Imagine the difference that twenty years can make. An interview that took place not so long ago on “Today With Jenna and Friends” revealed that Alan Cumming has already started testing his makeup for the next film “Avengers: Doomsday.” The forthcoming Marvel tentpole will have him reprising his role as Nightcrawler, which he played in “X2: X-Men United.” He will be appearing with other “X-Men” co-stars Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, and Kelsey Grammer. According to Cumming, the amount of time he will spend transitioning into the blue-skinned and tattooed Nightcrawler has been significantly reduced as a result of developments in movie makeup.
It’s crazy, isn’t it? “I am ecstatic and astonished,” Cumming said. When I was a superhero, it had been 23 years since I had been. It took me around four and a half hours to apply makeup in the past, but now it only takes me ninety minutes. I’ve already had some makeup tests for the job, but what’s really fantastic about it is that it’s only taken me that long.
He continued by saying, “In the past, each and every tattoo was done by hand.” They had not made a decision on them prior to the beginning of the shooting. At this point, they are just stuck to my face. What a game-changer it is! I am going to return to my previous role as a superhero who is sixty years old, and everyone appears to be incredibly kind.
Cumming was only given the opportunity to perform Nightcrawler on the big screen once. He does not appear in any of the sequels to the “X-Men” franchise, like as “The Last Stand” or “Days of Future Past.” It was the previous year that he made the statement that “X2: X-Men United” was the “gayest film” he had ever worked on in his career. He went on to say that the film included a queer director and a large number of LGBT performers. That something that is so popular and so prevalent in the realm of comic books is so queer is something that I just like.
The disclosure made by the actor brought satisfaction to the author of “X-Men,” David Hayter, who subsequently expressed his happiness to TMZ by saying, “I’m so glad we did right by him.” In the fight for LGBT rights, he is a true symbol. Additionally, Ian McKellen was able to perceive the symbolism of it from a homosexual point of view.
As Cumming continued to elaborate on his experience with “X2,” he said, “In a sense, those kinds of films really help people understand queerness because you can address it in an artistic way, and everyone is less scared of the concept.” “It is an allegory about queerness, about people having these great gifts and really great, powerful things that they have to hide in order to exist,” the author says. Those who identify as queer are aware of what is being said.
The release of “Avengers: Doomsday” is scheduled for May 1, 2026, and it will be produced by Disney and Marvel Studios.