Alan Cumming Enthusiastically Reflects on Nightcrawler Role in Avengers: Doomsday: ‘I Love the Film’

Alan Cumming recently finished filming his return as Nightcrawler for Avengers: Doomsday. He recently reflected on returning to the role, finding the experience more positive than his time at X2: X-Men United. Look, we’ve all had those jobs we’d rather forget. You know, the ones where everything that could go wrong did go wrong, and you spend years telling people about your workplace horror stories at dinner parties.

Alan Cumming Reflects on Returning as Nightcrawler

For the actor, it was a nightmare filming X2: X-Men United back in 2003. But here’s the plot twist nobody saw coming – Marvel just gave him a chance to rewrite that chapter, and honestly? It’s beautiful. Let’s be real here – when an actor describes their experience on a major blockbuster as “awful for a variety of reasons,” you know something went seriously sideways behind the scenes.

Alan Cumming didn’t just have a bad day at the office; he had what sounds like months of absolute misery while bringing Nightcrawler to life in X2. The man spent four and a half hours getting into makeup every single day. Four. And A. Half. Hours. That’s longer than most people’s commutes, and he had to do it while sitting still, getting blue makeup slathered all over him by hand because – get this – they hadn’t even figured out his tattoo designs before filming started. 

Then there was the whole Bryan Singer situation, which Alan Cumming detailed in his memoir Baggage: Tales From a Fully Packed Life. Without rehashing all the drama, let’s say creative differences is putting it mildly. The entire experience left such a sour taste that most actors would’ve said “thanks but no thanks” to any future superhero opportunities.

Fast forward to 2025, and Marvel comes knocking with an offer to reprise Nightcrawler in Avengers: Doomsday. Now, any reasonable person might assume the actor would laugh them out of the room. After all, why would you voluntarily return to something that made your life miserable? But here’s where it gets interesting – and where Marvel shows they’ve learned a thing or two about keeping their actors happy. 

Marvel Studios Knows How to Treat Talent

Alan Cumming recently shared that the Avengers: Doomsday experience was “really healing.” The difference in treatment is night and day. Instead of those grueling four-plus-hour makeup sessions, advances in technology mean the star now gets camera-ready in about 90 minutes. Those hand-painted tattoos that took forever? Now they’re little stick-on pieces that go on in a fraction of the time. Revolutionary stuff, apparently.

The veteran actor explained, “It was amazing. It was actually really… in a sort of ooey, gooey way, it was really healing and nice to go back to something that was a terrible experience when I did it the first time. A great film, great film. I love the film.” Cumming’s return alongside other X-Men legends isn’t just a nod to nostalgia – it’s innovative marketing and business. The OG X-Men actors have established relationships with these characters that span decades. 

Instead of those grueling four-plus-hour makeup sessions, advances in technology mean Cumming now gets camera-ready in about 90 minutes. Those hand-painted tattoos that took forever? Now they’re little stick-on pieces that go on in a fraction of the time. Revolutionary stuff, apparently. Scheduling Conflicts Led to Creative Solutions. 

There’s something genuinely touching about getting a second chance to do something right. Nothing better than being part of what’s shaping up to be a massive Marvel event, surrounded by returning X-Men veterans like Alan Cumming, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Rebecca Romijn, Kelsey Grammer, and James Marsden, who recently broke the silence on playing Cyclops again.  It’s like the ultimate do-over. Plus, Marvel Studios is cooking up a reboot with new X-Men.

Final Thoughts

The fact that Marvel took the time to make sure Cumming had a positive experience this time around says volumes about how they’re approaching legacy characters. It’s not just about familiar faces; it’s about respecting the history and the creators of these characters. With Avengers: Doomsday hitting theaters next December, we’re still over a year away from seeing how this all plays out, but Marvel most likely has pulled off something special.