Raising Hope actor Garret Dillahunt has been cast in a recurring role as a villain on the FOX TV series The Gifted, set in Bryan Singer's X-Men universe. Though The Gifted takes place in the same world as Wolverine, Deadpool, Cyclops and all the other characters from the X-Men films, the new series  doesn't feature any of these characters, opting instead to focus on a normal family with mutant children.

Instead, the show follows the story of mutants who are forced to deal with persecution from the government. On the run from the authorities, the family, headed up by True Blood's Stephen Moyer and Person of Interest's Amy Acker, eventually meets up with other mutants who've banded together to protect each other from the government. Together, they must work together to survive.

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Deadline reports that Dillahunt has been cast in a recurring role as Roderick Campbell, a mutant researcher contracted by the Sentinel Services. The character is described as someone who is "professional, intense, and intimidating" with a "morally dubious mission yet to be revealed."

The comic book version of Roderick Campbell was a psychologist and acquaintance of Moira McTaggart. After discovering an alternate reality, Campbell came to the shocking realization that he was doomed to become the evil mutant-hunting cyborg, Ahab. Ahab was the leader of a government-sanctioned program called the Hounds. Together they were tasked with hunting down mutants and putting them in internment camps. Ahab crossed over into the mainstream universe and was eventually defeated by the combined forces of the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Horrified, Campbell strove to prevent his fate, but it's unclear if he was successful.

The fact that Roderick Campbell is appearing in The Gifted as a villain indicates that the show will borrow from his alternate future counterpart, Ahab. Considering that the show is about the government hunting mutants, it's entirely possible we could see Campbell forming the Hounds and sending them after the mutants. His "morally dubious mission" could also point to Ahab's goal of putting mutants in internment camps.

As an actor, Dillahunt comes with a long list of acting credits that mostly includes recurring and guest-starring roles. Dillahunt starred on Raising Hope, Hand of God, and Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles. He's also had notable recurring roles in Justified, The 4400, and ER. Dillahunt is currently recurring as Dr. Jody Kimball-Kinney on The Mindy Project.

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The Gifted premieres Monday, October 2 on FOX.

Source: Deadline