Professor X, Magneto, and Cyclops Make a Comeback in the Avengers: Doomsday X-Men Trailer (Video)

      Professor X and Magneto continue their chess match after all these years, and Cyclops’ optic blasts remain as strong as ever in the latest teaser trailer for Avengers: Doomsday. This trailer marks the long-awaited introduction of the extraordinary mutants into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

      As the camera glides over the somewhat dusty scenes of Charles Xavier’s school for gifted youngsters, a chess piece rises into the air, referencing the chess games previously played by Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) back in 2000’s X-Men, a superhero film that laid the groundwork for the modern Marvel movie era.

      Moments later, we see Xavier gently touching Magneto’s arms. The master of magnetism has grown out his gray hair, and it looks great.

      However, the warm atmosphere quickly fades when Scott Summers (James Marsden) unleashes the full power of his optic blasts.

      You can view the trailer above or directly here.

      Trailer details were leaked earlier this month, but Disney has now unveiled it in its entirety. This is the third teaser for Avengers: Doomsday, following earlier teasers that hinted at the return of Chris Evans as Captain America (last seen in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame) and Chris Hemsworth’s Thor (last seen in 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder).

      Stewart has made hints towards the MCU before, appearing in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, Doomsday signifies a more significant reunion.

      The film will also see Robert Downey Jr. return to the MCU — but this time, instead of Iron Man, he will portray Doctor Doom, who was introduced in this past summer’s Fantastic Four: First Steps.

      Doomsday will also reunite directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who directed Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War.

      Disney is embracing a "more is more" strategy for Doomsday. Along with the return of the co-directors and previously mentioned stars, Doomsday will also feature original X-Men actors Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, and Kelsey Grammer, along with new Captain America actor Anthony Mackie, new Falcon actor Danny Ramirez, and Thunderbolts stars Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, Wyatt Russell, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour, and Hannah-John Kamen.

      Oh, did you think we were done? Not at all. Avengers: Doomsday will also include stars from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, such as Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Ant-Man star Paul Rudd, Shang-Chi star Simu Liu, Fantastic Four: First Steps stars Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, and Pedro Pascal, and Loki star Tom Hiddleston, as well as Channing Tatum, who portrayed Gambit in Wolverine vs. Deadpool.

      Robert Downey Jr. helped introduce them all in a teaser released last year.

      There will likely be many more cast announcements and perhaps some surprise cameos as well. Stay tuned.

      The meeting of the Avengers and X-Men — not to mention the Fantastic Four with the heroes of the MCU — once seemed impossible due to Fox owning the movie rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four, while Marvel retained The Avengers and their associated IP.

      Progress began when Disney acquired Marvel in 2009, and a decade later, they acquired Fox. Disney also reached an agreement with Sony, which holds the cinematic rights to Spider-Man, allowing new webslinger Tom Holland to feature in MCU films starting with 2016’s Captain America: Civil War.

      Thus, a special shoutout goes to the many lawyers involved in the negotiations that finally brought all our childhood heroes together on the big screen.

      Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, 2026.

      Main image: James Marsden as Cyclops in the new Avengers: Doomsday trailer.