Get to know the new and returning mutants in our X-Men Apocalypse characters guide!
On Friday, May 27, the current era of X-Men films that began with X-Men: First Class will come to an end with the release of X-Men: Apocalypse. And for the very first time, one of the X-Men’s greatest foes, Apocalypse, will be the featured villain in a live-action movie.
Apocalypse’s role in the sequel was teased in the post-credits scene of X-Men: Days of Future Past, as a much younger version of Apocalypse telekinetically built a pyramid in ancient Egypt as a crowd chanted “En Sabah Nur.” That’s the true name of Apocalypse, and it means “The First One.” In Marvel’s comic book universe, Apocalypse is one of the very first mutants to have been born, and he’s adopted the creed of “the survival of the fittest.”
In the new movie, Apocalypse awakens after thousands of years to begin implementing his plans for world domination. And if humanity gets wiped out along the way, then so be it. As is his custom, Apocalypse has also chosen four mutants to serve as his horsemen, and they should be familiar to comic book fans.
Ahead of X-Men: Apocalypse, ComingSoon.net is running down all of the major characters in the new film. Everything you need to know about the film is right here!
X-Men Apocalypse Characters Guide: Professor Charles Xavier
James McAvoy is back as Professor Xavier for the third time, and now he’s going full chrome dome! That’s right, Xavier is finally rockin’ his bald head, which is part of his character’s iconic look. By this film’s timeline, it’s been roughly a decade since the events of X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Xavier is once again mentoring a team of his mutant X-Men.
X-Men Apocalypse Characters Guide: Mystique/Raven Darkhölme
Although Jennifer Lawrence has recently indicated a willingness to return as Mystique beyond X-Men: Apocalypse, it probably won’t happen any time soon. We’re still not entirely clear why Mystique isn’t appearing in her natural blue skin for most the scenes in this movie… except for the rumor that Lawrence isn’t a huge fan of the full body makeup that requires.
What is known is that Mystique has more of a heroic role in X-Men: Apocalypse than in most of her on-screen appearances. And the comic book Mystique has never been as selfless as Raven is in the films. While the trailers have presented Mystique as the field leader of Xavier’s new X-Men, Raven is said to have been working alone prior to the events of X-Men: Apocalypse.
X-Men Apocalypse Characters Guide: Apocalypse
If we didn’t know that Oscar Isaac was playing Apocalypse, it would be hard to identify him under all of that makeup. You won’t see a hint of Isaac’s Poe Dameron in this role! Apocalypse is not only one of the oldest mutants, he also has multiple powers which he has enhanced with alien technology. He’s got a plan to remake the world in his image, and he has the means to do it.
X-Men Apocalypse Characters Guide: Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr
Michael Fassbender is also back for another turn as Magneto. After the events of X-Men: Days of Future Past, even Magneto has had enough. By the time this film starts, Erik has seemingly left his mutant persona behind as he lives with a human woman in Poland. But as one of Apocalypse’s new horsemen, Magneto will rise once again.
X-Men Apocalypse Characters Guide: Psylocke/Elizabeth Braddock
You may have noticed that most of the promotion for this film has revolved around Olivia Munn’s Psylocke. This isn’t the first time that Psylocke has appeared in the X-Men movies (Psylocke was basically a background character in X-Men: The Last Stand), but it is the first time that she’s been translated so faithfully.
Psylocke is the second horseman of Apocalypse, and the movie is focusing on her telekinetic powers and ninja skills. However, Psylocke is also a telepath, and that’s a power that she’ll be using as well.
X-Men Apocalypse Characters Guide: Jean Grey
Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner is now the second actress to play Jean Grey in a leading live-action role, following in Famke Janssen’s footsteps. Jean is one of Xavier’s most powerful students, with telepathic and telekinetic power that goes off the charts. Comic book fans know that Jean’s powers also come with the downside of making her vulnerable to the thoughts of everyone around her. And it’s likely that X-Men: Apocalypse may touch upon her dark side as well.
