Alan Cumming On ‘Healing’ Return as Nightcrawler In AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY After ‘Miserable Time’ Filming X-MEN Sequel

After more than two decades, Alan Cumming is stepping back into the teleportation smoke of Nightcrawler, and this time, he’s bringing closure with him.

In a candid interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Alan Cumming spoke about returning to the role of Nightcrawler in Marvel Studios’ upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, nearly 22 years after his last appearance as the fan-favorite mutant in X2: X-Men United. The news came as a surprise not only to fans, but to Cumming himself.

“No!” Cumming exclaimed when asked if he’d expected the call from Marvel. “There was already a younger version of my character played by Kodi Smit-McPhee. That’s happened to me several times, where there’s a remake of something I’ve done with someone younger. It’s kind of galling.”

Still, curiosity led him to meet with Marvel. Even then, there was ambiguity surrounding the role. “Nobody knew whether it was indeed Nightcrawler or some other part,” he explained. But it quickly became clear that the studio wasn’t just reviving a character, it was also looking to offer something more personal: a chance at redemption.

Some fans of X2 might be surprised to learn that the film’s celebrated status doesn’t reflect the experience behind the scenes. “I had a miserable time making it. All of us did. It was not nice,” Cumming shared. Despite the film’s critical and fan acclaim, the process left scars that lingered long after filming wrapped.

Marvel, he noted, was “very conscious of that” history when inviting him back for Avengers: Doomsday. And while the new film is still in production, Cumming says the experience already feels transformative. “It feels healing to go back to something that wasn’t the greatest experience and enjoy yourself.”

The role marks more than just a return to the Marvel universe, it symbolizes a shift in Cumming’s own relationship with blockbuster cinema. “When I wrote my book, Baggage, I realized that after X-Men, I stopped doing those kinds of bigger, blockbuster-type films. I didn’t do anything like that for years. I purposely went away from that big machine because I didn’t want to be an unhappy cog.”

Now, older, wiser, and welcomed into a new creative environment, Cumming finds himself embracing a second act not just for Nightcrawler, but for his own journey as an artist. “Going back to a different atmosphere, it’s really nice.”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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