'X-Men: Apocalypse' coming: Who is this villain?

'X-Men: Apocalypse': Director Bryan Singer tweeted that 'X-Men: Apocalypse' will be released in 2016. Who is Apocalypse?

The "X-Men" franchise will get another boost in 2016 with the release of "X-Men: Apocalypse."

Director and producer Bryan Singer hinted at the next installment via Twitter on Thursday when he wrote, "#Xmen #Apocalypse 2016!"

Fox confirmed the film will open in wide release on May 27, 2016.

Apocalypse is a major villain from the "X-Men" comics who appeared in the 1980s.

As Entertainment Weekly explains:

Apocalypse is one of the most fascinating supervillains in the X-Men mythos, although his history is tangled and occasionally inscrutable. The short version: He’s the world’s first mutant. Essentially immortal, he was born thousands of years ago, and in his travels around the world, he transformed himself into a superpowered cyborg using alien technology. He has a wide assortment of powers: Telepathy, telekinesis, molecular manipulation (cooler than it sounds), technopathy (less cool than it sounds.) He wants to conquer the world. And eventually, he does: In one of several Really Bad Futures that haunt the X-Men, Apocalypse conquers the planet and rules for a couple thousand years.

Singer has worked on all the Marvel mutant-focused films since the first "X-Men" was released in 2000.

He's also directing the next movie in the franchise, "X-Men: Days of Future Past."

It's scheduled for a May 23, 2014, release. The film will star Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry, Jennifer Lawrence, Anna Paquin, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Shawn Ashmore and Nicholas Hoult.

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