4 Avengers: Doomsday Characters Who Would Be Perfect Opponents For Cyclops
The return of Cyclops stands out as one of the most highly anticipated elements of Avengers: Doomsday. Not only is James Marsden coming back to the role of Scott Summers after taking a backseat to Wolverine in his previous appearances, but the hero will also be suiting up in his iconic blue and yellow Jim Lee-designed costume from the 1990s. As for what he'll up to, aside from presumably leading the X-Men into battle against Doctor Doom, that remains to be seen.
However, the first full trailer for Avengers: Doomsday does offer some clues. It is known, for instance, that some of the heroes will be fighting against each other - even if it's only briefly. Shang-Chi, who is expected to be among the latest Avengers lineup, was seen exchanging blows with Channing Tatum's Gambit from Deadpool and Wolverine. Meanwhile, Mystique can be spotted fighting Yelena Belova from the New Avengers squad. This furthers theories of an Avengers vs. X-Men storyline playing out at some point in Avengers: Doomsday's narrative.
Such a development would make a lot of sense, considering that crossovers between different superhero teams in Marvel Comics (including the Avengers and the X-Men) often begin with a misunderstanding before building toward an alliance against a common foe. It's not hard to imagine something similar happening in Avengers: Doomsday, especially since it would give the movie a chance to arrange some dream matchups between popular Marvel superheroes.
Since Avengers: Doomsday is elevating James Marsden's Cyclops in a way that earlier X-Men movies didn't, there's a good chance he too gets to take part in whatever superhero in-fighting takes place in the film. And given who's confirmed to be in the cast, the movie has all sorts of interesting options when it comes to putting together a great fight scene or two for Cyclops.
4 Captain America (Sam Wilson)
If the Avengers go head-to-head with the X-Men, pitting leader against leader feels like a fitting (and symbolic) move for the story. If the trailer is any indication, Thor may be the de-facto leader of the assembled heroes in Avengers: Doomsday, but Sam Wilson's Captain America has been positioned as the new face of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Partially for that reason, he'd be an appropriate opponent for Cyclops in the movie.
Adding to that is their respective fighting styles. As the current wielder of Captain America's shield, Sam Wilson holds a potent defensive tool for protecting against Cyclops' optic blasts. The shield, combined with this version of Captain America's ability to fly, would make landing a hit on him a difficult challenge for Cyclops in combat.
Unlike the original Captain America, Sam Wilson possesses the strength of a normal human, which means that in terms of physical capabilities, he'd be on an even playing field with Cyclops. A Sam Wilson vs. Cyclops battle in Doomsday would be a test of Captain America's shield, close combat, and acrobatic flying skills against the accuracy of Cyclops' optic blasts and his fighting prowess.
3 U.S. Agent
Although he too uses a circular shield designed for throwing, John Walker a.k.a. U.S. Agent would be a different kind of opponent for Cyclops, compared to Sam Wilson. Unlike Sam, Walker does indeed possess superhuman strength, which would make Cyclops the underdog in a fight between the two heroes. In addition to having a weapon that can neutralize Cyclops' greatest asset, U.S. Agent has enough raw power to overwhelm Cyclops in a physical confrontation.
That said, a win over U.S. Agent wouldn't be the first time Cyclops fought against a seemingly superior foe and emerged victorious. The comic book character is accustomed to being the underdog, as evidenced by his ability to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Wolverine and walk away alive. Cyclops is a master tactician with years of training in martial arts, which could be crucial to taking down someone who completely outclasses him physically. Having Cyclops defeat U.S. Agent would be a great way of portraying a side of the character that previous movies never really captured, which is his status as one of Marvel's best hand-to-hand fighters.
Looking at how he's been underutilized for so long and stuck in Wolverine's shadow on the big screen, Cyclops - perhaps more than any other hero in Avengers: Doomsday's cast - is deserving of an incredibly impressive win.
2 Mr. Fantastic
One of the heroes confirmed to be present during the skirmish at X-Mansion is Mr. Fantastic, thus making him a potential combatant in the upcoming superhero brawl. Given that Scott Summers and Reed Richards account for two of the most important leaders in the history of Marvel Comics, a matchup between them in Avengers: Doomsday could generate a significant degree of fanfare, and could pave the way for an interesting character dynamic to follow.
Based on how dangerous Cyclops will be to everyone else in the room via his optic blasts, Mr. Fantastic could very well be the one who steps up to deal with him. Due to his elastic limbs, he has a way of getting to Cyclops quickly and possibly knocking him out before he can cause any real damage.
1 Ant-Man
The Avengers: Doomsday trailer is indicative of a sizable role in the story for Paul Rudd's Scott Lang. Since he did team up with the Avengers in Avengers: Endgame, there's a good chance he's an official member of the team in Doomsday. If so, he could be one of the many players involved in any Avengers vs. X-Men action that the movie delivers. Because of his size-changing abilities, fighting Ant-Man would be an extremely frustrating adversary for Cyclops were they to find themselves on opposite sides.
One of the earliest comic book stories to see the Avengers fight the X-Men was Avengers #53. Published in 1968, the comic featured a four-on-four showdown between the two teams, with Cyclops being faced with Scott Lang's predecessor, Hank Pym. As "Goliath," Pym single-handedly defeated Cyclops.
Cyclops vs. Ant-Man could make for some fun visuals in Avengers: Doomsday, with Scott shrinking to ant-size to dodge Cyclops' optic blasts. His strategy would most likely revolve around using his size-changing powers to close the distance between himself and Cyclops in a fight that could easily be decided by one blow. If he can attain his giant form within arm's reach of Cyclops, the win may very well go to the Avenger.