The X-Men: First Class cast is really starting to
shape up nicely. James McAvoy is Charles Xavier, across from Michael Fassbender
as Magneto. Kevin Bacon, January Jones, Jason Flemying, Rose Byrne and others
have also been cast, bringing together a top notch ensemble. Now here’s one
more addition. Earlier today we received word from Blog De
Superheroes that Álex González has been cast as Riptide, a mutant
who can spin at incredible speed, releasing calcium-growth from his bones at
high speeds.
The character of Riptide first appeared in Uncanny X-Men
#211, and has subsequently been featured in a number of X-Men comics. The
villain was originally member of the Marauders, a team of villains brought
together by the mutant thief Gambit at the request of Mister Sinister. He’s
since died on at least three occasions, only to have been brought back through
cloning. As he was never featured during First Class’s era of canon,
this doesn’t really reveal much on how the character will be utilized in the
film. Álex González has had roles in a number of Spanish
language productions, and is probably best known for his part in the film Sunday
Light.
X-Men: First Class will be directed by Mathew
Vaughn (Layer Cake,
Kick-Ass), and will be a prequel to the X-Men trilogy. The
movie
takes place during the 1960s and will parallel the history of Martin Luther
King Jr. and Malcom X using Xavier and Magneto. The original team, with the
exception of Beast, will not appear.