Rescuing the X-Men: Will Deadpool & Wolverine Succeed?

Deadpool & Wolverine is rumored to include a major returning X-Men hero among its cameos, and the MCU movie could finally do right by the character.

Rumors about Deadpool & Wolverine featuring several cameos have been running for months, and the possibility of one X-Men hero returning could lead to the character finally getting justice almost 25 years after his first movie appearance. The Marvel Cinematic Universe will reunite Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine after years, with multiple actors from Fox’s two Deadpool movies also confirmed to return as part of Deadpool & Wolverine’s cast. After the MCU movie’s first trailer — which became the most-watched movie trailer within 24 hours ever — the film’s plot became more clear.

Deadpool & Wolverine story details revealed by its first trailer include how Wade Wilson will join the MCU, with Loki’s TVA going to him for help with a multiversal mission. That could lead to the return of several characters from Fox’s Marvel movies, with Jennifer Garner’s reported return as Elektra allowing for actors from movies like Daredevil and both Fantastic Four franchises to return, in addition to stars from the X-Men movies. Those returns are rumored to include an X-Men character who was done wrong repeatedly, and one of Deadpool & Wolverine’s most exciting possibilities would be his redemption.

James Marsden’s Cyclops Is Rumored To Be Among Deadpool & Wolverine’s Cameos

Marsden Debuted As The X-Men Team Leader In 2000

There are many cameos rumored for Deadpool & Wolverine, ranging from singer Taylor Swift as the X-Men character Dazzler to the return of fan-favorite characters like Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier. In 2023, a rumor stating that original X-Men movie franchise actors James Marsden as Cyclops, Famke Janssen as Jean Grey, and Halle Berry as Storm would return gained traction. Marvel has not commented on the rumors, with no official confirmation of the actors’ returns. However, if the rumor turns out to be true as was the case for the MCU’s Fantastic Four cast, then it would rectify a long-running issue.

Marsden first appeared as Cyclops in 2000’s X-Men, with the actor then returning to the franchise multiple times. Between main roles and cameos, Marsden has played Scott Summers in four movies. If the actor returns in Deadpool & Wolverine, he would be doing so 24 years from his first X-Men movie appearance. During an interview with Variety, Deadpool franchise Dopinder actor Karan Soni fueled the fire of Deadpool & Wolverine’s rumored cameos, saying, “There are a lot of surprises. Let’s just say a lot of people traveled to London.” Soni’s tease increases hopes for Marsden’s Cyclops return.

Cyclops Has Been Let Down By Both X-Men Movie Timelines So Far

Tye Sheridan Played Cyclops In The Younger X-Men Team

Marsden’s return as Cyclops in Deadpool & Wolverine could allow for the character to finally be done right now that he would be under Marvel Studios. While Marsden’s casting as Scott Summers was perfect, the actor got handed the short end of the stick. Cyclops has a prominent role in 2000’s X-Men. However, due to the popularity of Jackman’s Wolverine in the movie, the character who is supposed to be the field leader of the X-Men got his role increasingly reduced as the franchise moved forward, with Cyclops even being surprisingly killed off in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand.

Marsden was not the only actor to play Cyclops and not be able to show the full scope of the character’s potential. Ready Player One‘s Tye Sheridan assumed the role of Scott Summers for the younger X-Men movie timeline that started with 2011’s X-Men: First Class. Sheridan’s Cyclops would only appear in 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse for the first time. The character did not have the same major role that he has in the comics, with the young Cyclops also suffering from being part of two middling X-Men movies, which included 2019’s Dark Phoenix.

How Deadpool & Wolverine Can Finally Do Right By Cyclops

The MCU Movie Can Give The Character The Respect He Deserves

Deadpool & Wolverine has the opportunity to fix that long-running X-Men movie issue. Marsden’s return as Cyclops could see the actor play a variant of the character who is firmly the leader of an X-Men team. Marvel Studios still has to reveal which Wolverine Jackman is playing in the film, and that could present interesting opportunities for how Marsden could fit into the movie. For instance, if Wolverine is from a new universe, Marsden’s Cyclops could be a comic book-accurate version of the character that fans have never seen onscreen.

If Wolverine comes from the original X-Men movie timeline, then Marsden’s Cyclops could be part of a major retcon. Upon learning of time travel and the multiverse from Deadpool and the TVA, Wolverine could attempt to stop Cyclops, Jean Grey, and others from dying. After having made fun of the X-Men’s “yellow spandex” suits in the team’s first movie, Marsden could take the cue from Jackman’s Wolverine, with his version of Cyclops from the original X-Men movies finally wearing a comic book-accurate suit in Deadpool & Wolverine.