With 2025’s Superman: Legacy having found its Clark Kent and Lois Lane in David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan, respectively, it’s time to count down other major DC roles we would love to see. These roles may apply to Superman: Legacy, which has cast a few colorful characters other than the main leads or James Gunn’s broader DC Universe.
Before you scoff at the below hypothetical entries, bear in mind Gunn has already cast some fan-favorite picks in Corenswet as well as Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern. Clearly, he is an executive at DC Studios that is susceptible to fan suggestions, so we may see some of the below entries come to fruition one day.
It’s also important to consider that the below entries represent my personal list of dream casting choices and not necessarily the most viral fan picks of all time. However, some popular opinions along the same lines as the general fanbase that I agree with are included here. Let’s countdown my picks for dream casting choices for the DCU from least to most desired.
10. Kathy Bates as Granny Goodness
One of Darkseid’s top lieutenants, Granny Goodness, is a colorful and menacing figure in the universe of DC that could add some interesting variety to the lineup of rogues and heroes. Outwardly, Granny Goodness has a somewhat nurturing persona, but that is only a thin veil that covers up the malevolent military leader she truly is as the boss of the all-woman villain troupe, the Female Furies. What better actress besides Kathy Bates in a role such as this?
In case you need a reminder, Bates won an Academy Award for a similar role in the classic 1990 thriller Misery, in which she plays a mentally unstable superfan of a novelist. As Annie Wilkes, who turns out to be a serial-killing nurse with a god complex, Bates alternates between nurturing James Caan’s Paul Sheldon back to health following a car crash and torturing him to force him to write his next novel in the way that she wants. Bates is a tremendous actress with an enviable career, and I would love to see her chew the scenery in Gunn’s DCU more aggressively than I munched down my grandma’s strawberry hard candies growing up.
9. Lupita Nyong’o as Phantasm
I will admit I had Lupita Nyong’o equipped in my headspace for no reason other than simply liking the actress so much that I was looking for some kind of role to place her into the DCU. I was about to give up, realizing she wasn’t a good fit for either Poison Ivy or Livewire, in my opinion (we’ll get to those later). However, when I stumbled upon an oft-forgotten villain while perusing the DC Animated Universe Wiki, it struck me that she could be absolutely perfect for this character.
It is a role from the excellent 1993 film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. The titular villain, the Phantasm, is a vigilante that wacks mobsters with a sickle without the use of any superpowers, like a more corrupted version of Batman himself. I won’t spoil the film for you, but suffice it to say the duality of the role when the villain’s identity is finally revealed in the story would be a perfect fit for Nyong’o, as evidenced by her commanding performance in Jordan Peele’s Us. This movie also had a memorable twist centering on Nyong’o’s character.
Even though the Phantasm is an original villain from the animated film and not from the comics, I don’t see any reason why Gunn couldn’t adapt her for live-action in his DCU. After all, that didn’t stop Harley Quinn, who originated in Batman: The Animated Series, from appearing in live-action films.
8. Elizabeth Olsen as Poison Ivy
Elizabeth Olsen would be a great fit for classic Batman villain Poison Ivy not simply because she is beautiful and has red hair — though that doesn’t hurt the situation — but rather because she is one of those rare actresses that can give equally compelling performances in grounded dramas and superhero movies alike.
In Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, Olsen gave us one of the all-time greatest villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the Darkhold-corrupted Scarlet Witch. At the same time, she brought a level of nuance and emotion to that same role in the Disney Plus series WandaVision that made her well-deserving of the accompanying Primetime Emmy Nomination.
Moreover, roles in dramas such as HBO’s Love & Death and 2017’s Wind River prove her star power shines far beyond the realm of comic book movies. Such a range is arguably necessary for Poison Ivy, a character with somewhat noble motivations as an environmentalist — albeit of the eco-terrorist variety — even if she does it in a destructive manner in her bouts against Batman.
