Alan Cumming is opening up about what it was like stepping back into the role of Nightcrawler more than two decades after his first appearance.
The Emmy-winning actor, now 60, recently wrapped filming for Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel’s upcoming ensemble film slated for release in May 2026.
Speaking with PEOPLE during a panel for The Traitors at the Televerse 2025 conference in Los Angeles, Cumming revealed he had “just finished” shooting his part earlier this month.
For him, the experience was unexpectedly moving.
“I just came back. It was amazing. It was actually really… in a sort of ooey, gooey way, it was really healing and really nice to go back to something that it was a terrible experience when I did it the first time,” he said.
“A great film, great film. I love the film.”
Cumming previously described his time on X2: X-Men United in 2003 as “miserable,” citing long hours in the makeup chair and on-set difficulties with director Bryan Singer.
Those challenges, which he discussed in detail in his memoir Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life, left him with little fondness for the project despite the film’s success.
This time, however, his return as Nightcrawler was a far more positive experience.
“It was actually really great to go back. And especially, I’m 60 years old. I did not think I would be doing stunts, playing a superhero in my 60s. So that was great,” Cumming shared.
He explained that due to his schedule with The Traitors, he filmed most of his scenes quickly, often working with green screens and only a handful of co-stars.
“So I squashed them all together, and got a green screen and various things and little scenes of people here and there. But it was pretty stealthy.”
The actor noted that he trained with stunt performers to prepare for the role, admitting that “there was no messing around” when it came to the physical side of playing Nightcrawler again.
While he wasn’t on set for long, he described the process as both efficient and rewarding.
“I would’ve liked to have been there for weeks and weeks. I wasn’t there for very long at all, so that was also good.”
Marvel confirmed Cumming’s return earlier this year, alongside fellow X-Men franchise stars Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Rebecca Romijn, Kelsey Grammer, and James Marsden.
Avengers: Doomsday also features Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, and Paul Rudd among its packed lineup of heroes and villains.
For Cumming, the experience of reprising Nightcrawler wasn’t just about revisiting the past, it was about reshaping it into something meaningful and unexpectedly joyful.
