Rebecca Romijn Recalls “Very Surreal” Day Filming AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY With Massive 35 Person Ensemble
The Marvel machine is gearing up for one of its most ambitious movies with Avengers: Doomsday, and we’re starting to hear what it actually felt like on set.
One of the returning X-Men stars, Rebecca Romijn, has opened up about stepping back into Mystique’s shoes and the wild experience of filming alongside a huge lineup of heroes and mutants. From emotional reunions to chaotic ensemble days, it sounds like this movie is every bit as massive as it seems.
Romijn recently spoke with Collider, and naturally, the conversation turned to Marvel’s upcoming event film and what it was like being part of such a crowded and high-stakes production.
She didn’t hold back when describing one particular filming stretch that brought together an eye-popping number of cast members. When asked her what it was like to be on the set of the Marvel movie during the day when 35 people were present, she responded:
“That was a very surreal day. I’ll never forget it. There were two days back-to-back where we were all just kind of looking at each other, going, ‘This is crazy.’ It was very surreal.”
That kind of reaction makes sense when you consider what Doomsday is pulling together. The film throws the Avengers, New Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men into the same story, with Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU, not as Tony Stark, but as the iconic villain Doctor Doom.
For Romijn, though, the experience went beyond just scale. It was also personal. She reflected on returning to a role she hasn’t played in two decades, reconnecting with familiar faces, and stepping into this new era of Marvel storytelling.
She shared that the entire experience of revisiting Mystique, reuniting with her former X-Men co-stars, and meeting the newer additions to the franchise felt “very surreal” and “very exciting.”
The film reportedly features a storyline involving incursions, with rumors suggesting that many X-Men didn’t survive those events. According to the buzz, characters like Mystique, Nightcrawler, Cyclops, Professor X, Magneto, Beast, Gambit, Wolverine, Deadpool, and at least one mystery character make up the surviving group.
A trailer for the film premiered at CinemaCon, and it was awesome, but Marvel hasn’t released it publicly yet. Those who saw it got a glimpse of Mystique in action, including a moment where she shapeshifts into Yelena Belova during a fight sequence.
The film is directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, working from a script by Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely, with production handled through Marvel Studios and AGBO. That creative team has a strong track record with large-scale ensemble storytelling, so expectations are high.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, where it will face off against Dune: Part Three from Denis Villeneuve. Even without IMAX exclusivity, this Marvel epic looks like it’s going to be a major event. I mean, they now have Infinity Vision!