Alan Cumming Teases Nightcrawler’s Return with New Behind-the-Scenes Shots from ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
Alan Cumming is officially back as Nightcrawler, and he’s showing it off with some fresh behind-the-scenes photos from the set of Avengers: Doomsday. The X2 star shared the images recently, giving fans their first proper look at him in the blue makeup again, more than twenty years after he last played the role.
Alan Cumming shares new behind-the-scenes looks for Nightcrawler on the set of Avengers: Doomsday 👀 pic.twitter.com/FGpOWGkWrC
— X-Men Updates (@XMenUpdate) August 12, 2025
Cumming, who only played Nightcrawler in 2003’s X2: X-Men United, had previously said he wasn’t eager to return because of the long, exhausting hours it took to get into character. But this time, the process is much faster and easier thanks to modern techniques.
Marvel fans first found out about Cumming’s comeback during a massive five-hour Marvel Studios stream, where the studio revealed 27 cast members for the huge crossover movie.
Alongside big names like Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, fans were surprised to see several familiar X-Men actors returning. Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, James Marsden, and Rebecca Romijn are all set to reprise their roles.
But Cumming’s return has been a bit of a funny story. While guest hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Cumming talked with the cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps about how hard it is to avoid spoilers. Pascal, who plays Mister Fantastic, quickly turned the spotlight back on him. “It’s funny that you should ask,” Pascal teased. “The biggest leak that we’ve had comes from our host.” So yeah, Cumming already spoiled a thing or two so it’s not so unusual that this behind-the-scenes look came from him.
He was referring to a slip Cumming made back in May, where he hinted at a major fight between Nightcrawler and Mister Fantastic in Avengers: Doomsday. “My publicist called me,” Cumming admitted. “You know the wrath of your publicist is, not the wrath you want to have.”
Avengers: Doomsday is shaping up to be one of Marvel’s biggest movies yet, with the Avengers, Fantastic Four, New Avengers, Wakandans, and X-Men all joining forces to face Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr. Directed by the Russo brothers and written by Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely, the film will hit US theaters on December 18, 2026, followed by Secret Wars in 2027.
Until then, fans will be dissecting every new photo, especially the ones Cumming is posting from set.
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