New 'X-Men: Apocalypse' Set Pic Teases Storm's Origins

By Graeme McMillan

Next year’s X-Men: Apocalypse isn’t just reintroducing fan-favorite characters like Storm and Cyclops; if a new behind-the-scenes photo shared by director Bryan Singer is anything to go by, it’s also bringing along some of those characters’ comic book mythology — and maybe a little more.

An image posted on Instagram Tuesday by Singer showed the director in a set surrounded by rubble with the caption, “Tip toeing through ruined #Cairo #1983.” While the date is a misnomer for those looking for comic book meaning — X-Men: Apocalypse takes place in the 1980s, making that a contemporary reference, rather than a historic one — the inclusion of Cairo is something likely to make fans of Storm very excited.

Related: Read our complete ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ coverage

In Marvel’s Uncanny X-Men comic book series, that city was established as the place where Storm was first discovered by Professor Xavier, when she was living as a street thief, some years before she became a member of the X-Men. It’s also the city that she returns to on more than one occasion while on hiatus from the team; in many ways, it’s her home away from home — somewhat unusually for a character born in the U.S. to American and Kenyan parents.

Watch the ‘Apocalypse’ stars talk about their super-villain:

As part of that comic book tale, another important part of X-Men mythology is introduced: the Shadow King, a telepath as powerful as Xavier who would go on to become a major recurring villain for the team some years later. While it’s likely that Oscar Isaac’s Apocalypse is the villain responsible for the rubble Singer is walking through in the picture, what are the possibilities that the director could visit Cairo and not drop in a tease of the Shadow King for a future movie … ?

X-Men: Apocalypse will be released May 2016. Singer’s Instagram image is below.