Shawn Ashmore Would Return As Iceman In MCU X-Men If Asked By Marvel

Actor Shawn Ashmore, who played Iceman in four X-Men films, says he's open to returning to the character if Marvel asked. Ashmore began portraying Iceman in the first X-Men movie in 2000. Ashmore was still early in his career, though his role in X-Men saw him acting with veterans like Ian McKellan, Patrick Stewart, and Halle Berry. Aside from helping comic book films be taken seriously at the box office and with critics, X-Men also spawned a franchise that includes 13 films over 20 years, if the Deadpool films and The New Mutants are counted.

After the first film, Ashmore's Iceman was brought back for the 2003 sequel, X2: X-Men United, which saw the character getting a more prominent role with a fleshed-out backstory. In 2006, Ashmore returned to the character again for X-Men: The Last Stand. Following The Last Stand's disappointing reception from fans, the X-Men films were retooled, which began a series of prequels with X-Men: Frist Class that explored their past. When this happened, most of the original actors were recast as younger versions, though a unique story helped to meld them all together with 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past, which allowed Ashmore to return one more time as Iceman. However, Ashmore seems keen on returning for more.

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Ashmore was asked if he would ever be interested in paying Iceman again, given the current state of the MCU where Spider-Man: No Way Home has made anything possible. Ashmore acknowledged that X-Men: Days of Future Past "felt like the end for our characters," but now "anything's possible." Being a comic book fan who grew up playing Iceman, Ashmore is game to return if Marvel were to ask, stating, "I would do it again in a second." Check out Ashmore's comments from Screen Rant's exclusive interview below:

"Yeah, I haven't seen the newest Spider-Man movie, but I know that -- I'm trying not to get spoiled -- but I know that everybody from everywhere comes. So look, after Days of Future Past, I had kind of accepted that was gonna be our last film, with this group of actors, anyway. Disney was taking over the rights. It felt like the end for our characters, the original trilogy cast, it felt kind of like the end of the story. And I've kind of accepted that. But obviously, anything's possible, and I have no idea what they're going to do. Are they going to cast completely new actors and start fresh? Are they going to pull actors from the Fox X-Men trilogy into the Marvel Universe? I don't know. If it happened, would I do it? 100%. No question. I grew up playing that character. I'm a comic book fan. It's things that I'm into. So, I would do it again in a second. But I've kind of accepted the fact that I got four movies, and that might be it. And I'm pretty happy with that."

With what Spider-Man: No Way Home pulled off with its villains and secret characters from other universes coming into the MCU, characters from Fox's X-Men franchise could make an appearance in the future. Marvel already intends on making new X-Men films, though their plans are unknown beyond confirming that Deadpool 3 will happen. However, there are already rumors that a version of Professor X may appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Depending on the validity of that rumor and the actor who may portray Professor X, the future of the X-Men could already be set in the MCU.

Even if Ashmore doesn't get the chance to return as Iceman, his career is still going strong. Ashmore has recently played the recurring role of Lamplighter on the hit comic book-based series The Boys while also starring alongside Nathan Fillion in The Rookie. Ashmore's next project is a horror film called The Free Fall, which hits theaters and VOD on January 14. So while X-Men made a massive impact on Ashmore's resumé and life, he seems set in his career whether Marvel reaches out again or not.

Next: All 12 Marvel Movies Releasing After Spider-Man: No Way Home (& When)