James Marsden “always hoped” he’d be invited back to the X-Men movie franchise to reprise his role as Cyclops.
The 52-year-old actress starred as the superhero in the original film franchise, and always held out hope that there were more outings for his alter ego.
He’ll be reprising the part in Avengers: Doomsday, but said there were more than a few times he wasn’t sure whether a comeback was on the cards.
He mused: “I think there was talk for a long time after the third movie [X-Men: The Last Stand, 2006] and then Days of Future Past. Like, ‘Maybe we’ll do something where we bring back the original.’
“You just go through your life and you work on other things and if it happens, great. If not, then don’t get your hopes up,” he continued of reprising the superhero role. “But part of me always hoped that it would come back.”
James added that putting on the comic book-accurate Cyclops costume was “super special”, and promised fans the film “turns Cyclops up to 11”.
Asked at San Diego Comic Con if he said yes immediately when Kevin Feige asked him to return to the Cyclops role, James told People: “Yeah, for sure. And you don’t even need to tell me what he’s doing, but there was part of me [that was] like, ‘Do we get to see him do his thing?’ And that was a big ‘yes.’ ”
“I was like, ‘All right, I’m in!’ “
James first starred as Cyclops in X-Men, before reprising the role for the 2003 and 2006 sequels.
He last put on the famous suit for 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past., so getting to wear it again was an honour for James.
He told Vanity Fair previously about reprising the role for Doomsday “It’s been a nice little homecoming to a role that really put me on the map. It was the first real event project that I was ever a part of, and a very beloved character, this icon from the comics.
“And so to step back into that role was pretty special.”
Avengers: Doomsday is due for release this December.
