10 X-Men Villains That Could Follow Apocalypse (And Who Should Play Them)

By Rob Leane /

5. Mastermind (Michael Madsen)

Mastermind €“ the evil alter ego of carnival mentalist Jason Wyngarde €“ has been troubling the X-Men since Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the character way back in 1964. His main mutant power is to cast convincing illusions, and he can fiddle with people€™s memories too. Wyngarde was first introduced as a member of the Brother Of Evil Mutants. He helped the sinister collective nab control of a South American country, by creating an illusion that looked like an army of thousands. This gives you an idea of the sheer scale of Mastermind€™s abilities, which could make him an difficult foe for the cinematic X-Men. The possibilities are endless with illusions, really, and it hasn€™t been explored all that much in superhero cinema. A few moments in X-Men 2 and Avengers: Age Of Ultron have teased the idea, but audiences have never seen the havoc a deceptive trickster like Mastermind could wreak on a global scale. You€™d need a skilled actor with a wide range to pull it off, and to stop the character from coming across as cheesy. Michael Madsen would be ideal, especially since The Hateful Eight proved that he€™s still at the top of his game. In that Tarantino western, he gave an ambiguous and untrustworthy performance, which is exactly the kind of persona that Mastermind would need.