MCU Thanos actorJosh Brolinwould be a great casting choice for aDCUvillain, but not necessarily for Darkseid. The DCU is growing at an accelerated pace, as several actors have been confirmed to join the franchise before the DCU’s first movie hits theaters.Creature Commandos' season finalemarks the end of the DCU’s first installment, yet the DCU has already announced the main actors for projects such asLanternsandSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and major characters such as Batman, Starfire, and Dick Grayson have been confirmed to exist in the DCU.
DCU fan castings remain at their peak, and for good reason.Batman appeared inCreature Commandosepisode 6, but the Dark Knight hasn’t been officially cast yet. Wonder Woman also made a brief appearance in Circe’s vision of an apocalyptic future inCreature Commandosepisode 4, yet talks about Wonder Woman’s casting remain under wraps. Considering how quickly the DCU is introducing major characters, it wouldn’t be surprising for a villain as big as Darkseid to appear sooner than expected. But while it would seem like Darkseid already has the perfect actor ready to play him, there’s a better argument for another villain’s introduction before him.
Josh Brolin Could Be The Next Superhero Movie Alum To Be Cast In The DCU
Josh Brolin Is A Seasoned Comic Book Movie Actor With More Amazing Performances In Store
James Gunn’s DCU has been casting actors with superhero movie experience. Mister Terrific actor Edi Gathegi played Darwin inX-Men: First Class, Hawkgirl actor Isabela Merced played Anya Corazón a.k.a. Araña in Sony’s Madame Web, and Lobo actor Jason Momoa famously played Aquaman in six DCEU installments before joiningSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’s cast. Frank Grillo played Crossbones in three MCU movies across five years, and now he’s set to play Rick Flag Sr. in two DCU installments in the span of only eight months, plus another appearance in theWallerseries.
If James Gunn takes Brolin’s possible interest into account, Brolin could end up playing Darkseid in a future DCU project
On January 7th, 2025,Josh Brolin shared a fan-made image of him as Darkseid on his Instagram, suggesting his interest in the role. Brolin’s performance as Thanos inAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgamecemented him as one of the most popular sci-fi movie villains of all time, but the Mad Titan hasn’t been Brolin’s only comic book role. Brolin also played Cable inDeadpool 2and starred in the poorly-received 2010 DC movieJonah Hex. If James Gunn takes Brolin’s possible interest into account, Brolin could end up playing Darkseid in a future DCU project.
Josh Brolin’s Darkseid Could Be Too Similar To Thanos
Josh Brolin’s Darkseid Casting Would Be Too Obvious After His Successful MCU Run
Josh Brolin’s nuanced performance, the Russo Bros.' directing, and Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely’s writing came together to turn the MCU’s Thanos into one of Marvel’s best movie villains. Brolin’s Thanos was ruthless yet calculating, and power-hungry yet stoic. Although hypocritical in his goals, Thanos created an interesting argument for his quest to decimate the universe, and his drastic change in attitude betweenAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgameshowed how evil he truly was under his pseudo-philosophical speech.If Josh Brolin played the DCU’s Darkseid, it could be difficult to find an interesting spin on the villain without creating parallels to his Thanos portrayal.
Darkseid made a cameo in 1970’sSuperman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #134before making his first official appearance in 1971’sForever People #1.Thanos made his comic book debut in 1973’sThe Invincible Iron Man #55.
Even though DC created Darkseid was created two years before Marvel created Thanos, Thanos is now much more famous than Darkseid thanks to Josh Brolin’s MCU portrayal of the Mad Titan. Whatever strategy the DCU would choose to help Brolin’s Darkseid stand apart from Thanos, the two villains are simply too similar to have the same actor playing them.Jason Momoa’s DCU Lobomay share some qualities with Momoa’s DCEU Aquaman, including the actor’s signature gruffness and long hair, but Lobo and Aquaman are different enough on their own to allow the actor to explore other aspects of his new character in the DCU.
Brainiac Is An Untapped Goldmine For The DCU And Josh Brolin Suits The Role
Josh Brolin Could Be The First Actor To Play Brainiac In A DC Movie
While Josh Brolin’s talent suits Darkseid as much as Thanos, a different DCU villain role could let him show off his acting chops with a fresh twist. Brainiac is just as cunning, twisted, and power-hungry as Thanos, and he also tends to justify his conquest plans with philosophical arguments about all-encompassing knowledge and a desire for perfect control. Despite his 67-year comic book history and his status as one of Superman’s most famous villains, Brainiac has never appeared in a live-action DC movie before.Brainiac’s absence in DC films provides Josh Brolin with an opportunity to be a long-running DCU antagonist.
Henry Cavill’s Response To His Favorite DC Villain Makes Me Even Sadder That Zack Snyder’s Man Of Steel 2 Brainiac Idea Never Became Reality
Henry Cavill has widely been reported as a fanboy for comics, and one of his favorite villains from DC almost became his rival in the DCEU.
The DCEU referenced Brainiac with a blink-and-you-miss-it glimpse at his three-dot symbol inMan of Steel, and Blake Ritson played Brainiac in the 2018Kryptonshow. Brainiac was also planned to appear inSuperman III, the canceledSuperman Livesmovie, and a canceledSuperman Returnssequel. And ifMan of Steelhappened, Brainiac would have been a strong candidate for its main antagonist. Now, Brainiac is more likely to make his big-screen debut than ever before, andJosh Brolincould easily earn himself a spot on the shortlist for the character.
