Rebecca Romijn Reveals How Long It Takes to Transform into Mystique for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

Rebecca Romijn is returning as Mystique after 14 years away from the role. Her last appearance as the character was a brief, uncredited cameo in X-Men: First Class back in 2011.

Now, she’s set to reprise the iconic mutant in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, joining many of her old co-stars from the Fox X-Men series, including Alan Cumming, James Marsden, Sir Ian McKellen, and Sir Patrick Stewart.

The details about her role in the new movie are still under wraps. The film’s synopsis says it takes place fourteen months after the events of Thunderbolts* (2025) and shows the Avengers, Wakandans, Fantastic Four, New Avengers, and the original X-Men teaming up to face Doctor Doom. This information comes from reports on the movie’s development.

Romijn recently spoke with ET about coming back to play Mystique after finishing work on Star Trek. When asked how it felt to return, she shared, “It’s been incredibly fun, very surreal and wonderful to be with my old cast as well as new cast.” She also talked about the long makeup process, saying it takes up to seven hours each day to apply the blue scales that transform her into Mystique.

She joked about the experience, echoing the struggles shared by her co-star Alan Cumming, “Currently in production.”

Interestingly, Romijn admitted she never expected to return as Mystique. “Never in a million years,” she said. Adding a funny story, Melissa Navia revealed that Romijn’s husband, Jerry O’Connell, sometimes dresses up as Mystique for fan conventions. Around the time Romijn’s return was announced, he even shared a picture of himself in the costume online.

Avengers: Doomsday is a highly anticipated Marvel Studios film that continues the story of the Avengers. It’s the fifth film in the Avengers series, following Avengers: Endgame (2019), and is the 39th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo with a script by Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely, the movie has a huge cast, including Chris Hemsworth, Vanessa Kirby, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and many others. Rebecca Romijn joins this star-studded lineup alongside Robert Downey Jr., who plays the villain Doctor Doom.

The story brings together the Avengers, Wakandans, Fantastic Four, New Avengers, and X-Men as they unite to fight Doctor Doom. The film is part of Phase Six of the MCU and is scheduled to premiere on December 18, 2026. Its sequel, Secret Wars, will follow on December 17, 2027.

The production has had some changes over time. Originally, The Kang Dynasty was set to be the next Avengers film with Destin Daniel Cretton directing, but he left the project in late 2023. Michael Waldron took over writing duties, and the Russo brothers returned as directors.

Some changes also came after actor Jonathan Majors, who played Kang the Conqueror, was fired. Filming for Doomsday started in April 2025 at Pinewood Studios in England, with additional shoots in England and Bahrain.

Fans are excited to see Romijn back as Mystique, especially after such a long time away. Her return adds another layer of nostalgia and excitement as the MCU continues to expand and bring together its many heroes and stories.

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