7. Daisy Ridley as Livewire
Livewire is a villain who has always stood out to me as one of the most memorable from Superman: The Animated Series, even though she technically debuted in a tie-in comic book in the same continuity as the show, according to CBR.
A shock-jock DJ who ridicules Superman on air for the ratings, she becomes a genuine nemesis to the hero through a freak accident involving the Man of Steel himself — Joker style. Endowed with the power to control electricity, Livewire is a DC villain babe that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of fan favorites Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, in my opinion.
I could easily see Daisy Ridley taking on the role of Livewire since they somewhat look similar, so long as you apply a little blue makeup to the Force Awakens actress. I would love to see Ridley in a villain role to show off her range since the brief appearance of her as a Dark Side Sith in the dream sequence in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker seems to point to her being great at chewing the scenery in such a capacity.
6. Michael Fassbender as Metallo
It could be considered typecasting to give the role of Superman villain cyborg Metallo to Michael Fassbender since he’s already played a psychotic android in Alien: Covenant and a similarly-named villain, Magneto, in the X-Men franchise, but I really want the Oscar-nominee for the part regardless.
Those past villain roles also serve as the perfect argument for why the Academy-level acting abilities of Fassbender would be a match made in heaven. In Superman: The Animated Series, Metallo is one of the blue boy scout’s most formidable opponents since he has many of Superman’s powers and even boasts a heart made of Kryptonite.
The former mercenary-turned-cyborg also has a layer of tragedy to his backstory since he agreed to undergo Lex Luthor’s procedure to get turned into an android due to a terminal illness diagnosis, only to be almost entirely stripped away of his humanity in the process. Such a complex character requires a thespian up to the task, and for my money, that actor is Fassbender.
5. John David Washington as Batman
As far as we know, the casting of Bruce Wayne in the forthcoming Batman: The Brave and the Bold is still a ways off, even though The Flash’s Andy Muschietti has already been tapped as its director. This leaves us with a rather brave and, dare I say, bold pick for who could play Gotham’s most famous reclusive billionaire: John David Washington.
The son of Oscar-winner Denzel Washington, John has proven his salt as an excellent actor in his own right with acclaimed performances in grounded dramas like 2018’s BlacKkKlansman and 2021’s Malcolm & Marie. However, his turn in Christopher Nolan’s 2020 would-be blockbuster Tenet has really put him on the map for me as a good choice for playing the Dark Knight.
Though Tenet is a flawed film, the action is superb, and David elevates the somewhat thinly written characterization that he is given with every scene. In my opinion, David’s performance in the critically-maligned 2021 Netflix film Beckett was a highlight, particularly in the impressively-grounded action scenes where he held his own. David has proven himself a worthy action hero lead and a tremendous dramatic actor to boot, so why not give him the role of Batman since it no doubt requires both skills?
Don’t get me wrong, I love Robert Pattinson’s version of the character in The Batman, but this could be an opportunity to do something a little different with the casting than bring us another emo-goth kid. Plus, with David being in his late 30s at the time of this writing, he’s arguably the perfect age to also have a son, Damian Wayne, within the world of the film, which we know will be an element of the plot. He’s not too young and not too old, but he certainly has the acting chops to deliver.
It’s worth noting that even though my pitch is to cast John as Bruce Wayne, DC has already created a wholly original Black Batman character in Tim Fox. The character is the estranged son of Wayne’s associate, Lucius Fox, The Guardian reported. So at the very least, John has the potential to play this character somewhere in the DC universe, as well.
4. Austin Butler as Joker
I’ve always wanted an on-screen Joker that resembles my headcanon version of the character as he appears in one of Alan Moore’s many masterpieces, Batman: The Killing Joke, one of my favorite comics of all time. This is an iteration of the clown prince of crime that isn’t marred by heavy scars on his face, such as can be seen in versions of the character as interpreted by Barry Keoghan, Heath Ledger, Cameron Monaghan, and even Jack Nicholson.
