Since the very long announcement trailer for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday movie was announced, fans have been buzzing since it was revealed that most of the OG X-Men actors from the legacy Fox X-Men franchise would return once again as their respective characters.
From Patrick Stewart’s “Charles Xavier” to Rebecca Romijn returning as “Mystique”. These returning characters mark a huge moment for the MCU as it says that Marvel is ready to merge its multiversal legacies with its main timeline.
While I want to believe that Marvel is smart, these characters should not be killed off due to being temporary cameos or nostalgia. They should survive the events of the movie, and this is how their survival could serve as the perfect springboard for the long-awaited MCU X-Men.
1. Legacy, Familiarity, and Instant Emotional Weight
Long before the MCU existed, the Fox X-Men films defined superhero cinema. Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Rogue, and Nightcrawler are all characters that have carried emotional value for audiences who grew up with those movies, even though the movies then turned into a timeline mess.
If these characters survive the events of Doomsday, this does two things. This creates emotional continuity with 2 decades of X-Men storytelling and will give fans familiar anchors as Marvel Transitions into their next saga, which would introduce Mutants into the MCU timeline.
If Marvel keeps some veteran X-Men characters alive, this honors the fandom that kept the X-Men relevant long before the MCU expanded into what it is today.
2. Gambit’s Delayed Spotlight
I do not think anyone expected to see Channing Tatum appear in the Deadpool & Wolverine movie as Gambit, the character that Channing has literally waited years to play. The Gambit movie was famously stuck in development hell for nearly a decade.
Gambit is a character that is cinematic, charismatic, a fan-favorite wildcard, and a perfect bridge between the Fox era and the MCU era, with his debut set in the Fox era but ultimately being when Deadpool was brought to the MCU.
Now, without how popular his appearance in Deadpool and Wolverine was, and with it still being spoken about to this day, if Marvel allows him to survive, he becomes a ready-made franchise lead for a future X-Men movie or even a Gambit standalone film that so many fans would still want.
3. Refugee Mutants
Let’s say the events of Doomsday collapse the multiverse. Marvel already has an elegant story reason to bring a handful of mutants into the main MCU timeline. They would essentially become multiversal refugees.
This gives the MCU mutants with full histories, no need to re-retcon the entire timeline, and built-in tension with the human population. This also mirrors themes that are already linked with the X-Men, being outsiders, prejudice, struggling to fit in, and a world unsure how to accept them.
This would be a better and more compelling and impactful story than suddenly just saying, “yeah, mutants have always been here, we’ve just been hiding.”
4. The First MCU X-Men Roster
The mutant survivors of Doomsday could form the first MCU roster that features a solid roster. Cyclops could be the time leader as he should be, Storm could be the regal, experienced, powerful mutant she is, Jean Grey could be the emotional core, Nightcrawler or Beast could be the heart of conscience, while Gambit would be the wildcard and fan magnet.
The MCU then could gradually introduce new mutants, or bring some back like Kamala Khan, a newly awakened Wolverine, or fresh MCU timeline versions, while still honoring the past. This hybrid team provides the perfect transitional generation.
5. Too Important To Waste
The return of the X-Men and Gambit is more than a multiverse gimmick. It is Marvel’s chance to reintroduce the X-Men with emotional weight, narrative clarity, and fan goodwill. If Marvel lets these characters survive Doomsday, it could kick-start the most anticipated era in the MCU.
While there are some rumored mutants returning, their roles are either unconfirmed, so treat them as speculative. Some of these come from scoopers or fan-leaks, so the reliability is mixed. If true, the extent of their roles is unconfirmed; they could be cameos, fight scenes, or full-arc characters are all on the table.
Storm, X-23, Franklin Richards, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Colossus, and Rogue are all rumored to be appearing in the movie.
Whether they’re legacy icons, long-awaited newcomers, or rumored deep-cut mutants, their presence in Doomsday shows one thing: Marvel understands the weight of the X-Men. Letting them live on isn’t just good storytelling; it’s the respectful way to usher the X-Men into their next chapter.
The X-Men are a legacy worth protecting.
