(CBR) SPOILER WARNING: This article contains a spoiler for “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” currently in theaters. Last week, reports surfaced that Marvel Studios had finally found their Thanos. Academy Award-nominee Josh Brolin appears set to play the purple-hued, cosmic villain in this summer's upcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy,” with a rumored appearance in next summer's “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and the subsequent third “Avengers” film. That casting coup got us thinking about who should fill the skull-crushing boots of Marvel's other major villain poised to make his big-screen debut: Apocalypse, in Fox's aptly titled 2016 sequel, “X-Men: Apocalypse.”
As with Thanos, this article assumes that the actor who played Apocalypse in the “X-Men: Days of Future Past” post-credits scene — Brendan Pedder — won't be in the role when the character makes his presence fully felt. Brolin's casting raises the bar, and let's hope Fox can clear it with whomever they lock down for the role. What big-name actors should the studio put atop their shortlist? Here are our picks.