What is it with Marvel actors and wanting to play the Riddler?
Back in the fall, Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, revealed that he’d love to suit up as the iconic Batman villain one day and now, his fellow MCU co-star, Sebastian Stan, has said the same, telling us that Edward Nygma is his favorite DC character. Does that mean we might see the actor switch sides somewhere down the road? Unlikely, but then again, you never know.
Speaking during a panel at Wizard World St. Louis, Stan was asked which role he’d like to take should he ever appear in a Batman movie, and here was his reply:
“My favorite DC character has always been the Riddler. But, honestly, I would not know what to do with that character at all. It’s such a crazy, crazy character.”
Of course, if the actor did crossover to the DC side, he wouldn’t be the first to bridge the gap between the MCU and their rival superhero franchise. Laurence Fishburne is currently portraying Perry White in the DCEU but is also joining Marvel to play Goliath in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Likewise, The Avengers director Joss Whedon jumped ship to tidy up Justice League and make Batgirl for Warner Bros.
That being said, Stan’s likely got a long future ahead of him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with rumors even pointing to him being the next Captain America. As such, we don’t see this happening, but that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t support it. Besides, the Riddler’s definitely one Batman villain that’s due for another big screen appearance.
As fans of the Dark Knight will know, he’s been played twice before in the movies. First by Frank Gorshin in the 1960s Batman film (and its accompanying TV series) and then by Jim Carrey in 1995’s Batman Forever. Since then, fans have campaigned to get various actors to fill the role over the years – Robin Williams, David Tennant and, most notably, Leonardo DiCaprio – but nothing’s come to fruition.
We know that Warner Bros. originally planned to have the character cameo in Batman V Superman, but that ultimately didn’t happen. Still, it does have us wondering whether he could still show up somewhere down the road. Perhaps in The Batman?
Time will tell, but whether it’s Stan, Hemsworth or someone else in the role, we’d certainly love to have the Riddler in the DCEU one day.