Judy Van Etten) in the film.

Moss had worked with the director as a member of the production crew on “Love the Coopers,” and later appeared in both “Lincoln” and “The Hunger Games” to a theater audience.

As director, Moss also directed the first two “X-Men” films and is regarded highly by some in the fan community as the true heir to director Bryan Singer — he currently leads the Fan Appreciation Society on Reddit — yet he has also spent time at DC Entertainment producing and writing comics.

This means, while “X-Men: Apocalypse” is a rebooted “Age of Apocalypse,” or series reboot — that is, another “Fantastic Four” movie — it’s a return to the genre that has brought the most people together over the last four decades. After years toiling just below the radar or on the fringe of popular consciousness, “X-Men” has been the superhero franchise we all hoped would continue to grow, grow and grow, and for a long time that had yet to happen.

This time around, you might as well just take a bow; for one last hurrah, “X-Men” fans have finally brought that long-awaited superhero comeback to theaters.

A preview of the next installment of the “X-Men” franchise opens in theaters May 27 in a new, non-sequel movie (the third, “X-Men: Apocalypse,” will hit theaters May 27, 2018).