If you are still recovering from the sheer amount of awesome that was unloaded in the X-Men Apocalypse trailer, then I'm sorry because director Bryan Singer is not done blowing your mind just yet. Singer unveiled the first X-Men Apocalypse poster on his Instagram over the weekend, and it is a masterpiece of villainous triumph. The poster places Apocalypse front and center, brandishing a skull in his hand as his imposing figure blots out everything aside from a dark, gray sky. The tagline across the top ominously reads, "Only The Strong Will Survive." Those goosebumps you are feeling right now are the real deal.
As much fun as the antagonistic love/hate relationship between Xavier and Magneto is, Apocalypse is a threat beyond anything the X-Men have faced before. This guy is the original mutant. He's a big bad who has been around for thousands of years and has the kind of power even Xavier cannot fathom. Having Oscar Isaac on board to play Apocalypse only adds to the character's inherit menace. His voice is commanding and shudder-inducing all at once. Isaac is the perfect fit to play this powerful titan who is ready to lay waste to the X-Men and all that they hold dear.
I mean, look at that guy! That is not a dude you want to run into in a dark alley or in the middle of a sunshiny field for that matter. He is literally crushing a skull in his hand like that's no big deal. While the setup looks like a Hamlet reference, the only Shakespearean vibe I get from the poster is one of impending tragedy. A character like Apocalypse has near infinite power. He is the original mutant and the trailer indicates he can control any of the X-Men, turning them into his own personal playthings.
Stopping a threat like Apocalypse is going to take monumental strength and planning. Every villain has a weak spot, and given Apocalypse's world-building goals his may end up being his chosen four mutants (one of whom is Storm). As a character, Apocalypse is more or less immortal. He has enough inherit mutant abilities and technological savvy to keep himself alive perpetually. Just this one time, the X-Men may have to settle for incapacitating the big bad rather than stopping him for good... which, to be honest, is the best plan because when you have a villain as beautifully crafted and deadly as Apocalypse benching him for good would be such a waste.
If you haven't seen Apocalypse in action yet, check him out in the X-Men Apocalypse trailer below. The movie hits theaters May 27, 2016.
Image: 20th Century Fox
