Alan Cumming: X2 Was ‘Terrible,’ Doomsday Heals

Alan Cumming has compared his experience reprising Nightcrawler in Marvel's upcoming Avengers: Doomsday to his "miserable" experience during 2003's X2 production.

Cumming joins numerous returning X-Men actors in Avengers: Doomsday, including Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, James Marsden as Cyclops, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, and Ian McKellen as Magneto.

While these actors continued appearing in later X-Men films, Doomsday marks Cumming's first return to the Nightcrawler role since X2 - a production he now describes as "awful" with difficulties he's "discussed extensively."

In his 2021 memoir Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life, Cumming detailed the troubled X2 shoot under director Bryan Singer, alleging the filmmaker's painkiller abuse and erratic behavior created tensions that escalated into cast-director confrontations.

"Returning was incredible," Cumming told People. "In a genuinely emotional way, it felt healing to revisit what had been a terrible experience originally. X2 remains a great film - I love it."

"Honestly, coming back was wonderful," the actor continued. "At 60, I never imagined I'd be doing superhero stunts. The production team treated everyone wonderfully. I completed my scenes efficiently due to scheduling conflicts with The Traitors."

While Cumming has finished filming, Avengers: Doomsday continues production with more cast members reportedly joining. Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds is expected to film soon, while Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness actress Xochitl Gomez is also rumored to appear.