If you were a fan of the X-Men comic books in the 1990s, chances are you were a fan of — or very familiar with — Psylocke, whether because you thought she was a cool, kick-ass character or, well, do a Google search and see how that era might have set comics back a bit in terms of how females were viewed.
Director Bryan Singer seems intent on fitting virtually every X-Men character that has or hasn’t been seen on screen into his upcoming sequel, X-Men: Apocalypse. The massive cast includes Olivia Munn, cast as the telepath who not only had the power of telekinesis, but could also focus psychic energy into a blade.
Later on, Psylocke was reinvented — as comic books do with their characters — into a ninja assassin. That means being proficient with a sword. And according to a video posted on Instagram, Munn is picking up that part of the role quite well.
Hey, is that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the background doing his own swordplay? Looks like Munn’s boyfriend wanted to join in the fun.
Seeing Munn twirl a sword has to be exciting for fans of Psylocke, and surely for the actor’s supporters as well. It’s not known how big a role the character will play in X-Men: Apocalypse, but judging from that training, she’s not just going to be a pretty face that makes hand gestures for telekinetic powers that will be filled in with digital effects. Quite frankly, that would have been a waste of her talents. Munn showed on The Newsroom that she could capably Aaron Sorkin’s electric, wordy dialogue and be an actor of some consequence.
X-Men: Apocalypse will hit theaters on May 27, 2016.