Nicholas Hoult Had A Classy Reaction To Kelsey Grammer's Beast Return In The MCU

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has yet to fully introduce its own version of the X-Men, that's quickly coming. But before we head into reboot land with a new "X-Men" movie sometime after the Multiverse Saga ends, the mutants from the Fox era are getting the chance to say goodbye in next year's "Avengers: Doomsday." And among the actors getting one last bite at the apple is "Frasier" star Kelsey Grammer, who will once again portray Hank McCoy, aka Beast.

Nicholas Hoult, who played a younger version of Beast in films like "X-Men: First Class" and "X-Men: Days of Future Past," has now weighed in regarding the character's return in the MCU. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly while promoting James Gunn's "Superman" (in which he plays the villain Lex Luthor), Hoult expressed nothing but positivity regarding Grammer's portrayal of Beast. Here's what he had to say about it:

"Kelsey was a great Beast. He was the Beast I saw when I was a kid, along with the other actors that they're bringing back, Patrick [Stewart] and Ian [McKellen] and James [Marsden] and all them."

"Those were the characters that I got to watch in 'X-Men' movies," Hoult added. "I'm excited to see what they do with it. It'll be fun to see how they incorporate those characters into that world."

Grammer previously played the role in the much-maligned "X-Men: The Last Stand," in addition to making a very brief cameo as Dr. McCoy in "Days of Future Past." But Grammer was given another chance to put his stamp on the character in a surprise appearance in the post-credits scene attached to "The Marvels." That has helped tee up his larger return in "Doomsday," which is currently in production.

While it will be great to see some of the other actors from Fox's "X-Men" movies reprising their roles, there's something about Grammer's return that feels particularly exciting to many fans. His casting as Beast felt spot-on, yet "The Last Stand" itself is considered by far to be one of the worst live-action "X-Men" movies, rivaled only perhaps by "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and "Dark Phoenix." As such, it will be nice to see him get a fair shake at playing the character in what figures to be one of the biggest movies of 2026.

Grammer, as Hoult alluded to, is just one of the many "X-Men" actors of old who will be returning as part of the massive "Avengers: Doomsday" cast, with Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler), Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), James Marsden (Cyclops), and Channing Tatum (Gambit) also on board. More than likely, this will be the swan song for these actors, as 2027's "Avengers: Secret Wars" is set to bring the Multiverse Saga to a close.

As for Hoult's response, he kept it classy. Any actor could have easily joked "bring me back" or something along those lines. Instead, he took the opportunity to share his love for Grammer and the rest of his fellow "X-Men" stars. As for whether or not we'll see Hoult's Beast back in the MCU at some point? EW also asked if the actor had any talks with Marvel about it and he simply replied with "No." Whether that's true or not is tough to say. After all, if it's not true, he probably couldn't admit anything anyway.

"Avengers: Doomsday" is set to hit theaters on December 18, 2026.