cyclops Returns to the MCU — Officially

Marsden’s return as Scott Summers (Cyclops) is part of Marvel Studios’ broader strategy to integrate the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe following Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox. With Avengers: Doomsday, the studio is going big — teasing a multiverse-spanning storyline that reunites several original cast members.

Confirmed to return alongside Marsden are:

  • Patrick Stewart as Professor X
  • Ian McKellen as Magneto
  • Kelsey Grammer as Beast
  • Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler
  • Rebecca Romijn as Mystique

This marks a major pivot from the standalone X-Men films of the early 2000s to the unified, multiverse-driven MCU.

A Long and Winding Road for Cyclops

Marsden originated the role of Cyclops in X-Men (2000), and reprised it in X2: X-Men United (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), where his character was seemingly killed off. However, Cyclops reappeared via alternate timelines in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), cementing his presence as one of the franchise’s core characters.

“I’m dead. Well, maybe not,” Marsden quipped. “It really has been a blast… a very beloved character, this icon from the comics. And so to step back into that role was pretty special.”

Marvel’s Multiverse Grows Bigger

With Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel is pulling together legacy heroes from across decades, crafting a story that pays homage to its cinematic history while launching a new chapter for fans. For longtime X-Men followers, seeing Marsden back in action is more than just nostalgia — it’s closure, celebration, and a hint of what’s to come.

Films

Box Office Shake-Up: ‘Fantastic Four’ Stumbles as ‘Freakier Friday’ and ‘Weapons’ Threaten the Throne

Tanisha Cardozo

The dog days of summer are proving to be unpredictable at the box office. Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, once expected to be a dominant theatrical force, is rapidly losing momentum. Now in its third weekend, the superhero reboot is expected to bring in just $18 to $20 million — a steep drop from earlier projections.

So far, the film has earned $200 million domestically and $370 million globally, and will soon surpass Thunderbolts ($382M) and Captain America: Brave New World ($415M). But despite being Marvel Studios’ highest-grossing release of 2025 to date, its performance falls short of being a true blockbuster comeback for the studio.

Challenging its position are two wildly different films: the nostalgic comedy sequel Freakier Friday and the spine-chilling horror film Weapons.

Freakier Friday
 Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis reprise their iconic roles in Freakier Friday, the sequel to the 2003 body-swap hit Freaky Friday. Directed by Nisha Ganatra (Late Night), the film ups the stakes with a chaotic four-way body swap involving Tess (Curtis), Anna (Lohan), Anna’s daughter, and her new step-daughter.

Produced on a modest $42 million budget, Freakier Friday looks to earn $10 to $12 million internationally during its opening and has already received glowing early reviews. Entertainment Weekly praised the film for “recapturing and strengthening the magic” of the original, crediting its heartfelt humor and ensemble cast, including Chad Michael Murray, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Manny Jacinto, and Julia Butters.

Weapons
 Zach Cregger, who broke out with the cult horror hit Barbarian, returns with another twisted tale. Weapons, backed by Warner Bros., is a chilling thriller with a $38 million budget. It stars Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, and Alden Ehrenreich and follows the mysterious disappearance of 17 schoolchildren in a small town — a premise that has already left critics shaken.

Variety’s Peter Debruge called it “a cruel and twisted bedtime story […] the kind where characters kill on command and audiences find it difficult to sleep afterward.”

Box Office Outlook
 Despite Fantastic Four’s strong early numbers, the shift in audience tastes post-pandemic is palpable. Viewers are increasingly drawn to either horror with a bite or light-hearted nostalgia, rather than traditional superhero fare. Disney’s calculated risk in betting on a comedy sequel and Warner Bros.’ focus on a smart horror film may pay off in surprising ways.

Comscore reports the box office is currently 9.5% ahead of 2024, but still 23% behind 2019’s pre-pandemic numbers. Summer revenues just crossed $3 billion, but whether the season can reach the $4 billion benchmark remains uncertain.

With the industry still seeking a reliable formula in the post-COVID world, Freakier Friday and Weapons might just be the unexpected sleeper hits the box office needs to round out summer 2025.