'X-Men: Apocalypse' Casts Surprising Actor in Villain Role

A year ago, people barely knew who Oscar Isaac was. Now, he's set to play one of the biggest villains in the Marvel Comics universe.

The "Inside Llewyn Davis" star has signed on to play Apocalypse in the upcoming "X-Men: Apocalypse" movie, according to Variety. The movie will act as a direct sequel to "X-Men: Days of Future Past" (or at least one timeline of it) and Isaac will be playing the villain to Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy and the other X-Men.

"Days of Future Past" even provided a preview of Isaac's role, as the post-credits scene featured a cult in ancient Egypt worshipping Apocalypse, who is considered to be the first mutant.

This is another big get for Isaac, whose resume was mostly limited to smaller roles in the past. In 2010, he starred as Prince John in the Russell Crowe version of "Robin Hood," then did mostly indies until a role in "The Bourne Legacy."

Isaac broke out in a big way in the Oscar-nominated "Inside Llewyn Davis," and earned himself a Golden Globe nomination. After that, he was cast in the upcoming Star Wars movie, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in a role that is yet to be confirmed by the studio, but is thought to be villainous.

Isaac might seem an odd choice for the role of a hulking, super-strong, immortal mutant, but the actor does seem to be carving out a niche for himself in playing the villain. Heck, even in "Inside Llewyn Davis" he wasn't exactly the nicest guy.