Empire X-Men Days of Future Past Covers

It's been relatively quiet on the marketing front for Twentieth Century Fox's second most expensive film production of all-time, the biggest budget superhero epic ever, X-Men: Days of Future Past. That's finally beginning to change with a teaser trailer last week and the the studio finally releasing first-look official images of most of the characters in the in the film.

Seemingly every few weeks we learn of a new character making at least a cameo appearance in Days of Future Past and today Empire Magazine has 25 collector covers, revealing some of characters from X-Men comics we've only heard. As Empire releases them, we'll keep adding them so stay tuned throughout the day to meet the cast of X-Men: Days of Future Past.

[Watch our video discussion & analysis here!]

X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 1 Sentinel Thumbnail

In the alternate timeline version of the '70s, Bolivar Trask received the government greenlight to begin producing anti-mutant security forces in the form of these towering robots known as Sentinels. The image depicts the Mark I variant and over the years there are other, larger versions. We've yet to see the massive Mark X Sentinels from the post-apocalyptic future.

  • The first Sentinels (Mark I model) released in 1973. A year later the government allowed them to be deployed in highly populated cities and to serve as part of the President’s security attache (beginning with Nixon).
  • Between 1973 and 1996, Trask produced 8732 Sentinel Mark Is for the governments of the United States, China, Russia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, France, India and the United Kingdom.
  • Production on the Mark I has shifted to the new Mark X: “These highly anticipated units will combine next-generation nanotechnology and bioweapon breakthroughs, promising an even brighter future for the human race.”

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 2 Havok Thumbnail

Absorbs "Cosmic Energy" and releases it in plasma blasts.

At first it was unclear that Lucas Till would return as Alex Summers in the X-Men: First Class followup but set photos and an official photo of him in uniform serving during Vietnam proved otherwise, giving fans hope that the film franchise may still have some love to share for the underutilized Summers family. Due to the timeline alterations, the film franchise's take on Alex and Scott Summers (Cyclops) seems to position Alex as a potential father of Scott instead of his brother.

Note the bands of energy around him. Will Havok sport an X-Men universe so he can control his energy blasts? Will James Marsden make that rumored cameo appearance as Cyclops?

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 3 Toad Thumbnail

Super-strong legs, prehensile tongue, gross paralyzing mucus.

Toad was a member of Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants in Bryan Singer's original X-Men (2000) where he was played by Ray Park. We learned only recently that a younger version of Toad appears in X-Men: Days of Future Past thanks to the actor playing him, Evan Jonigkeit. At the time, Jonigkeit would only say that the following about the younger version of the character:

"The aesthetics of the character are much different, and I’m not really allowed to say a whole lot more than that. It's darker. I would say it’s a darker tone."

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 4 Stryker Thumbnail

Mutant-hater, military man, nut job.

William Stryker is a key player in the anti-mutant movement and the X-Men films. He first appeared in the first X-Men sequel played by Brian Cox where it was revealed that he was responsible for what happened to Wolverine (adamantium skeleton, memory loss) and so a younger version of him played by Danny Huston showed up again in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Josh Helman plays an even younger Stryker in the '70s, a member of the military. Will Stryker's mutant son play into his role in Days of Future Past?

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 5 Bolivar Trask Thumbnail

Robotics genius, mutant-hater, smooth political operator.

If you've been following the development and viral marketing for X-Men: Days of Future Past, you will be familiar with Trask Industries, the leaders in anti-mutant tech invention and deployment. Trask created the X-Gene Inhibitor Collar which when worn stops mutants from being able to use their abilities, the mutant detection devices and most notably, the Sentinel program which launched in 1973 for President Nixon. All of these innovations come from the genius mind of Bolivar Trask, played by Peter Dinklage and his mustache.

"The mutant threat is the defining issue of our time. We can choose to stem the impending tide of extinction or we can stand by passively and allow it to wash away any remnants of our species." – Bolivar Trask - 1973

 

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 6 Mystique Thumbnail

Shapeshifter.

The blue-skinned mutant began her journey as an adopted sibling of Charles Xavier but switched sides and joined Michael Fassbender's young Magneto by the end of X-Men: First Class as she learns to accept who she is and refuse to hide her identity. In the original X-Men trilogy, Mystique (played by Rebecca Romijn) is also a loyal right hand to Magneto but in Days of Future Past the '70s era Mystique (played by Jennifer Lawrence) is on a mission of her own which may threaten the future of the planet.

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 7 Beast Thumbnail

Superhuman strength, agility, speed and furriness.

