There is a lot riding in the upcoming “X-Men: Apocalypse” as it will serve as Bryan Singer’s final instalment in the X-Men trilogy that began with “X-Men: First Class” and continued on to “X-Men: Days of Future Past”.
The final movie will follow the titular team of mutant superheroes led by Charles Xavier aka Professor X as they face off against an ancient and powerful mutant known as Apocalypse or En Sabah Nur. Interestingly, much of 20th Century Fox’s marketing has centred not on the big baddie himself but rather on his Four Horsemen.
Fox has released individual posters ahead of the film’s release to give some insight into the Horsemen’s personality traits and qualities that led each of them to work with Apocalypse. But to decode those clues, one should really be asking, who are Apocalypse’s Horsemen?
1. Magneto (Michael Fassbender): “Rage. Pain. Vengeance.”
You may be wondering, why would someone like Magneto serve a tyrant like Apocalypse when he has seen the aftermath of tyranny and fought for his people’s survival ever since? But after appearing in 5 earlier X-Men movies, Magneto is now at a low point.
In talking with Screen Rant, Fassbender explained that as a result of so many failed attempts to punish close-minded mortals, Magneto sees Apocalypse as the being that can actually finish what was started in “X-Men: First Class”.
“He appreciates that this guy is going to do what he couldn’t do. He’s got just so much more power than him, he’s such an immense force. In a way, it’s like that classic thing of joining any cult or radical group, he’s caught him at a very low, vulnerable point where he doesn’t really care anymore whether he dies or not or what happens, so he’s like, ‘Yeah I’ll join this guy. I’ll go on this path of judgment.’ Apocalypse is sort of bringing judgment to the Earth,” said Fassbender.
2. Storm (Alexandra Shipp): “Fury. Lost. Survivor.”
Storm aka Ororo Munroe comes from a royal line of Kenyan princesses, all genetically gifted in “sorcery” (or mutant abilities). After her parents were killed, she was left orphaned and had to wander the streets of Cairo until she eventually meets another western mutant.
“This Storm is a little bit different because you’re seeing all the pain that she’s gone through. The only mutants that she knows are the mutants who use their powers for stealing… So when she meets Apocalypse, she’s hit this revelation where she’s been struggling to feel like she belongs somewhere,” Shipp commented.
“What (Apocalypse) does is, he has the power to enhance your power. So while you’re around him, he’s got all these mega level mutants. He’s able to turn them into crazy-baboom level mutants. (Storm) has so many powers, but he doesn’t even know what her powers are when he meets her. He can just sense the level and that’s what attracts him to them… their level and their magnitude of power,” the actress added.
She continued, “I think that his plan for her in the movie is to protect him. Protect him with fog. Protect him with lightening. Blow away a missile. Blow away a plane. There is so much that she can do, and what he’s looking for is protection because he just woke up after a couple thousand years… She doesn’t know that she’s really good at being evil because she can be really good at anything with those powers.”
3. Psylocke (Olivia Munn): “Lethal. Fierce. Merciless.”
To casual fans, she’s simply known as Psylocke, but to devoted Marvel Comics fans, she is Betsy Braddock. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe in 1976, Betsy Braddock first appeared in the Marvel UK series “Captain Britain”. Before becoming an X-Men member Psylocke in 1986, she was a supporting character in the adventures of her twin brother, Captain Britain.
Psylocke can generate a “psychic katana” and is immune to telepathic probes and attacks. She acquired the body, skills, and elements of personality of a Japanese female ninja after crime lord Mats’uo Tsurayaba captured her and switched her mind with the mind of his lover, Kwannon. She somehow acquired telekinesis and was given the power to travel via shadows by The Crimson Dawn.
Although Munn has confirmed that Psylocke’s origin story would be left off-screen, the actress isn’t too worried, saying, “There’s small, subtle references to (her origin) with Apocalypse. For people who love and know Psylocke, they will know who she is, fully formed. You would know her storyline. For those who don’t, it’s important for there to be an understanding of why she is there and what she means to Apocalypse and what her role is in all of this.”
4. Angel (Ben Hardy): “Savage. Dark. Fallen.”
Out of all the Horsemen, Angel – real name Warren Worthington III – is the only movie Horsemen who was also a comic book Horsemen. After a failed suicidal attempt, he was kidnapped and brainwashed by Apocalypse. It’s this event where Angel is transformed into the far more lethal, dark-skinned, metal-winged Archangel.
As a side note, Archangel happens to be Apocalypse actor Oscar Isaac’s favourite X-Men. What about y’all? Who is your favourite among the Four Horsemen?
“X-Men: Apocalypse” will be released in Malaysia on 19th May 2016.
Sources: Screen Rant, The Hollywood Reporter.
