The host said he felt “a sense of confusion and betrayal” after seeing Marsden in a teaser trailer for the upcoming Marvel film.

Jimmy Kimmel confronts James Marsden for lying to him about reprising X-Men role in Avengers: Doomsday

The host said he felt "a sense of confusion and betrayal" after seeing Marsden in a teaser trailer for the upcoming Marvel film.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

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March 24, 2026 1:28 p.m. ET

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James Marsden; Jimmy Kimmel. Credit:

Jimmy Kimmel Live/Youtube

Jimmy Kimmel wasn’t afraid to call out James Marsden for previously lying to him — and "to the United States of America" — about his involvement in *Avengers: Doomsday**. *

The comedian blasted the* X-Men* actor on Monday's episode of *Jimmy Kimmel Live* for not revealing that he was reprising his role as Scott Summers/Cyclops the last time he visited the talk show*.*

“I have something I have to talk to you about,” Kimmel told Marsden. “Because I was excited to see the teaser for the *Avengers* and you are there as Cyclops blasting everything with your Cyclops goggles or whatever and yet… I felt a sense of confusion and betrayal.”

James Marsden in the 'Avengers: Doomsday' teaser.

Marvel Entertainment/Youtube

When Marsden asked what led Kimmel to harbor such difficult feelings, the comedian responded, "Because the last time you were here in January of 2025, I peppered you with questions about this. 'Are you a part of the Avengers? Is Cyclops in it?' And you, well, let's see what you said.”

The footage then cut to an extreme close-up of Marsden from their 2025 interview in which he replied to Kimmel’s Marvel questions by stating, "Uh, no." However, the expression on his face slowly melted into a cheeky grin.

Watching the clip back, Marsden admitted, "I'm not a very good liar."

James Marsden and Jimmy Kimmel on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'.

Jimmy Kimmel Live/Youtube

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As it turns out, Kimmel only needed to wait another two months before the truth was revealed. Marvel confirmed in March 2025 that Marsden and several of his fellow original *X-Men *trilogy stars — including Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen — would be making a comeback in *Doomsday*. Marsden later made his MCU debut in an X-Men-filled teaser trailer for the film in January.

After watching the clip of himself fibbing for a second time, Marsden tried his best to piece together what was going on in his head at that moment. "That’s me calculating as fast as I can what I can or cannot say about that," he teased.

"So you will admit that you lied to me and, more importantly, to the United States of America?" Kimmel asked, to which Marsden responded, "I was being coy! I’ve learned these movies… you can’t say anything."

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The superhero star then asked Kimmel about the question he'd asked him at the time, which was about Cyclops' mask.

"I mean, what do you say?" Marsden asked, turning the question back on Kimmel. The host then replied, "I say, 'No, sadly, I am not in the Marvel movie. I would love to be in it and, if I am in it, I’ll tell everyone immediately.'"

Marsden noted that "now I'm here to tell the truth" after his initial deceit, adding, "Sorry I lied. Just bold-faced lied on your show."

The *Paradise* star also shared a little bit of insight on the process of stepping back into Scott’s shoes, telling Kimmel that discussions about him reprising the role had been circulating for years. "But I didn’t believe it until it actually happened, because there was chat about it for years," he said. "The last movie I did was [2014's] *Days of Future Past* and that was just a cameo, but 2006 was the third X-Men."

Marsden, 52, explained that he was concerned that he’d be able to play the superhero at all given his age. "At some point, you’re like, 'Well, I’m not going to be able to do this again, right?'"

"I don’t know, you look a little bit longer than the last time I saw you," Kimmel teased. "You might be doing something weird."

*Avengers: Doomsday *blasts into theaters on Dec. 18. Watch Kimmel confront Marsden over his lies in the clip above.

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