Alan Cumming Finds Closure Returning as Nightcrawler in Avengers: Doomsday

Alan Cumming is stepping back into blue paint and tail once again, returning as Nightcrawler in Marvel’s upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. For the actor, the experience wasn’t just another paycheck or nostalgic cameo – it was something deeply personal.

Cumming openly contrasted his return with the ‘miserable’ time he had filming 2003’s X2: X-Men United, which he once described as plagued by chaos and a toxic environment under director Bryan Singer.

In his memoir, Cumming detailed how Singer’s erratic behavior and alleged substance abuse poisoned the set, leaving the cast angry and fractured. That bitter memory has long overshadowed the acclaim for his Nightcrawler debut, which fans still hail as one of the franchise’s most spectacular superhero introductions.

Now, more than two decades later, Cumming says the chance to play Nightcrawler again felt ‘healing.’ ‘It was amazing,’ he told People. ‘Really healing, really nice to revisit something that had been a terrible experience the first time. And I got to do it quickly, since most of my scenes were shot around my schedule for The Traitors.’

At 60, Cumming never imagined he’d be back doing wire work and stunts, but he embraced the moment with gratitude. ‘I did not think I’d be playing a superhero in my sixties. Everyone was really nice this time, and it was done without the drama of the past.’

Cumming isn’t the only one coming back. Avengers: Doomsday unites a wave of legacy X-Men actors, from Patrick Stewart’s Professor X and Ian McKellen’s Magneto to James Marsden’s Cyclops and Rebecca Romijn’s Mystique. The film is shaping up as both a celebration of Marvel’s past and a gamble for its struggling present, with fans divided over whether it will deliver genuine storytelling or just nostalgia-driven fan service.

With Marvel desperate for a win after several underperforming releases, Avengers: Doomsday is under pressure to balance spectacle with substance. And while some remain skeptical – calling it ‘The Expendables of superheroes’ – others are just thrilled to see Nightcrawler bamf his way back onto the big screen.