Missing Original ‘X-Men’ Star Reacts to Costars’ ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Return

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Famke Janssen is happy to see her old X-Men colleagues joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe for *Avengers: Doomsday*, but it doesn’t look like she’ll be joining them this time. Janssen famously played Jean Grey in the *X-Men* films from the early 2000s, including *X2: X-Men United* and *X-Men: The Last Stand*, and had brief appearances in *The Wolverine* and *X-Men: Days of Future Past*. Several of her former co-stars are returning, with Hugh Jackman reprising his role as Wolverine in *Deadpool & Wolverine*, and James Marsden, Ian McKellen, and Patrick Stewart set to return as Cyclops, Magneto, and Professor X, respectively, in *Avengers: Doomsday*.

The recent cast announcement for *Avengers: Doomsday* didn’t include Famke Janssen, suggesting her character, Jean Grey, won’t appear in the new Marvel film. In an interview with Grant Hermanns from *Screen Rant*, Janssen fondly remembered her work in the *X-Men* movies, saying they were a positive experience for her career. When asked directly if she’d reprise her role as Jean Grey in *Avengers: Doomsday*, Janssen responded:

To be honest, I’m not familiar with the story, so I can’t really say much about it. I’ve never been much of a comic book person, even after being involved for a while. I’m really looking forward to seeing the final product, though – I’ll be finding out the story along with everyone else and seeing how it all wraps up.

Many High-Profile ‘X-Men’ Actors Are Not Confirmed for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’


20th Century Studio

Several actors from past *X-Men* movies, including Alan Cumming, Kelsey Grammer, and Rebecca Romilijn, will be in *Avengers: Doomsday*. However, many fans were surprised to see some notable names missing, like Marie Janssen, who played Jean Grey. Halle Berry, known for her role as Storm, also isn’t listed in the cast. Despite Hugh Jackman’s recent return as Wolverine in the successful *Deadpool & Wolverine*, he won’t be appearing in *Avengers: Doomsday* either.

If the upcoming *Avengers: Doomsday* movie turns out to be a crossover with the X-Men, leaving out Jean Grey would be a real oversight. As the X-Men’s strongest member, fans are eager to see how her immense power, specifically the Phoenix Force, would stack up against powerful Avengers like Thor or The Sentry. However, Marvel Studios may be holding back on featuring Jean Grey in *Avengers: Doomsday* because they’re planning to introduce their own version of the character soon. There’s speculation that Sadie Sink’s secret role in *Spider-Man: Brand New Day* is actually the MCU’s take on Jean Grey.

It’s possible Maggie Janssen is downplaying her involvement, and she might be negotiating a return for reshoots, or may have already filmed some scenes. Actors have hidden their roles in Marvel projects before, as Andrew Garfield demonstrated. With over a year until *Avengers: Doomsday* is released, there’s still time to include Janssen in a cameo, either in that film or potentially in *Avengers: Secret Wars*.

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2025-10-06 02:54