James Marsden's Marvel Tease Makes Us Think Cyclops Is In Deadpool 3

"Deadpool & Wolverine" is gearing up to be one of the most long-awaited Marvel projects in recent memory. On top of Hugh Jackman clawing his way back to the silver screen as everyone's favorite cigar-puffin' mutant, the third "Deadpool" movie seems ready to bring back a host of other characters, like an "X-Men" villain who hasn't been seen in 18 years. While fans continue to anxiously wait for the film's release — it hits theaters this year on July 26 — they're hopeful to see some of their favorite mutant heroes return alongside Jackman's Wolverine, like James Marsden's Scott Summers, AKA Cyclops.

Throughout the film's production, an endless row of reports have claimed that several original X-Men from previous films will be returning for "Deadpool & Wolverine." When asked by The Playlist about potentially donning that iconic ruby quartz visor again, Marsden pretty craftily moonwalked around the question in a way that only a Marvel actor could. "I keep hearing about that. I can't walk down the street without someone asking me so evidently there's a lot of chatter about that. It'd be fun," the actor said while promoting "Knox Goes Away" alongside Michael Keaton. Interestingly, Marsden made a point to mention how close the production of "Sonic 3" was to the third "Deadpool" flick. "We just wrapped [Sonic 3] actually. We were near the Deadpool stages up there in Pinewood actually ... Yeah, this is a little bit of a Pandora's box."

Whether or not fans get to see the "Jury Duty" actor return as Cyclops, everyone seems to be in agreement that not only was Marsden perfect for the role, but he and the character simply deserved more during their cinematic outing. 

The original 20th Century Fox "X-Men" films were more or less the Wolverine show, with central characters like Marsden's Cyclops put on the backburner, especially in 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand." Fans still have not forgotten this. In a 2023 Reddit thread breaking down what fans would have done differently with Cyclops in the third film, dozens of comments expressed their confusion over how the character was unceremoniously killed off. "His role in ['Last Stand'] is still insane. [It's] like killing [Captain America] at the start of a ['Civil War'] adaptation," one Redditor wrote. "Man Fox really wasted him, [he] fits perfectly as Scott," another opined.

One fan tackled the idea that Cyclops needed and deserved a much more prominent role in the Fox films. "I don't think you can ONLY change [Last Stand] to make Cyclops work. Part of the problem is he was relegated to a secondary character for all three movies. He needed to be more important/emphasized."

With "X-Men '97" just around the corner, at least fans will likely get to see Cyclops (Ray Chase) return as the glorious, no-nonsense, laser-blasting leader that he is in the fantastic realm of animation. And who knows, maybe "Deadpool & Wolverine" will deliver a cool scene or two with Marsden donning the visor once more. For "X-Men" aficionados hungry for more info about the third "Deadpool" film, be sure to check out some of the small details you might have missed in the "Deadpool & Wolverine" trailer, and how one of the movie's main villains might have been spoiled by the United States government.