A few days ago we were treated to the exciting news that more veteran talent would be joining the cast of X-Men: First Class in the the form of Kevin Bacon. Early reports had Bacon deep in talks with Twentieth Century Fox to play the film's primary villain, but no one knew which character that would be.

While we toyed with the theory that Bacon could be playing the villainous Mr. Sinister, the latest rumor - coming from a Force of Geek insider - dictates that Kevin Bacon will instead be playing Sebastian Shaw, the master businessman and leader of the Hellfire Club.

Shaw is known as one of the greatest X-Men villains ever since his inception three decades ago. The character is a mutant who can absorb kinectic energy, turning him more powerful in both strength and durability.

Shaw's history in the Marvel universe integrates into the origins and early appearance of Emma Frost aka the White Queen who we know will be an important character in X-Men: First Class. Shaw's Hellfire club, the age-old gentlemen's club famous for their 18th century dress code,  has often find itself battling it out with the X-Men. The secret group was introduced in the comics during the Dark Phoenix Saga, which saw Jean Grey become the powerful Phoenix and eventually meet her end.

Kevin Becon is Sebastian Shaw in X-Men: First Class

The Phoenix saga sadly was used and abused in X-Men: The Last Stand, so we can expect an entirely different storyline for Sebastian Shaw and the White Queen in X-Men: First Class.

While I was excited at the potential for Kevin Bacon's dark and creep portrayal of Mr. Sinister, he absolutely fits the role of Sebastian Shaw as well. Bacon joins the large cast of mutants in First Class which already includes:

Share your thoughts in the comments and with us on Twitter @rob_keyes and @screenrant. If you’re a fan of the X-Men series and history, see our article on What We Need From X-Men 4 and join our discussion on What X-Men 3 Could Have Been for ideas that may be utilized in First Class.

Produced by Bryan Singer and directed by Matthew Vaughn, X-Men: First Class begins production next month for a June 3, 2011 release.

Source: Forces of Geek