It took three films to finally introduce the original X-Men team member Beast to moviegoers and he arguably was the best part of X-Men: The Last Stand, played by Kelsey Grammer. In X-Men: First Class, young Nicholas Hoult played the younger, continuity-breaking version of the character known as Hank McCoy and the images so far have revealed him as the blue furry genius and his human-looking self.

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 8 Quicksilver Thumbnail

Runs at supersonic speeds.

The fastest of all mutants and a child of Magneto, Quicksilver makes his curious debut in X-Men: Days of Future Past, played by Evan Peters. The timing of Quicksilver's introduction is as odd as his costume and the fact that his sister, Scarlet Witch, is not present. We know that Bryan Singer chose to intro the character for a specific, unique action sequence. Of course, Quicksilver (and Scarlet Witch) will also appear in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, to be played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, respectively.

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 9 Magneto Thumbnail

The Master of Magnetism.

Magneto almost got his own Origins movie just like Wolverine but the script was canned and the story of his youth folded into the story of X-Men: First Class. Michael Fassbender stole the show however, and proved just how awesome a Magneto spinoff would have been. Luckily he returns for Days of Future Past as the prime suspect for the murder of President John F. Kennedy.

Present-day Magneto (Sir Ian McKellen) teams with present day Professor X to send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to the past on a mission to reunite Fassbender's Magneto with James McAvoy's younger Charles Xavier - all in order to save the future.

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 10 Professor X Thumbnail

The world's most powerful telepath.

James McAvoy played a young Charles Xavier in X-Men: First Class and by the end of the story takes a bullet in the back which restrict him to a wheelchair. Thing is, we've seen McAvoy both in and out of that very chair in several images for the followup Days of Future Past. Does he make a miraculous recovery or are their two different timelines, one where he never took that shot? In the timeline where he is without use of his legs and without much hope for the future, Wolverine must convince him to not give up and to get back on the 'right' path in saving mutantkind.

Sir Patrick Stewart also returns as the older, present-day/near-future version of Charles Xavier where he's again in the wheelchair - one that floats!

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 11 Wolverine Thumbnail

Accelerated healing, enhanced senses, retractable bone claws.

Hugh Jackman's Wolverine is the poster boy for the X-Men franchise and the only character to get not one, but two solo movies (with a third in the works). Hollywood's nice guy returns yet again for another starring role in Days of Future Past where his mind is sent back in time to his '70s self on a mission to reunite Professor X and Magneto.

Wolverine lost his adamantium claws at the end of The Wolverine but we've seen images of future-him with said blades and in the past with bone claws in Days of Future Past, lending credence to our theory that another timeline is launched where the event of The Wolverine didn't take place and he kept the sharper blades. How that timeline ties into the mid-credits button at the end of The Wolverine is anyone's guess.

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 12 Bryan Singer Thumbnail

Puppet master, franchise creator, director.

Director Bryan Singer makes a surprise appearance getting an Empire cover of his own. Singer began the X-Men film franchise in 2000 and directed its first sequel, before jumping ship to direct Superman Returns. Producer Lauren Shuler Donner brought him back for X-Men: First Class before he had to pass the directorial reins to Matthew Vaughn but he produced and is now directing its followup Days of Future Past.

Singer, with the help of Simon Kinberg and X2 writers  Dan Harris and Mike Dougherty are already working away on the next followup, currently dubbed X-Men: Apocalypse.

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 13 Future Wolverine Thumbnail

Accelerated healing, enhanced senses, adamantium-laced skeleton, retractable adamantium claws.

Always a loyal soldier, Wolverine is as essential as ever in the fight for mutantkind in the post-apocalyptic Earth. Thanks to the convenience of using time-travel as a plot device, this version of Wolverine in the future still wields his deadly adamantium claws.

Note the armored costume design, no doubt designed to fend off the laser blasts from enemy Sentinel robots. The costume colors and designs could hint at Wolverine's costume in X-Force, should that film be made with Hugh Jackman.

In Bryan Singer's adaptation of the Days of Future Past story, Wolverine - with the help of Kitty Pryde - must have his mind sent back to his younger, pre-admantium-augmented self to prevent a political catastrophe from occurring before the planet is doomed. Meanwhile, the rest of the future mutants must seemingly protect Wolverine's body in the future.

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 14 Future Professor X Thumbnail

Still the world's most powerful telepath.

Patrick Stewart returns once again for X-Men: Days of Future Past and this time it's more than a cameo (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine). Older Charles Xavier, still alive and still confined to a wheel hoverchair in whatever timeline the future portion of the film takes place in, must work with the surviving mutants of the future on a last-ditch effort to save the world and mutantkind by altering history.

Note the futuristic ship floating in the background. Does it belong to the X-Men or is it a carrier for Sentinel units? Or something else entirely?

