10 Characters We Desperately Need To See In The X-Men: Apocalypse Sequel

X-Men: Apocalypse was expected to become the franchise's first $1 billion hit, but negative reviews and a mixed response from fans led to the Bryan Singer helmed release disappointing at the box office. It's far from a flop, but chances are that 20th Century Fox will be rethinking their approach to the next instalment based on the complaints levelled at their latest effort. Regardless of whether they reboot or decide that the next X-Men movie will be better off in the hands of another director, something will need to change, and a great way of achieving that in a superhero ensemble is to add some new heroes and villains to the mix. Fox holds the rights to almost countless mutants, many of whom they've failed to take advantage of over the years. Of the ones we've listed here, some have appeared on the big screen before, but not in a satisfying way, while others have yet to make their feature film debuts. All of them deserve a role in the next movie though, and their involvement could certainly help take this franchise to the next level. 10) Thunderbird John "Thunderbird" Proudstar was chosen by Professor Charles Xavier as a member of the second generation of X-Men, but he died shortly after, becoming the first member of the mutant team to fall in the line of duty. His legacy has lived on though, including through multiple returns (none of which have lasted surprisingly) and his son. We actually met Warpath in X-Men: Days of Future Past's future set scenes, so what ultimately leads him to the X-Men could very well be explored here. Born into an Apache tribe, John served as a Marine, but his anger and abrasiveness alienated him from his fellow X-Men and may very well have played a role in why he died. Throwing a character like this into the mix would change the usual team dynamic in a big way, while the fact that he's extremely powerful - Thunderbird has super strength, extreme durability, and a very impressive set of fighting skills - also brings something different to the table. 9) Sabretooth Sabretooth was completely wasted in the first X-Men movie, and made no further appearances until the critically panned X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It was there that the character finally got the treatment he deserved thanks to Ray Donovan star Liev Schreiber, but the script let him down in a big way. All of the right ingredients for the definitive take on the iconic villain were there, but not utilized correctly. Could the next X-Men movie make things right? I'd like to think so, and reintroducing him here would be a really smart move on Fox's part, as would bringing back Schreiber. There have been rumblings that he might reprise the role in Wolverine: Weapon X next year, but that hasn't been confirmed, so a return in the new timeline is entirely possible. The fact that the character has been taken down a more heroic path in recent comic books could also nicely set the stage for a change in status quo for him on the big screen too. 8) Armor Armor being an original creation of Joss Whedon's from his Astonishing X-Men run should be enough to explain why she deserves the big screen treatment, but allow me to tell you a little more about her here. Hisako Ichiki is a teenage mutant from Japan who was a student at the Xavier Institute, and her power allows her to create psionic "armor," giving her enhanced strength and durability as a result. Despite being far from a "classic" member of the X-Men, it would still be interesting to see Armor make an appearance in a future X-Men movie as an ally of Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Storm. She's also very unique from a visual standpoint, and definitely a lot different to the many other mutants we've seen on the big screen over the past 15 years. Adding some more diversity to the team also wouldn't go amiss. 7) Vulcan In Deadly Genesis, it was revealed that Professor X had assembled a team of X-Men who died during their first mission. One of these mutants was Gabriel Summers, the secret brother of Scott and Alex. He was kidnapped as a baby and brought up by the alien race, the Shi'ar. After returning to Earth and being recruited by Charles Xavier, Gabriel was left in a form of hibernation for years before waking up with an overwhelming desire for revenge for that ill-fated mission. This storyline led to Cyclops kicking Charles out of the X-Men (resulting in him becoming their leader), while Vulcan would return to outer space to attempt to conquer the aliens who stole his childhood. It goes without saying then that his inclusion in the X-Men: Apocalypse sequel would open the door to many new storytelling possibilities and could very well take this franchise in a cosmic direction, which will help to freshen things up. 6) Scarlet Witch Scarlet Witch is obviously a prominent part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (most recently seen in Captain America: Civil War), but she can still appear in the X-Men franchise. That's possible because she's one of only a handful of characters who