Did James Marsden's Cyclops Die In X-Men & How Could He Return For Deadpool 3?

Even though the franchise was dominated by Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Professor X (Sir Patrick Stewart), and Magneto (Sir Ian McKellen), for a good chunk of the 20th Century Fox "X-Men" series' run, Cyclops (James Marsden) is actually the field leader of the mutant team. Sadly, he doesn't get a whole lot to do outside of some entertaining action set pieces and a romantic rivalry with Wolverine over the heart of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) across "X-Men" and "X2: X-Men United." Then, his story comes to an abrupt and unceremonious end in "X-Men: The Last Stand."

For those who don't recall or have never seen the maligned 2006 "X-Men" feature, Scott Summers begins the feature in shambles. Following the events of "X2," Jean is thought to be dead, and he's struggling to move past the loss of his love. This leads him to venture to Alkali Lake, the place where she sacrificed herself in the previous film, to further his mourning. Miraculously, Jean appears to him there and they embrace. However, something isn't right, which becomes crystallized when we learn that during their kiss, she killed him.

It's a disappointing end to a tragically dull cinematic run for one of the X-Men's most prominent members. Should the rumors prove true, though, Marsden's Cyclops could get another go at the movies via "Deadpool 3." Here's how.

Yes, as the rumor mill has purported, "X-Men" franchise alums James Marsden, Famke Janssen, and Halle Berry could be up for a collective big-screen comeback via "Deadpool 3." Given that both Marsden's Cyclops and Janssen's Jean Grey both died in "X-Men: The Last Stand," it's a bit of a head-scratcher that they'd have any chance of returning. Then again, it's not as impossible as it may seem for two big reasons.

For one, the "X-Men" movie timeline got a big shakeup thanks to 2014's "X-Men: Days of Future Past." In the film, Wolverine travels back in time to prevent an apocalyptic future that nearly wipes out all of humanity and mutantkind alike. He's successful, and when he returns to the present day, he's greeted by the previously-deceased Cyclops and Jean. Therefore, working on the assumption that the "Deadpool" trilogy exists in this timeline, it's not a stretch to assume that they and Berry's Storm could make appearances.

In the event that "Deadpool 3" takes place in an entirely different continuity, it's still possible for Marsden's Cyclops to appear. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently all about the multiverse, converging timelines, and time travel. Perhaps using the time travel device he "borrowed" from Cable (Josh Brolin) in "Deadpool 2," Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) will travel through time and space and eventually run into Cyclops, Jean, Storm, and Wolverine, who has already been confirmed to be a major player in the highly-anticipated threequel.

We'll just have to wait and see if and how James Marsden's Cyclops will appear in "Deadpool 3" when the film arrives on May 3, 2024.