Just like with the previous installment, Days of Future Past, Bryan Singer has amassed quite a few characters for X-Men: Apocalypse. Some of them were already seen in the Mutant Cinematic Universe, some of them are new, while some others have been revamped. There are so many big names from the comic books announced that we simply cannot see the director juggling with all of them and giving to each of them the necessary amount of screen time.
And that is why, just like in the previous installment, we suspect that many of these characters will simply cameo in the movie - which isn't necessarily a bad thing, given Singer's reputation. After all, he did manage to unite the casts of the original trilogy and of the First Class reboot (plus additional characters) in a single movie, which became a success with both the critics and the box office.
While the fans might know who the X-Men: Apocalypse characters are, the casual moviegoers might find themselves at odds with understanding all about them. So keep on reading to find out more about the main heroes and villains of X-Men: Apocalypse.
Be warned, though, since there could be spoilers in here!
Apocalypse
Portrayed by Oscar Isaac, Apocalypse is most likely the biggest threat the X-Men have faced in the comic books. As a matter of fact, he is so powerful that he cannot be writers may have a difficult time in using him in the comics.
So how powerful is he? In the comics (and, apparently, in the movie as well) he has complete control over the molecules of his body, which enables him to change size and shape at will. This also enables him to recover from deadly wounds - in the comics, a single drop of his blood was enough to bring him back to life. His complete control over his body enables him to gain any superhuman mutant ability.
Furthermore, he has all sorts of other abilities, such as energy absorption and manipulation, telepathic and telekinetic abilities, as well as control over technology. From what we have seen in the trailer, the X-Men: Apocalypse version of En Sabah Nur stays truthful to the comics.
An ancient being who has increased his powers with the help of Celestial technology, Apocalypse believes that only the strong should survive. So it is pretty understandable why he clashed so many times with the X-Men (in the comics, at least).
In the movie, the humans are aware of the mutants' existence. And the latter live in fear of the former, even if only one single mutant could lay waste to entire cities (Magneto, for example). This is the basis of Apocalypse's war - to make the mutants the rulers of the world and to destroy all those opposing him (namely the X-Men).
In the post credits scene of Days of Future Past, Apocalypse is portrayed by Brendan Pedder. Oscar Isaac will bring him to live in 2016 - and he seems to be the perfect choice for the role.
Magneto
Magneto is a central character to all the X-Men movies so far. While in First Class he was a hero on his path to becoming a villain, in Days of Future Past he played both of the roles - the Ian McKellen version from the future trying to protect what was left of humanity and mutants alike, while the Michael Fassbender version of the past wanted to instill fear in the humans by killing the president and his staff of live television.
From what we know, after the events of the previous installment Magneto goes into seclusion and tries to forget all about his wars. Apparently, he falls in love only to have his newfound happiness destroyed - most likely, through the death of his girlfriend. Given his believes, it isn't too hard to understand why he is so easy to manipulate by Apocalypse into becoming one of the 4 Horsemen.
As far as Magneto is concerned, X-Men: Apocalypse looks to be a revenge story, in which the Master of Magnetism seeks to destroy humanity for killing his lover (granted he wanted the same thing in previous movies, but for other reasons). Can we expect a sort of twist in here?
Of course we can. Apocalypse certainly knows how powerful and how great a potential Magneto has. But he also knows how adamant the mutant is in his beliefs - so Apoc must find a way to lure him back. Of course, this is just a rumor - but one worth mentioning.
Just how powerful will Magneto become after Apocalypse bestows even more power in him? We have no idea - but if he was able to lift an entire stadium in the previous installment, we can only guess how tremendous a foe he will become.
Storm
The second Horseman, Storm was portrayed in the previous X-Men flicks by Halle Berry. Next year, it will be Alexandra Shipp to bring this powerful mutant to life. And she is powerful, even if the previous movies downplayed her - she has complete control over the weather, while being also a skilled hand to hand combatant and marksman.
In the comics, she also has innate magic abilities, while her body is extremely resilient (for example, to friction and extreme temperatures). In the movies, to some extent, only her ability to control weather has been shown, even if she can be considered an Omega Mutant.
In X-Men: Apocalypse, it was revealed that she was orphan and lived on the streets, having to make ends meet one way or another. It is easy to see how Apocalypse will manipulate her into becoming his Horseman. This version of Storm stays true to the comics even when the looks of the character are considered - Alexandra Shipp shaved her head and sported a mohawk.
As Bryan Singer revealed through various tweets, she will bring destruction to her hometown Cairo. Will it be her first act as a horseman, just to get her revenge? Or destroying Cairo is a part of Apocalypse's grander plan? For now, we can only speculate - given the fact that Apoc manipulates the others using their own feelings, we can bet that Storm sees Cairo as being rotten and needing to be cleansed.