both Marvel and Fox can use due to her comic roots being equally weighted in both the Avengers and X-Men books. X-Men: Apocalypse finally confirmed that Magneto is Quicksilver's father - a plot point Marvel is unable to take advantage of - so having both him and his sister appear as part of the Master of Magnetism's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants could be a great place to pick up with the villain when we next see him. Sure, Peter had decided to join the X-Men at the end of Apocalypse, but a lot can happen in a decade, and it's fair to say the vast majority of fans would be pleasantly surprised to see this brother and sister team now standing alongside their father rather than Professor X. 5) Daken With Hugh Jackman's tenure as Wolverine nearly at an end, Fox will need to decide what to do with the character next. Do they recast. or use of the handful of other versions to have appeared in the source material over the years? Rumours point to X-23 making an appearance in the clawed mutant's next movie, but something like New Mutants or X-Force feels like a better place for her to return (at least to begin with anyway). Utilizing Daken - the son of Wolverine - in the next X-Men movie has the potential to be fascinating, especially as he's often been portrayed as both an anti-hero and villain. Having that next adventure revolve around the hunt for Logan's newly discovered son, only for Daken to later ditch his villainous ways to become a member of the X-Men in his father's place could be a fun story, and even set up a new Wolverine franchise. 4) Emma Frost Emma Frost did of course make a fairly sizeable appearance in X-Men: First Class, but that movie really didn't do her justice. January Jones was criticized for a mostly wooden performance, and regardless of whether or not you agree with that, this version of Emma lacked the spark her comic book counterpart has. Rebooting her could be tough, but given her history in the Marvel Universe, it's clear that she's someone with plenty of stories left to tell. Take for example the way she came between Scott Summers and Jean Grey; the divide created by the psychic mutant there would lead to her and Cyclops becoming something of a power couple when he took charge of the X-Men, while many members of the team doubting her new heroic nature was interesting to see play out, especially when it was confirmed that Emma had indeed embraced a more heroic path. Even using her as a villain again would work to start with, especially seeing as the Hellfire Club played a role in the Dark Phoenix Saga. 3) Juggernaut Had Matthew Vaughn directed X-Men: Days of Future Past, he would have used Juggernaut to help break Magneto out of prison. Bryan Singer later made the decision to replace him with Quicksilver (which definitely paid off), but hopefully whoever helms the next instalment will have some interest in this unstoppable bad guy. Vinnie Jones' take on Juggernaut in X-Men: The Last Stand may have put you off from ever wanting to see the character on the big screen again, but the right actor and redesigned look would work wonders. The comic book Cain Marko grew up with Charles Xavier as his step-brother, and that's something which could very easily be added here, especially as Mystique played a role in Professor X's childhood. Juggernaut even served as a member of the X-Men for a time, so there's a lot they could to do with him both as a hero and villain. 2) Polaris I mentioned the Scarlet Witch a little earlier, and speaking of Magneto's children, Polaris is definitely a character with the potential to shake up these movies in a significant way. The green haired mutant's story is an interesting one, especially as her relationship with her father is quite a bit more complex than the twins (though arguably a little too convoluted for a movie). She does, however, share his powers, and if Michael Fassbender decides against returning in the next instalment (bear in mind that both his and the contracts of several other cast members came to an end with X-Men: Apocalypse), then bringing in a character with the same abilities could help fill that void. However, Lorna should by no means be left on the shelf even if the Master of Magnetism is back, because there's plenty which could be done with her as a character in her own right. 1) Fantomex Fantomex is a character with a VERY complicated origin story, and it would be essential to simplify that if he were to be brought to the big screen. A creation of the same people who gave Wolverine his Adamantium skeleton, Fantomex could easily be added to pretty much any plot, and he's one of only a few X-Men who's capable of carrying his own movie. He's also been a member of recent versions of X-Force, so if that spinoff is still happening, an introduction here for Fantomex would be ideal. Highly cunning, skilled in misdirection, and a master thief, this guy even has a ship which is an extension of his nervous system named E.V.A. Needless to say, he would be an exciting and original addition to the next instalment in the what many call a now stale franchise.