James Marsden is back in the Marvel spotlight as Scott Cyclops Summers in the latest Avengers: Doomsday teaser, marking an emotional return for the actor and the iconic X-Men team in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

The new teaser, released this week, brings fan-favourite characters from the X-Men films into the MCU in a way fans have long dreamed of, with Marsden joining Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen on screen again.

The short clip opens with a haunting look at a ruined Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, signalling darker times ahead for mutants and heroes alike. 

Professor Charles Xavier (Stewart) and Magneto (McKellen) share a quiet moment over a chessboard, a familiar moment for fans of the original franchise. 

That calm quickly shifts as Cyclops appears battle-ready, removing his visor and unleashing a powerful optic blast, a defining moment that highlights his role in the story.

Marsden’s return as Cyclops is particularly meaningful because it bridges the early X-Men films with the MCU’s sprawling multiverse narrative. 

He last played the character more than 20 years ago in X-Men: The Last Stand, and his comeback reflects Marvel’s broader effort to unify fan-favourite mutants with its existing universe.

The teaser has sparked excitement online, with fans praising the comic-accurate blue-and-yellow design of Cyclops’ costume and the emotional resonance of seeing original cast members reprise their roles in a new context. 

Avengers: Doomsday is shaping up to be a major event film when it hits cinemas on December 18, 2026. 

Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, the movie also reunites other MCU favourites and promises to launch a new chapter of interconnected stories, leading into Avengers: Secret Wars the following year.

For Marsden, returning to Cyclops isn’t just a cameo, it’s a homecoming to a role that helped define his early career. 

Fans of both the classic X-Men films and the MCU will likely be watching closely to see how these characters reshape the future of Marvel’s film universe.

Ashley Tisdale says she’s walked away from a friendship circle she once thought was supportive, describing it as “toxic” and comparing it to the dynamics to high-school groups. 

In a candid essay for The Cut about her experience, the High School Musical star explained that being repeatedly excluded from social gatherings with her group of fellow mums left her feeling hurt and sidelined, so much so that she eventually cut the ties.

Tisdale, 40, wrote that the group initially felt like a village of friends who could share the ups and downs of motherhood, but over time she began to notice subtle exclusion, from being left out of hangouts to awkward seating arrangements at dinners. 

Social media only made her feel worse. 

She recalled once sitting alone after putting her daughter to bed and suddenly feeling “totally lost as to what I was doing ‘wrong’ to be left out.”

Eventually, Tisdale sent a group text saying, “This is too high school for me and I don’t want to take part in it anymore,” and decided to prioritise her own well-being. 

She told fellow stars and pals that motherhood already brings enough challenges without having to question whether people around you truly support you.

Her decision sparked online speculation, particularly after she unfollowed a few celebrity mums on social media, including Hilary Duff and Mandy Moore, leading some fans to connect them to the group she mentioned.

However, a representative for Tisdale denied the essay was about Duff, Moore or Meghan Trainor, saying the piece wasn’t intended to call out specific individuals. 

While some members of the circle reportedly tried to smooth things over with her, Tisdale felt that the overall atmosphere had become unhealthy for her own mental health. 

In her essay, she emphasised that she doesn’t consider most of the women in the group “bad people,” but that the dynamic stopped being positive for her.

Tisdale’s reflection has sparked broader conversations online about the complexities of adult friendships and how even small social groups can feel like strangers, especially during significant life transitions such as parenthood. 

Her openness has resonated with many who have experienced similar social challenges, highlighting how much adult relationships can sometimes mirror the childish behaviour we embrace in school years.

Gwyneth Paltrow is taking a walk down romantic memory lane.

The Iron Man actress subtly referenced her former boyfriend Ben Affleck during her appearance on Amy Poehler’s Good Hand podcast on Tuesday, January 6. Paltrow, 53, brought up her brief romance with the Oscar-winner while reflecting on her connection to the late Robin Williams, explaining that their paths crossed around the release of Good Will Hunting in 1997 — a film Affleck famously co-wrote and starred in.

“I only got to know [Williams] a bit when Good Will Hunting came out [in 1997] because I was dating one of the people who wrote that movie and was in that movie,” the Goop founder said.

“We’re well aware,” Poehler joked, before praising Affleck’s performance. Paltrow agreed, adding, “I love that movie. It’s a perfect movie. I love it so much.”

It was a rare acknowledgment of her romance with Affleck, whom she dated beginning in 1997 following her split from Brad Pitt. During their relationship, the pair also worked together, co-starring in Shakespeare in Love in 1998 and Bounce in 2000, before ending things that same year.

Paltrow later found love with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. The former couple shares two children, daughter Apple, 21, and son Moses, 19, and separated in 2016. She went on to marry TV writer and director Brad Falchuk in 2018.

Affleck, meanwhile, was married to Jennifer Garner from 2005 to 2018, and more recently to Jennifer Lopez from 2022 to 2025.