Archangel
Portrayed in X-Men: Apocalypse by Ben Hardy, Archangel is the third Horseman. In Last Stand, he was portrayed by Ben Foster - though that can be considered just a cameo. Back then, he was only known as Angel, with his powers being the ones of flight and of regeneration. Furthermore, his blood is known to heal others (if they have the same blood type), at times even returning to life the recently deceased.
Next year, we will get a different version of the character - if in Last Stand he was in the mid-twenties, next year there is no clue as to how old he is. What is known is that he is also saved by Apocalypse, Angel being forced to fight in underground cage matches.
If his natural mutation is represented by the feathered wings, the trailer also shows him with metallic ones, which are most likely bestowed on him by Apoc. It can also be suspected that the villain will also increase his healing abilities - though this is just a speculation.
Psylocke
The last of the Horsemen, Psylocke is a new addition to the Mutant Cinematic Universe (leaving aside the cameo from Last Stand) and she is portrayed by Olivia Munn. The actress teased her role on several occasions, with small clips with her training. But, even if she is the other Horseman presented on the first Empire magazine cover dedicated to X-Men: Apocalypse, we suspect that she won't have such a big role in the flick. There are just too many bigger characters in it.
In the comics, she has quite a few powers and abilities, mainly telepathic and telekinetic ones. But she is also a skilled fighter, master in various martial arts. As far as the weapons she uses are concerned, she is able to generate her own katana, using only her psionic abilities.
In X-Men: Apocalypse, it has been suggested that she is a former slave - which explains why she decided to follow Apocalypse as his Horseman. Little is known about her other than this. However, given the fact that she is a favorite of the comic readers, even a minor role should please the hardcore fans.
Moira MacTaggert
While she did cameo in Last Stand, Moira MacTaggert is best known for her appearance in X-Men: First Class (portrayed by Rose Byrne), the CIA agent who discovered the existence of mutants and who helped Charles Xavier bring down the Hellfire Club. After Magneto took over as the leader of the Hellfire Club and after the agencies became aware of the existence of mutants, Professor X erased her mind in order to protect his school for gifted youngsters, as well as herself.
There is no knowing what happened to her afterwards, since she isn't present during Days of Future Past. However, the X-Men: Apocalypse trailer shows her working once again with Professor X. Does this mean that her memories weren't erased completely? This is least likely - instead, we believe that she continued pursuing her obsession of finding out all there is to know about the mutants.
And she has an active role in the fight against Apocalypse, since the trailer shows her costumed alongside the X-Men.
Quicksilver
Quicksilver (Evan Peters) was the cherry on top for Days of Future Past, being the main protagonist of the best scene in the movie. Furthermore, there is a hint that his father is none other than Magneto.
And Bryan Singer said that he will pursue this plot point in the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse, with Quicksilver having a much meatier part this time around. Apparently, as the director said, the speedster will have his own reasons for joining the X-Men - he most likely found out who his father is and now seeks to save him.
If the trailer tells us anything about him is that he will also have a major scene in the movie. Furthermore, we can also assume that this time around he won't have time to mess around with all the objects he finds in the room - Apocalypse is one of the mutants who can match his speed.
And if we are talking about Quicksilver, we also need to mention his twin sister - Scarlet Witch. This character was supposed to be hinted in Days of Future Past, but that scene ended up on the cutting room floor. Will X-Men: Apocalypse introduce this powerful mutant as well?
Nightcrawler
The protagonist of an amazing introductory scene in X2 returns to the Mutant Cinematic Universe. If he was previously portrayed by Alan Cumming, this time around Kodi Smit-McPhee will become the blue teleporter.
It isn't known what his role will be in X-Men: Apocalypse. However, Bryan Singer did say that Mystique is the one who brings him into the fold, for Professor X to train him and help him accept his appearance. Several questions appear right now, with the most important one concerning Mystique's reasons.
In the comics, Nightcrawler is her son with Azazel (the red teleporter from First Class). Could this be the reason why Mystique wants to help him? It is in the realm of possibility, especially since it isn't known what exactly happened with the Hellfire Club immediately after First Class. And since Mystique doesn't age like normal people do (she is a mutant, after all), we cannot exclude this possibility (though he can still be a long-lost son of Azazel and an unknown character).
Havok and Cyclops
One of the First Class students, Havok (Lucas Till) returns after a brief cameo in Days of Future Past. From then we learned that the former student was sent in Vietnam, where he was in the company of other mutants. Trask and Stryker took notice of him, but weren't able to apprehend him - Mystique arrived just in time and sent him in the US.
