Exclusive: How 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' Teases 'Apocalypse' Sequel

Yesterday was a big day for comic book movies. Not only did the villain-packed trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 debut, but director Bryan Singer and 20th Century Fox announced an immediate sequel to X-Men: Days of Future Past with the title X-Men: Apocalypse. The film has a release date of May 27th, 2016, and considering the title, we know that the film will finally introduce the iconic comic book villain Apocalypse, believed to be the original mutant born thousands of years ago, who would become one of the most diabolical villains to ever challenge the X-Men. Now everyone is wondering just what happens in X-Men: Days of Future Past that will lead to this sequel, and we have the answer. SPOILER WARNING!

Again, if you do not want any SPOILERS for X-Men: Days of Future Past, read no further!

All right, so here we go. After speaking with an insider following the announcement of X-Men: Apocalypse, it was made apparent that they knew who was going to play the titular villain. More specifically, it was explained to me who becomes Apocalypse. Yes, an existing X-Men character will become possessed by the villain who can project his consciousness and powers into host bodies.

A second source gave us info from one of the most recent drafts of the script with the evidence. Supposedly, the final version of the script only changed one set piece (which has a surprise for fans) in the middle of the film from this draft, but that does not affect any of the details we've learned. Let it be known that we're not going to spoil the absolute end of the film because, truth be told, it's a pretty spectacular ending that has some tidbits in the future that you'll have to see to believe.

However, the credits bumper jumps back to the past with a young Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) in a ramshackle house in the desert eating dinner, clearly on the run from all the authorities who want to bring him down. While using a well outside to get some water, the young Magneto sees something fall from the night sky and crash to Earth nearby. Upon inspecting the impact zone, he encounters what is described as an "alien form" who is "towering, terrifying, with a twisted metal face and dark pits for eyes." It's Apocalypse and he says, "I have crossed rivers of time to find you." Magneto asks, "Who are you?"

The alien responds, "I am your future." Suddenly Apocalypse merges with Magneto, who screams and blasts an insane amount of energy and shockwaves around him. This energy explosion levels everything around him, with a blast radius that goes for miles. As Magneto looks at what he's done, he has a realization of the power he now holds and a villainous grin begins to form before the film cuts to black.

This would seem to indicate that we'll be following just the cast of X-Men: First Class for the sequel that follows X-Men: Days of Future Past. However, what happens with the future timeline could still come back into play, especially since Bleeding Cool says some of the future and past casts will be returning. After all, now that Magneto has been possessed by Apocalypse, that would likely shake things up for the X-Men of the future again. Will we again jump back and forth in time with X-Men: Apocalypse? That seems a little too complex for non-comic book fans to follow but one cool aspect that could result from this though could allow for two different timelines: one with young Magneto possessed by Apocalypse, and the other future timeline. But again, that sounds pretty complicated.

Either way, this certainly shakes up any of the potential storylines that would come from the comic books as it doesn't align with any particular existing story arc, least of all Age of Apocalypse. However, this tease doesn't necessarily indicate that Apocalypse will only be used as a villain through Magneto. The two could always end up separating and being two individual villains who may end up at odds at some point. After all, only one of them can really be in charge of mutantkind and truly be satisfied. So there you have it. Clearly Fox has big plans for the X-Men universe, especially with X-Men: Days of Future Past writer Simon Kinberg landing a new first look deal at the studio to shepherd their own Marvel cinematic universe. Thoughts?

UPDATE: Some people are saying that a recent tweet from Bryan Singer debunks our scoop. Singer wrote

However, the screenplay in question literally describes Apocalypse as an "alien form." People should note note that the word "alien" can be used as an adjective to describe anything foreign, unfamiliar or unknown. Using the word "alien" in the screenplay does not mean that Apocalypse is actually an alien. He's just a strange, unrecognized form. Since Apocalypse comes from space in the credits scene, it stands to reason that he could be perceived as alien, but will likely still be one of the original mutants as he is written in the comic books. We're standing by our scoop (notice how Singer didn't debunk any other details and is merely arguing about semantics at this point), and audiences will see how this plays out next summer.

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