'X-Men: Apocalypse' Cast Update: Josh Helman Returns As Mutant Hater Colonel William Stryker

“X-Men: Apocalypse” will have one more villain other than Apocalypse. Bryan Singer confirmed in his recent Instagram post that Josh Helman will return as Colonel William Stryker. He shared a photo of Helman with Rose Byrne (Moira MacTaggert). Helman can be seen dressed in a black jacket and black cap and appears to be on the film’s set in Montreal while Byrne is dressed in a formal coat.

The caption of the photo reads, “Happy to welcome back Josh Helman who happens to be shooting with fellow Aussie Rose Byrne today. #aussieinvasion #rosebyrne #sydney #joshhelman #adelaide #xmenapocalypse #2016 #xmen #XMen15.

Helman previously played the character in “ X-Men: Days of Future Past,” in which Jennifer Lawrence’s character, Mystique, takes his identity and tries to prevent him from appropriating the group of mutant G.I.s. It is not known how Stryker will factor into “X-Men: Apocalypse.”

In the comics, Stryker is a religious fanatic and apparently hates mutants. He even tries to kill his wife and mutant son, Jason, as soon as he is born. He is convinced that Satan has a plan to vanquish mankind by sending mutants to Earth. Stryker, created by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson, possesses the forearm of Sentinel Nimrod and is a member of the group called Purifiers, who commit hate crimes against mutants. The character first made his appearance in “X: Men: God Loves, Men Kill.”

Singer is directing “X-Men: Apocalypse” from the screenplay by Simon Kinberg. The star cast of the film also includes James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Olivia Munn, Evan Peters, Alexandra Shipp, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ben Hardy, Lana Condor and Lucas Till. Lauren Shuler Donner, Singer, Kinberg and Hutch Parker produced the film, which opens May 27, 2016.