Just like with other characters, it isn't known what happened afterwards, after coming back home - as said, he had just a cameo in the previous X-Men installment. What is known is that he is back and that he has a much more consistent role (he does get quite a lot of screen time in the trailer).
And maybe that is because his brother Cyclops is also featured in the movie. Previously portrayed by James Marsden, Cyclops will be brought to life by Tye Sheridan next year. He is one of the new students, one who cannot control his mutant power (which is very destructive).
In the comics these two are brothers. Havok being the younger one. At first, Singer said that they aren't necessarily brothers in the Mutant Cinematic Universe, despite having similar abilities. Later on, he retracted and said that they are indeed siblings - though this time Cyclops is the younger one.
Jean Grey
Portrayed in the original trilogy by Famke Janssen, Jen Grey makes a return in X-Men: Apocalypse after being killed in Last Stand. Sophie Turner brings her to life.
Just like with Cyclops and Nightcrawler, there isn't much to say about her character, other than the fact that she may have precognitive abilities - she does say that she saw the world being destroyed.
Having Jean Grey back again into the X-Men franchise brings the potential of some awesome storylines to unfold - explicitly the Dark Phoenix one, which was butchered in Last Stand. Nonetheless, just like with the other younger and new characters, we cannot expect for her to have too a consistent role in the movie.
Jubilee
Another fan favorite mutant from the comics, Jubilee has made cameos in all three films of the original trilogy (very, very small cameos). Portrayed by Lana Condor in X-Men: Apocalypse, she is a mutant who can create pyrotechnic energy plasmids to various effects, mostly intended to distract the enemies.
Since this is the first time when she will have a full role in the Mutant Cinematic Universe, it isn't known anything about her.
However, Bryan Singer did say that X-Men: Apocalypse is both an ending and a beginning, which most likely means that her character will be developed in future movies, just like all the other young characters to be featured next year.
Beast
Beast is another of the First Class mutants, one who stood beside Professor X from the beginning until the end (so to speak). Nicholas Hoult portrays the character, after Kelsey Grammer played the role in the original trilogy.
Until now, Beast struggled between trying to fit in and being a mutant - this was his story since First Class opened in the cinemas. Apparently, after seeing him both furry and in human form in the trailer, this storyline will continue in X-Men: Apocalypse as well.
Also, it can be expected for his relationship with Mystique to develop as well - there was a certain and quite visible tension between them in the previous installments. As far as he is concerned, Beast will most likely be one of those who firmly stands his ground against Apoc.
If we are to assume anything, we would say that this movie is the one in which he becomes Mutant and Proud and embraces his unusual appearance. Since Apocalypse is such a terrible foe, we can expect for him to realize that he needs to remain Beast for all the time in order to stand a chance. While he is a genius in both mods, he is certainly more useful when not hiding, the serum effectively reducing his strength and agility.
As the ending scene of Days of Future Past has shown, he does come to terms with who he is.
Mystique
The last time we saw Mystique, she was pulling Wolverine out of the Potomac river, thus hinting that she may have a role in the Weapon X program. Or was it someone else, some other shape shifter impersonating Stryker?
Mystique had quite a big role in the new X-Men trilogy, being a main character beside Magneto and Professor X. This won't change in X-Men: Apocalypse, since she will be the one to lead the team against the big baddie.
In First Class, in the end, she joins the Hellfire Club, under Magneto's rule. In Days of Future Past she realizes that Magneto's way isn't the best one - though she doesn't join the X-Men just yet. Next year she will become the leader of the team. And we can speculate that 2016 will be the last year for her to appear in the Mutant Cinematic Universe (there is no word that she has extended her contract for more movies).
Mystique was portrayed in the original trilogy by Rebecca Romijn, while Jennifer Lawrence took the reins beginning with the First Class. What we cannot understand with the newer version is why Mystique appears mainly in human form, even if she has become Mutant and Proud. Will this issue have a resolve in X-Men: Apocalypse?
Professor X
The last on this list, Professor X is the leader of the X-Men - the teacher who helps all the young mutants control their powers. In the original trilogy, Patrick Stewart brought him to life, while James McAvoy took the role starting with First Class.
It can be said that his story arc is much more interesting in the new trilogy, since it shows all of his weaknesses - in Days of Future Past he has to face his own fears and become who he was supposed to be from the first place.
The trailer shows him in even more interesting scenes. In one of them, he can walk again and he engages Apocalypse in hand to hand combat. This means that he either took the serum again, either that the fight takes place in his mind (he is losing, by the way). The other one shows him in awe at the tremendous power displayed by Apocalypse - in a way, this scene may have something to do with him losing his hair.
As James McAvoy said, the character will literally pull his hair off at one point in the movie. Is it because he was forced to do something/anything by Apoc? We have no clue - but it surely seems that he will also be tempted by the First Mutant.
