X-Men's Evil Senator Returns!

The upcoming sequel to X-Men promises to answer an age-old question: How does one get brought back to life after getting reduced to a pile of goo. Specifically, we're referring to Sen. Kelly, the dastardly villain (played by Bruce Davison) who exploded into a ball of jelly in the 2000 mutant thriller — and who miraculously resurfaces in X-Men 2 (opening May 2, 2003).

"There's always a drain available for him to run down," laughs Davison of his alter ego's resurrection. "I make a cameo appearance. Let's just say I'm feeling a bit blue." Not wanting to give too much else away, the 56-year-old actor adds that his return "is more of a mystery than a shock."

That's also how one might describe Davison's role on Friday's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (10 pm/ET on NBC). He portrays a neurologist suspected of raping one of his comatose patients. In typical L&O fashion, expect a last-minute surprise. "There's certainly a teeth-kicker twist in the end," he teases. "It has to do with stem-cell research."

The SVU gig also marks the first time the 1990 Oscar nominee (for Longtime Companion) is sharing the screen with his real-life bride, actress Lisa Pelikan, who plays a researcher in cahoots with Davison's character. "We've [talked] over the telephone in the [1997] Showtime movie Color of Justice, but we've never been in the same shot together," he says. "It's difficult because we know each other's tricks; it's very easy to derail each other." So, how did they manage to pull it off? Pausing, he says: "We just sat there [in the courtroom] and looked very guilty."