Casting the Next Phase of DC Movie Villains

The DC Extended Universe hasn’t had the easiest time getting itself off the ground. The versions of DC Comics super villains the movies have introduced have been particularly controversial with fans, with iconic DC villains like Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) and The Joker (Jared Leto) getting very divisive DCEU adaptations.

However, the DCEU is arguably entering a whole new phase, one that could begin with a very successful 2017 lineup of Justice League and Wonder Woman. Even though the DCEU slate is plotted out until 2020, there is a lot of room in those planned films (and beyond) to introduce a whole new lineup of DC Comics villains into the DCEU.

Keeping with the tradition of finding both skilled actors and big star power to lead DC Films, we are Casting the Next Phase of DCEU Super Villains!

Catwoman/Poison Ivy

Casting Picks: Natalie Dormer & Megan Fox

Gotham City Sirens will see Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn teaming with other female Batman villains/anti-heroes – and to create the iconic bad girl chemistry, Robbie will need the star power of two other actresses who can bring a combination of sultry sex appeal, bad girl swagger, and badass action chops.

Natatlie Dormer and Megan Fox are two actresses who have a lot of acclaim and fan-followings. The former was a breakout star of Game of Thrones, and the latter has been celeb and pop-culture fixation since her 2007 breakout role in Transformers. Both Dormer and Fox have been looking for big movie roles that can take their careers to that next level – and joining the DCEU would definitely do that.  

Dormer has the combination of class and swagger (and that sultry smirk) that would make her great for Catwoman/Selina Kyle; Fox has the steamy seductress appeal that would be perfect for Poison Ivy’s twisted games. Combined with Margot Robbie, the trio would be he kind of star power that all but guarantees Gotham City Sirens an audience. 

Sinestro

Casting Pick: Luke Evans

Ever since word came in that Green Lantern was being revamped for the DCEU, fans have had a clear frontrunner in their fantasy casting for his nemesis Sinestro: Fast & Furious and Hobbit actor, Luke Evans. 

If you’ve ever seen the horror flick No One Survives, you know that Evans is great at playing a maniacal and militant anti-hero killer. It’s basically the character the actor plays most often, as seen in additional films like Dracula Untold, and some of the recent Fast and the Furious movies. 

Sinestro needs a talented character actor who can also shoulder the weight of standing in the spotlight; someone who can be fascist dictator in one light, and a twisted anti-hero in the next light. Evans can easily check both of those boxes – and as you can see, he would look great in the role, as well. 

MORE: Casting Picks for the New Green Lantern

Brainiac

Casting Pick: Mads Mikkelsen

Brainiac is a villain that DC fans have been calling for ever since the DCEU kicked off with Man of Steel. It’s almost inevitable that we’ll see him in the next phase of DC Movies (Man of Steeel 2 if not Justice League), so he needs a proper thespian to play him. 

Mads Mikkelsen got his breakout into stardom playing a Bond villain in Casino Royale – but what makes him a great pick for Brainiac is his performance as Hannibal Lecture in the acclaimed NBC series, Hannibal. Mikkelsen’s controlled and intellectual version of a murderous psychopath had so many shades of Brainiac (a genocidal A.I. that thinks it’s preserving knowledge of the universe) that it’s hard to see any other actor in the role. If Man of Steel 2 is looking for an actor of Michael Shannon’s caliber to carry the sequel, Mikkelsen is it.

…And since most viewers can’t name the villain he recently played in Marvel’s Doctor Strange, there’s no reason to get upset about the actor “changing camps.”  

Darkseid

Casting Pick: Ving Rhames

Darkseid is coming. Batman v Superman set up that conflict between the DCEU suprheroes and one of their greatest foes – a conflict that Justice League will continue when Darkseid’s general, Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds), arrives on Earth.

We still haven’t heard official casting for Darkseid – who will no doubt be created through motion-capture CGI. What will really matter for the character is voice, and the personality the voice carries with it. In that sense, we can’t think of anyone better than Ving Rhames to do the job. 

Pulp Fiction‘s badman has several classic menacing lines under his belt (“Gonna get Medieval…”), and his booming tones have stayed more relevant than ever, thanks to those Arby’s commercials (“We have the meats!“). Taking that all into account, applying Rhames famous baritone to Darkseid’s ominously grand dialogue would be a perfect match. 

The Riddler

Casting Pick: Matthew Lillard

Lillard was a ’90s acting star, thanks to films like the Scream trilogy, Hackers, and She’s All That. He may not be as relevant or big-name these days, but after seeing his work in the AMC series Halt and Catch Fire, we think he’d be great joining the DCEU as The Riddler. 

Lillard’s Scream roles have proven he can play a maniacal psycho – and his animated face was practically made for grandiose super villain dialogue. 

If The Batman is going to expand the dark, gritty world of Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight, then Lillard is the type of actor we could see in his rogues gallery alongside the likes of Jared Leto’s Joker. Easy pick. 

Captain Cold

Casting Pick: Bryan Cranston

Before Batman v Superman, DC Comics fans were campaining heavily for Bryan Cranston to play Lex Luthor. The fan casting was based primarily on fans associating Cranston’s Breaking Bad character, Walter White, with what they imagined DCEU Lex Luthor should be. While that particular fan casting was always a bit on-the-nose, there’s still room for Cranston in the DCEU. 

As one of The Flash’s most prominent Rogues, Captain Cold has gone from a joke of a knock-off to a truly captivating and interesting character. 

When it comes to conveying the complexity, wit, and violent grit of some very bad men, Cranston excels. If he’s looking for that superhero movie role that would befit his growling baritone, Captain Cold would be a good one. 

Bane

Casting Pick: Adam Rodriguez

The CSI: Miami and Criminal Minds star made a big screen impression by baring skin in the two Magic Mike movies, so now it’s time to see how he does acting from behind a mask. 

Rodriguez clearly has the physicality to play Bane, and as an actor who is also in his ’40s, he’s a good match for Ben Affleck’s Batman in both stature and age. He also has the unique kind of body that can convincingly carry Bane’s normal, wrestler-style physique – as well as his massive bodybuilder size when he uses his venom steroid. 

Best of all, Rodriguez’s Puerto Rican/Cuban background would make him a legit match for the comic book version of Bane, whose South American heritage was a significant part of his origin. Fans have been wanting for a more authentic version of the character than we got in Dark Knight Rises, and Rodriguez could bring that to the DCEU. 

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