From X-Men: First Class
The following cast members from X-Men: First Class are returning for Days of Future Past: James McAvoy as Professor X Michael Fassbender as Magneto Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique Nicholas Hoult as Beast Lucas Till as Havok The dynamic between McAvoy's Professor and Fassbender's Magneto will once again be a big focus of the film. It was one of the strongest aspects of First Class so it good that it is continuing in Days of Future Past. Both characters have a long way to go to become the characters from the original film series, particularly Professor X. In Days of Future Past, the Professor will need to deal with the loss of his legs, and the loss of Magneto and Mystique as allies to his cause. Jennifer Lawrence has seen a massive rise to fame following her appearance in First Class with her lead role in The Hunger Games. Rolling Stone has called her "the most talented young actress in America" and Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013. It is good that Lawrence is returning to play Mystique but it is interesting that so much screen time from all the X-Men films is given to Mystique, who is a somewhat minor player in the X-Men universe. Hoult's version of Beast in First Class was quite well received, with most criticism made against Beast's physical appearance rather than Hoult's performance. Hoult was given the leading role in Singer's last film Jack the Giant Slayer, so he is obviously held in high regarded by the director. Early images of Beast in Days of Future Past show an improved appearance, more like the well received version from The Last Stand. The character of Beast from First Class still has a long way to go to become the version from The Last Stand. It will be interesting to see Beast develop and come to terms with his transformation in the film. One of the big unresolved questions of X-Men fans from First Class is the relationship between Havok and Cyclops. In the comics, Havok is the younger brother of Cyclops. Unless there is some kind of time travel involved (which is possible), it seems unlikely that Havok will be Cyclops' younger brother in film, but he may instead end up being Cyclops' father. The film presents a great oportunity to address this question. The images that have been released of Havok show him as a soldier in the Vietnam War, which is the perfect place for him to meet Wolverine and William Stryker. January Jones has confirmed that she will not be returning as Emma Frost in Days of Future Past. While Jones certainly looked the part in First Class, there was some criticism of her acting ability. One of the more interesting aspects of the character Emma Frost is her relationship with Cyclops, which would be difficult to portray in film given the age gap between the characters. Given Jones' performance and the lack of interaction with Cyclops, Emma Frost exclusion in Days of Future Past is not a big loss. Jason Flemyng has confirmed that he will not be returning as Azazel. In the comics, Mystique and Azazel are the parents of Nightcrawler. It would be interesting to explore the relationship between Mystique and Azazel, and the history of Nightcrawler but it seems we won't be seeing it in the already crowded Days of Future Past. Rose Byrne has confirmed that she will not be returning as Moira MacTaggert, which seems perfectly reasonable given that her mind was wiped by Professor X at the end of First Class. Caleb Landry Jones played an enjoyable version of Banshee, but it is not a big loss to that he too is not reprising his role. Apparently the remaining members of the Hellfire Club, Angel Salvadore and Riptide will also not appear.