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Alan Cumming's supposed X-Men vs. Fantastic Four spoiler from Avengers: Doomsday might not have been as spoilery as we thought (we think!)

Will Cumming's Nightcrawler and Pedro Pascal's Mr. Fantastic go toe-to-toe as Doctor Doom makes his way into the MCU? The answer is less clear than we thought

Shortly after it was announced Alan Cumming would be BAMFing into Avengers: Doomsday, the actor proved he was indeed ready to take his place among actors of the MCU... by spoiling an upcoming moment in the MCU. Cumming seemingly revealed that his character, Kurt Wagner AKA Nightcrawler, would come to blows with Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards, star of the upcoming Fantastic Four: First Steps. However, a recent meeting between Cumming and the MCU's Mr. Fantastic has been casting doubts on the veracity of that supposed piece of the film's story. 

In case you haven't been following MCU news lately, the presumed spoiler came from an interview Cumming did with Buzzfeed UK, in which the actor teased the stunts he was rehearsing as part of his return to the role of the X-Men's Nightcrawler, which Cumming first debuted in 2003's X2.

"I’m sort of learning these fights," Cumming said, "And I’m like, 'What? Who am I fighting with?' And [the Doomsday filmmakers] said, 'You’re hitting Pedro Pascal against the head,' or something." 

Naturally, the internet went wild. What does it mean for the Doomsday plot that the X-Men (all played by the actors that originated the roles in Fox's X-men films) would be duking it out with Marvel's First Family? However, that question may be founded on some shaky ground, as we learned in a Pedro Pascal interview conducted by Cumming himself.

Subbing in as the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live, Cumming became part of the Fantastic Four: First Steps promotional tour, interviewing the Four themselves (that is, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn) on the late night staple. At about the three-minute mark of the interview, Cumming asked the cast if they "find it difficult to keep all the Marvel secrets."

"It's funny that you should ask," responded Pascal, who then turned to the audience and said "The biggest leak that we've had comes from our host."

After sheepish grin to the laughing crowd, Cumming admitted "My publicist called me. The wrath of a publicist is not a wrath you want to have."

But as Pascal began to explain the spoiler to the crowd, Cumming interjected, trying to make the case that his reveal might not have been the spoiler we all thought it was.

"Cub's honor," said Cumming, holding up his hand in an honest swear, "Have you done what I said? Have you been in a fight with me in this film? You haven't, have you?"

A look of sheer disbelief crossed Pascal's face as the audience reacted and costar Moss-Bachrach chuckled behind him, "Be careful, be careful." After a moment of seemingly stunned silence, Pascal responded:

"Alan and I never had a fight."

"See?" said Cumming, perhaps taking that response as more concrete evidence than it was meant to be, "So actually, maybe I got it wrong and the fight was about somebody else and I was double-bluffing you, Marvel people."

We'll see, Alan, we'll see.

Avengers: Doomsday is in theaters December 18, 2026. 


Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:

 

Grant DeArmitt

Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.

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