While it may have resulted in one of the best non-MCU Marvel films to date, there’s little question that filming on “X2: X-Men United” was a famously difficult shoot.

One person caught up in all the craziness was beloved actor Alan Cumming who played Nightcrawler. Not only did he have to endure hours of make-up each day, but also had a pretty sizeable role in a film where there was a lot of pressure to succeed.

The film did well financially and critically, but the behind-the-scenes was problematic enough it led to a director switch for the third film and then a whole change of direction for the franchise with subsequent movies.

Now, Cumming finally returns to the role over twenty years later as part of the cast of “Avengers: Doomsday” alongside fellow X-Men stars Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), James Marsden (Cyclops), and Kelsey Grammer (Beast), along with more recent addition Channing Tatum (Gambit). Talking to THR, he talks about how this time doing the role is ‘healing’:

“No [I didn’t expect the call to return]. 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. But when I was asked to meet the Marvel people, nobody knew whether it was indeed Nightcrawler or some other part. It’s interesting because that was one of the films that was not a great experience at all to make – and ended up being a really great film.

I had a miserable time making it. All of us did. It was not nice. [Marvel] was very conscious of that. It’s not finished yet, but it feels healing to go back to something that wasn’t the greatest experience and enjoy yourself. 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. Going back to a different atmosphere, it’s really nice.”

Whether any other X-Men co-stars not previously mentioned will join Cumming in the new film, such as Famke Janssen or Halle Berry, remain in question though rumors of actor Hugh Jackman’s involvement picked up steam this week when Hugh Jackman’s stunt double reportedly shared a photo from Pinewood Studios where ‘Doomsday’ is currently filming. “Avengers: Doomsday” is set to be released on December 18th 2026.