The mutants’ return in Avengers: Doomsday allows the MCU to right the wrongs that Fox’s X-Men franchise never got to. Avengers: Doomsday‘s cast includes seven X-Men actors from Fox’s original team. The X-Men’s MCU return suggests they’ll either fight the Avengers or team up with them to fight Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom.

Fox’s X-Men franchise presented some of the most beloved Marvel portrayals to date, from Ian McKellen’s Magneto and Patrick Stewart’s Professor X to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. However, Fox’s X-Men movies also had several flaws. While the franchise managed to correct missteps like the ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool’s inaccurate X-Men Origins: Wolverine adaptation, some details can still be improved in the MCU.

The X-Men May Finally Wear Their Comic-Accurate Costumes In Avengers: Doomsday

Avengers: Doomsday can finally deliver what has seemed impossible since 2000: Fox’s original X-Men cast in their fully comic-accurate costumes. While X-Men: Apocalypse teased the team’s individual looks, Dark Phoenix reverted to plain matching uniforms. The MCU now has the perfect chance to fix the first trilogy’s divisive all-black leather outfits by letting each character shine in their iconic designs.

ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine proved that faithful costume adaptations can work brilliantly on screen. Wolverine’s yellow-and-blue suit, Gambit’s classic trench coat and armor, and ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool’s signature red-and-black suit all look ripped straight out of the comics in the MCU. With this precedent, Avengers: Doomsday can do the same for the rest of the X-Men.

Cyclops’ blue-and-yellow gear, Beast’s yellow trunks, Magneto’s bright red-and-purple costume, and Nightcrawler’s sleek red-and-black uniform are all likely to debut in Avengers: Doomsday. Other lesser-known mutants could also make a cameo sporting their classic looks. The original X-Men cast’s faithful costumes would grant them a fitting send-off ahead of Jake Schreier’s X-Men movie and the MCU’s mutant reboot.

Avengers: Doomsday May Feature A Better Version Of X-Men’s Underwhelming Final Battles

One of the consistent weak points in Fox’s X-Men franchise was the lackluster execution of its final team-up battles. Entries like X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix all stumbled in their third acts, either due to messy choreography and editing or uninspired writing. Most final battles failed to match the X-Men’s epic scale.

Marvel Studios and the Russo brothers have mastered the art of large-scale final battles. Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame have juggled numerous characters and a variety of powers interacting with each other smoothly. Avengers: Doomsday could finally make the X-Men’s powers feel as breathtaking on-screen as they do in the comics.

The prospect of the original X-Men cast either clashing with or teaming up with other heroes only expands the creative possibilities. Avengers: Doomsday could orchestrate action sequences where Cyclops’ optic blasts and Nightcrawler’s teleportation flow seamlessly with the Fantastic Four’s powers, for example. With the MCU’s traditional scale, Avengers: Doomsday has the potential to deliver the most visually striking X-Men battle scenes ever.

James Marsden’s Cyclops Can Finally Lead The X-Men In Avengers: Doomsday

Sadly, Fox’s first X-Men trilogy completely sidelined James Marsden’s Cyclops. X-Men: The Last Stand is the most glaring example, as it killed Cyclops off early in a story that revolves around Jean Grey and shifted the focus to Wolverine. This decision robbed James Marsden’s Scott Summers of any meaningful leadership moments and denied fans the chance to see Cyclops truly command his team on the big screen.

In Avengers: Doomsday, James Marsden’s Cyclops has the perfect opportunity to finally lead the X-Men as he was meant to. Given that Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine doesn’t seem to be returning, the spotlight can remain firmly on Scott Summers. At least for a final send-off, Marsden’s Cyclops can finally be the heart and soul of the X-Men.

In the comics, Cyclops is both the X-Men’s field leader and their compᴀss, just as Captain America is to the Avengers. Scott Summers balances Charles Xavier’s hopeful ideals with the harsh realities of mutant survival. Avengers: Doomsday gives James Marsden the chance to explore these layers as the multiversal X-Men’s captain.

Mystique & Nightcrawler’s Mother-Son Relationship Can Finally Be Explored In The MCU

Despite appearing together in X2: X-Men United, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix, Mystique and Nightcrawler’s mother-son relationship was barely hinted at throughout Fox’s X-Men movie franchise. Fans familiar with the comics knew their connection, but casual audiences were left only with vague implications. A major piece of X-Men lore remains largely unexplored despite the narrative potential of Raven Darkhölme and Kurt Wagner’s bond.

Out of the dozens of X-Men characters Marvel Studios could bring back for Avengers: Doomsday, Alan Cumming’s Nightcrawler and Rebecca Romijn’s Mystique are confirmed to return. Their shared return strongly supports a shared subplot. Even if their bond is only confirmed through dialog and a few meaningful interactions, it would be a welcome addition to Fox’s X-Men lore.

In the comics, Raven’s relationship with Destiny and the involvement of the demonic mutant Azazel play important roles in Kurt’s origin. This level of backstory will likely be saved for the MCU’s full X-Men reboot in the Mutant Saga. For Avengers: Doomsday, a confirmation alone would be enough to lay the groundwork for the future.