Instead, the chemical plant accident only discolored him, including making his skin pale and his hair green — but he could still make the full range of emotions with his face. If the DCU goes with this character version, I think Butler would be a great choice because he somewhat resembles the Killing Joke version.
Not only did Butler prove his gravitas as an actor in Elvis, but he is also poised to play a pale-skinned and terrifying-looking villain in the forthcoming Dune Part Two. I say, give the purple petticoat to Butler and see what he can do with it since the upcoming Batman: The Brave and the Bold inevitably means a new DCU Joker will have to surface at some point.
3. Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor
When news broke, albeit through the rumor mill, that Nicholas Hoult had lost the opportunity to be cast as Superman in Gunn’s DCU, many fans mourned the missed chance for the actor, who had previously admitted to losing out on the role of Batman to Pattinson. However, when one door closes, a window opens.
Fans on Twitter had suggested Hoult could make a good Lex Luthor. And the more I thought about this, the more I liked the idea. I believe the actor’s angular eyebrows and sharp eyes would make him very much resemble certain comic book interpretations of the character, as well — if he shaved his dome.
Plus, Hoult has always chosen roles with a dark tinge, such as in Mad Max: Fury Road and Renfield, so this could be a superior choice compared to his playing a straight-up hero. If the rumor that Hoult was in direct competition with Corenswet for Superman is true, that history between the actors could also generate a rivalry-like chemistry on screen.
2. Jason Momoa as Lobo
The fans and Jason Momoa himself seem to be in alignment that the Game of Thrones actor would be perfect as the space bounty hunter Lobo. Not only is Momoa an absolute dead-ringer for the character in terms of looks, sporting long black hair, and piercing eyes, but his acumen as an actor also backs up the role.
Momoa’s experience extends beyond playing heroes; he has also showcased his talent in portraying villains, as seen in the aforementioned Westeros fantasy drama and Fast X. Don’t get us wrong, we love Momoa as Aquaman in the now-defunct DC Extended Universe, but maybe a reboot of the franchise is the best opportunity to place him in an even more perfect role that seems destined for him.
1. Jon Hamm as Bizarro
Though Jon Hamm has frequently been cited as a fan-favorite casting for Batman, he would be an excellent choice for one of Superman’s rivals, Bizarro. I know that sounds strange at first, given that Bizarro is a deficient clone of Superman. Still, my inspiration is drawn from Robert Louis Stevenson’s original description of Edward Hyde from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, one of the first grown-up books I ever read.
Stevenson’s description of Hyde has never truly been represented on screen, with most adaptations depicting him as a monstrous and grotesque figure. However, in the book, Hyde — Dr. Jekyll’s evil alter-ego — is described as looking quite normal on the outside. It is instead some ineffable and unseen quality about him that seems off. As the character Mr. Enfield tells his cousin in the book upon seeing Hyde:
“He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why. He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn’t specify the point. He’s an extraordinary-looking man, and yet I really can name nothing out of the way. No, sir; I can make no hand of it; I can’t describe him. And it’s not want of memory; for I declare I can see him this moment.”
This single passage has remained the most memorable part of Stevenson’s classic for me, and I’ve always wanted it somehow represented in a movie. Since Bizarro could be described as Hyde to Superman’s Jekyll, why not take this opportunity to try it out?
In Mad Men, Hamm always exuded the same indescribably deformed quality in his role as the charming yet morally challenged Don Draper, despite boasting rugged good looks superficially. Part of Hamm’s handsomeness is arguably found in his somewhat weathered-looking face, with the actor having quite a few more wrinkles than Corenswet.
I believe this would work to his advantage, in terms of the casting, since it would further emphasize how he is a failed clone experiment (Hamm is also a good two decades older than Corenswet, which could possibly be explained away by the clone’s rapid aging). If that weren’t enough, the Bizarro role would no doubt require comedic chops to pull off, which Hamm has shown he has in spades if his Saturday Night Live and Progressive TV commercial appearances are any indication.