Will Kevin Bacon lead the Hellfire Club?

It was confirmed that Golden Globe winner Kevin Bacon would star in Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class, and would server as the film’s villain. Fans quickly began speculation that Bacon’s role would be Mr. Sinister or Egyptian Crime Lord, Amahl Farouk. However, Forces of Geek (via Comic Book Movies), Bacon will portray the leader of the Hellfire Club, Sebastian Shaw.

It’s very surprising as there are far more bigger and popular villains in the X-Men rouge gallery. The character absorbs kinetic energy and transforms it into strength. He’s also the leader of the New York branch of the Hellfire Club, a secret society bent on world domination.

If true, then it may explain Emma Frost’s absence from the rest of the X-Men trilogy. It could also be a way to introduce the Sentinels in the future. Shaw also funded the Sentinel program in the comics. I suspect we’ll get an official announcement next week at Comic-Con.

X-Men: First Class will open on June 3, 2011.