X-Men: First Class cast and character guide - Who plays whom in the Marvel movie?

X-Men: First Class, also known as X: First Class, is a film in the superhero genre. The Matthew Vaughn directorial is the fourth entry in the X-Men film franchise and the fifth overall. The film had its world premiere in New York's Ziegfeld Theatre on May 25, 2011, and was released theatrically on June 3. Here's the official synopsis as mentioned on Letterboxd:

"Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were arch-enemies, they were closest of friends, working together with other mutants (some familiar, some new) to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known."

Let's take a look at its cast and characters.

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X-Men: First Class cast and character guide

1) James McAvoy as Charles Xavier

James McAvoy plays the role of the mutant leader Charles Xavier, who is the founding member of the X-Men. He is a close friend and confidant of Erik Lehnsherr, but they part ways due to differing views on humanity and peace. McAvoy has also acted in films like Split, Glass and IT: Chapter Two.

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2) Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr

Erik Lehnsherr is a mutant who has the ability to create electromagnetic fields. He also knows how to manipulate others for his own gain. Erik and Charles have a fallout over their differences. Michael Fassbender has done films like Hunger, Steve Jobs and The Killer, among others.

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3) Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw

Kevin Bacon's Sebastian Shaw in X-Men: First Class is the face of a secret society named Hellfire Club that is planning world dominance. He is a mutant who used to work as a Nazi scientist. Some of the works of Bacon include Apollo 13, Mystic River and A Few Good Men.

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4) Other cast members of the film

• Rose Byrne as Moira MacTaggert
• Jennifer Lawrence as Raven aka Mystique
• Oliver Platt as Man In Black Suit
• Álex González as Janos Quested / Riptide
• Jason Flemyng as Azazel
• Zoë Kravitz as Angel Salvadore
• January Jones as Emma Frost
• Nicholas Hoult as Hank aka Beast
• Caleb Landry Jones as Cassidy aka Banshee
• Edi Gathegi as Darwin aka Armando Muñoz

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More about X-Men: First Class

X-Men: First Class is produced by Bryan Singer, Gregory Goodman, Simon Kinberg, and Lauren Shuler Donner. The story is written by Singer and Sheldon Turner, while the screenplay is by Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman, Zak Stentz, and Ashley Edward Miller. It's adapted from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's namesake comic book series. The film mainly focuses on the rapport between Magneto and Xavier when they were young and close friends before their fallout.

Upon its release, the film met with positive reviews and grossed around $353 million at the box office. It was followed by sequels, including 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past, 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse, and 2019's Dark Phoenix. McAvoy and Fassbender went on to reprise their respective roles in the follow-up films as well.

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