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 15 Future Magneto Thumbnail

Still the master of magnetism.

At the conclusion of X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Ian McKellen's Magneto had lost his powers at the hands of the X-Men during their battle at Alcatraz but there was a hint of his powers returning at the very end. In the future, Magneto either regains his powers or in this other potential timeline, he never lost them in the first place. Either way, Magneto must team-up with Professor X and the remaining mutant heroes on a mission to alter the past and right some wrongs to salvage the future of the world and mutantkind.

Future Magneto still sports his iconic cloak, but with a new armored costume.

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 16 Storm Thumbnail

Mastery over the elements.

Storm, much like James Marsden's Cyclops, didn't really get a chance to shine as a noble and powerful leader of the X-Men or live up to her badass mantle she holds strongly in Marvel Comics. Still, the original X-Men film helped propel Halle Berry's career much like it did for Hugh Jackman and in the sequels Storm's screen time increased as her hairstyle evolved.

Although pregnant during the shooting of X-Men: Days of Future Past, Singer still managed to give the always-loyal Storm character a place on the team and at least one sequence of her using her powers. No action sequences and flight scenes, though.

The photoshopped cover comes from one of the first on-set photos Bryan Singer tweeted out while shooting the film and you can compare here.

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 17 Rogue Thumbnail

Absorbs the mutant abilities of anyone she touches.

Considering that the character of Rogue (Anna Paquin) was cut from the theatrical version of X-Men: Days of Future Past, we're surprised the underutilized character even got her own Empire Cover. Her face expression certainly matches Paquin's feelings on being left out of the action in the entire X-Men trilogy. Being cut from this movie doesn't help.

Rogue is close friends with Wolverine and held a romantic relationship with Iceman through the first three X-films. In the comics Rogue permanently absorbed the abilities of fight and super strength making her one of the X-Men's most formidable and brave combatants. These traits, or her on-and-off-again relationship with Gambit were never realized on screen.

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 18 Warpath Thumbnail

Super-strong, near-invulnerable, and he can fly.

Over the last half a decade, James "Warpath" Proudstar has grown to be a crucial member in Marvel Comics, most notably as a member of Wolverine's black ops X-Force team. Warpath is of Native American descent and is the brother of one of the first international X-Men members, Thunderbird. Warpath however, is far more powerful than his deceased brother and is known for being practically unstoppable in hand-to-hand combat.

X-Men: Days of Future Past represents the first time Warpath appears onscreen and he keeps his iconic eye mask (in this instance, it's painted on) and his signature blades. He appears in the post-apocalyptic future portion of the film with his pals Blink and Sunspot.

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 19 Kitty Pryde Thumbnail

Phases through solid objects.

Kitty Pryde, who at once time went by the codename Shadowcat in the comics, appeared in a cameo capacity in the first two X-Men films before Ellen Page took over the role in X-Men: The Last Stand where she earned a spot on Xavier's core team. A love interest of fellow X-Men Colossus in the books, in the film universe she shares a close connection with Iceman.

Kitty possesses the ability to phase through objects and with it she can fry electrical circuits, which may come in handy when battling Sentinels. In X-Men: Days of Future Past, Kitty plays a key role in sending the mind of Wolverine through time into his younger self.

There's another one of those ships in the background.

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 20 Sunspot Thumbnail

Solar-powered super-strength and near invulnerability.

Roberto da Costa aka Sunspot became a member of the New Mutants, learning under the teachings of Professor X, after he became a target of anti-mutant characters from the Marvel Comics. He later became a member of the early X-Force team.

Similar to his ally in arms Warpath, Sunspot is a powerful mutant who can take as much damage as he can dish out as he harnesses the power of the sun. In the comics he can fly and when using his mutant abilities he appears as if he's a black hole as he absorbs and re-channels light. Days of Future Past marks the first appearance of the character in the films.

Note the burn marks on Sunspot's cheek in the high-res image.

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 21 Blink Thumbnail

Teleporter.

Blink is a mutant capable of teleportation, although unlike Nightcrawler from X-Men 2 she creates portals that anyone can travel through. In Marvel Comics, Blink is a relative newcomer, first introduced in the mid-'90s but quickly killed off before returning in Age of Apocalypse. That fact makes her a likely candidate to return for X-Men: Apocalypse in May 2016.

In X-Men: Days of Future Past, Blink is a future mutant who fights alongside Warpath (who can be seen through the portal) and Sunspot.

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 22 Iceman Thumbnail

Creates and manipulates ice.

Bobby Drake aka Iceman played a prominent role throughout the X-Men trilogy and was the love interest of Rogue - and for a little bit, Kitty Pryde. He was a youngster then, only taking his armored ice form once at the end of The Last Stand. In Days of Future Past, Iceman is a battle-proven veteran X-Men soldier who's mastered his powerful abilities.