X-Men Apocalypse Characters Guide: Cyclops/Scott Summers
Now that X-Men Origins: Wolverine is officially being ignored after the events of Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse will depict a new Cyclops origin story as Tye Sheridan steps into the role. His powers are still the energy beams that he projects from his eyes, which are uncontrollable without his signature shades or visor.
At this point in his life, Cyclops isn’t the model student that X-Men fans may have expected. He’s actually quite angry, and he reportedly doesn’t get along well with Jean Grey… at least initially. That’s probably going to change during the movie.
X-Men Apocalypse Characters Guide: Storm/Ororo Munroe
Storm has historically been one of the primary X-Men. But in this new timeline, Storm will reenter the X-Men’s orbit as the third horseman of Apocalypse. Alexandra Shipp will play the younger Storm with the mohawk that she wore in the comics during the ‘80s. Her powers allow her to control the weather and make bad puns in the first X-Men movie.
X-Men Apocalypse Characters Guide: Beast/Hank McCoy
As the only student to remain with Professor Xavier throughout the prequel trilogy, Nicholas Hoult’s Beast has now become one of the most important X-Men and a mentor to the new generation of mutants. Beast is also the genius behind many of the X-Men’s technological innovations and the former love interest of Mystique.
X-Men Apocalypse Characters Guide: Quicksilver/Peter Maximoff
“You didn’t see that coming” when Evan Peters’ Quicksilver stole the movie in his brief X-Men: Days of Future Past scenes. And with the death of Quicksilver’s Marvel Cinematic Universe counterpart in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Peters is now the one and only Quicksilver on the big screen.
This time, Quicksilver is a member of the X-Men (although he was never a member in the comics) and he knows that Magneto is his father. A confrontation between the two is inevitable.
X-Men Apocalypse Characters Guide: Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner
Another change to the timeline is that Kodi Smit-McPhee’s Nightcrawler will encounter and join the X-Men decades before the events of X2. Nightcrawler will first join up with Mystique, who was his mother in the comics, but it’s not clear if that relationship will carry over to the movie. Canonically, Nightcrawler’s father was Azazel, the red-skinned teleporting mutant who appeared in X-Men: First Class. However, there wasn’t even a hint of a relationship between Mystique and Azazel in his one and only appearance.
X-Men Apocalypse Characters Guide: Angel/Warren Worthington III
Look, there’s really no way to reconcile Angel’s appearance in this film with his debut in X-Men: The Last Stand. So, director Bryan Singer isn’t even going to try. For the purposes of this film, Ben Hardy’s Angel is recruited to be the fourth and final horseman of Apocalypse.
In the comics, Apocalypse replaced Angel’s feather wings with metallic blades when he was transformed into Archangel. That transformation is happening in this movie as well.
X-Men Apocalypse Characters Guide: Jubliee
Wait a minute, this is totally the wrong era for Jubilee. Jubilee belongs in the ‘90s, not the ‘80s! That means that she’s gonna be older than Kitty Pryde!
Lana Condor is playing Jubilee in this film and she can create pyrotechnic energy plasmoids with her hands.
X-Men Apocalypse Characters Guide: Havok/Alex Summers
After basically having a cameo role in Days of Future Past, Lucas Till will return as Havok, the older brother of Cyclops. Although in the comics, it’s Cyclops who is the older brother. In this movie, Havok will bring his brother to Professor Xavier to train him to control his powers. However, we don’t know if Havok will have a major role in this story.
X-Men Apocalypse Characters Guide: Moira MacTaggert
Rose Byrne didn’t appear in Days of Future Past, but she will reprise her role as Moira MacTaggert in X-Men: Apocalypse. In X-Men: First Class, Moira was a CIA agent who fell for Professor X before he wiped her mind. Consequently, she won’t know him when they meet again in this movie. But perhaps he’ll allow her to remember the truth at some point. Although she probably won’t be pleased when she realizes what he did to her mind.
X-Men Apocalypse Characters Guide: William Stryker
And finally, Josh Helman is returning as William Stryker, the main human antagonist in X-Men: Apocalypse. At the end of Days of Future Past, Mystique briefly replaced Stryker, but she obviously didn’t kill him. Now he’s back, and he’s got his own plans to take out the mutants even before Apocalypse rises.
