The upcoming film Deadpool and Wolverine will see the official integration of the X-Men into the MCU. With Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and Jennifer Garner reprising their respective roles from the Fox franchise, the MCU will finally feature mutants along with the rest of the Marvel roster.
However, one actor who deserves to get a second shot at the character is James Marsden, who played Scott Summers a.k.a Cyclops in the X-Men films. Marsden played the role in the first three films of the franchise and had a cameo in X-Men: Days of Future Past. However, the actor reportedly always felt that he never fit into the role as much.
James Marsden Never Felt Right For The Role Of Cyclops
While Hugh Jackman was the breakout star of the X-Men franchise by Fox Studios, many A-list talents worked on the film and have gone on to become huge stars. The film had legends like Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan alongside actors such as Anna Paquin, James Marsden, Halle Berry, and Famke Janssen.
Marsden played the role of Scott Summers a.k.a Cyclops in the films, possessing the power to shoot lasers through his eyes, which were protected by a spherical visor. The actor was paired with Janssen’s Jean Grey and was stuck in a perpetual love triangle between her and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. Despite playing the role in three films, Marsden mentioned that he never quite felt at home with the role.
Speaking to The Guardian, he mentioned that though Cyclops was the coolest character he had played till then, he was still better off playing goofy characters and not ones with swagger. He said,
“That’s as close to a James Bond character as I’ve played. But I’d rather have been goofy!”
James Marsden recounted an incident on the sets of X-Men: The Last Stand when he felt like he was not the right fit for the character. He mentioned that the scene included him riding a Harley Davidson in lonesome as he loses Jean Grey and then gets down in style. However, he mentioned that he could never crack it. He said,
“Brett Ratner, the director, goes, ‘Cut! Do it again with more swagger.’ I do it again. Evidently, I don’t look super cool, as he goes, ‘Do it again – and walk like you just got off a Harley!’ I just remember feeling, ‘I’m not sure I’m this guy.’”
The actor did not return to the role after X-Men: The Last Stand, except for a cameo in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Will James Marsden Join Hugh Jackman In Deadpool And Wolverine?
James Marsden’s Cyclops is one of the most memorable characters of the X-Men franchise. While a younger version of the character was depicted in X-Men Origins: Wolverine by Tim Pocock and by Tye Sheridan in X-Men: Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix, Marsden never returned for the role. However, his chance at a revival might be in the upcoming film Deadpool and Wolverine.
The MCU film sees many beloved characters from the Fox franchise make an appearance, including the previously “retired” Hugh Jackman and Jennifer Gardner from Daredevil and Elektra. Headlined by Ryan Reynolds, the film is a multiversal story and may have avenues for James Marsden’s Cyclops to make an appearance.
However, when asked if he was up for playing the role again, he was vague about his interest and inclusion. He said to The Playlist,
“I keep hearing about that. I can’t walk down the street without someone asking me so evidently there’s a lot of chatter about that. It’d be fun. […] We just wrapped [Sonic 3] actually. We were near the Deadpool stages up there in Pinewood actually. […] Yeah, this is a little bit of a Pandora’s box.”
Filming for the Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds starrer restarted soon after the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes were lifted. The film is set to be the only MCU film to be released in 2024 and bringing in the OGs like Marsden would be the perfect retribution for the studio which made the beloved actor uncomfortable with the role.