With the cover shot featuring Bobby blasting ice down to the ground, we can only hope that we see an action sequence with him finally creating an ice slide as he battles Sentinels.

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 23 Bishop Thumbnail

Absorbs energy to redirect it in kinetic blasts.

To Lucas Bishop, Professor Charles Xavier and the X-Men are legends. He's from the future where most mutants are refugees and held in camps, branded with an "M" on their face. In Marvel Comics, Bishop has been involved in most major time-travel stories, including the Age of Apocalypse, so it's likely that he's a key player in the main plot of Days of Future Past, sent back in time with a warning or on a mission to protect or assassinate someone.

Bishop's mutant abilities in the comics allow him to absorb energy in all forms and redirect it, making him a formidable opponent against mutants with offensive powers and energy weapons from Sentinels. Bishop's primary weapons however, consist of futuristic weapons.

French actor Omar Sy plays Bishop for his onscreen introduction and he had a brief appearance in the X-Men: Days of Future Past trailer/Comic-Con footage and has otherwise been revealed in leaked imagery. Note the glowing red eyes - could his mutant power have something to do with this TRON-inspired gun?

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 24 Colossus Thumbnail

Transforms his skin in to "organic steel."

The physically intimidating Russian X-Man who's missing his Russian accent in the films at least retained one key character attribute - a heart of gold. Colossus (Daniel Cudmore) has always been a loyal X-Men member and in the comics was a love interest of Kitty Pryde. We don't know if that translates to the Days of Future Past with Iceman involved, but we do know Colossus will be going head-to-head with the Mark X Sentinels of the future.

The character first appeared in X-Men 2 and returned with significantly more screen time (but not much more dialogue) in X-Men: The Last Stand. Colossus' mutant ability allows him to transform his skin into metal where he's as durable as he is strong - the perfect bodyguard.

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 25 Future Sentinel Thumbnail

Super-powerful mutant-hunting robot.

The most exciting reveal is finally here! After a slow process of individually releasing 25 covers, Empire has the one we've all been waiting for: the Sentinels of the future! Dubbed the Mark X, the much larger and more dangerous combat robot was designed by Trask Industries to track, capture and/or destroy mutants. It is because of Trask and the Sentinels that the world is in ruin, and why the X-Men must sacrifice everything to alter the course of history and prevent these machines from ever being deployed.

The Sentinel program was first teased briefly in X-Men: The Last Stand when Colossus and Wolverine team-up to take one down in the Danger Room training center, but all we ever saw was its head rolling to the ground after Wolverine did his work. Now we finally get to see the machine in its full design - except this one's totally different, embracing more of an organic metal feel.

Share your thoughts in the comments!

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X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 26 Deadpool Thumbnail

The Merc With A Mouth? That's crazy! No, you're crazy... Who said that?

This one's a fan-made bonus, crafted by Tim Daniel at the request of Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld on Twitter. As much as Liefeld and fans may want Deadpool to show up in Days of Future Past, chances are we'll all be waiting until Jeff Wadlow's X-Force screenplay is greenlit by Fox before such a thing could happen - and that would hopefully lead to the long-awaited Deadpool spinoff solo film.

That being said, Deadpool's connection with the time-travelling mutant known as Cable make the possibility that much more real, especially if the next X-Men film after Days of Future Past is all about Apocalypse.

Click HERE for full-size FAKE cover.

X-Men Days of Future Past Empire Cover 27 Gambit Thumbnail

The Ragin' Cajun!

This fan-made cover was sent in from our pal Caleb and features Taylor Kitch's Remy LeBeau as depicted in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Another fan-fave mutant from the comics, the film universe's version of the character gave Gambit his iconic cards, fighting staff and kinetic energy powers but missed out on his most recognizable trait - his Cajun accent.

We'd love to one day see another version of Gambit appear as a member of the X-Men team, as much as we'd love to see Colossus with a Russian accent.

Click HERE for full-size FAKE cover.

Empire X-Men Days of Future Past Covers

Stay tuned for the other covers as they release throughout the day! So far we've only met characters from the '70s but there are plenty more to come!

Bryan Singer directs X-Men: Days of Future Past with newcomers Peter Dinklage, Omar Sy, Boo Boo Stewart, Fan Bingbing, Evan Peters, Adan Canto, Josh Helman, Evan Jonigkeit along with returning stars Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, Shawn Ashmore, Halle Berry, Lucas Till, and Daniel Cudmore.

X-Men: Days of Future Past hits theaters May 23, 2014. Follow Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes for your Marvel movie & TV news!

Source: Empire