Following one Marvel actor’s recent comments about playing the Joker, I can’t imagine anyone else being so specifically perfect for the role in the DC Universe. While the focus is on the DCU’s Man of Steel with the 2025 Superman movie on the near horizon, there’s still understandably a lot of interest in learning more about the franchise’s version of DC’s other biggest hero. Batman’s live-action movie history has been some of the strongest in all of the superhero genre, and the prospect of The Brave And The Bold movie continuing this winning streak is inevitably thrilling.
Since the Joker is without a doubt Batman’s most famous foe – and a figure who also has a selection of stunningly good live-action depictions – much of the hype around the DCU’s Batman also tends to lead into speculation about which actors could be the new universe’s Joker, with a few names consistently being suggested as the most popular picks begin to emerge. With that said, after one actor discussed playing the Joker themselves, I find it hard to think of anyone better suited to play one of the greatest villains of all time.
Bill Skarsgård’s Comments About Playing The DCU’s Joker Confirm The Best Casting
In late December 2024, Bill Skarsgård pitched himself as a possible Joker casting for the DCU in an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast. After his previous roles in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool 2 and Eternals were mentioned, the topic turned to potential comic book roles the actor might like to play, with Skarsgård stating: “I have a really f***ing cool Joker in me.”
While this doesn’t mean the actor is a definite for the DCU villain, his comments certainly cement a truly strong prospect for the franchise – and one that allows audiences a better look at how his talents could be used in the superhero genre, as Bill Skarsgård’s previous appearances as Kro in Eternals and Zeitgeist in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool 2 were both decidedly brief. As such, DC does have the potential chance to fully embrace a talented performer in a way that Marvel hasn’t yet managed to.
Bill Skarsgård was the voice of Kro in Eternals, who served as the secondary antagonist of the MCU movie. Zeitgeist was briefly a member of ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool’s superhero team in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool 2, dying shortly after his introduction.
This prospect also aligns with Skarsgård’s comments about acting and what interests him on a broader scale, as in the same interview he also notably mentioned that, “the transformational aspect of performing is something that I’ve always liked…I just love the process of transforming, like finding the voice, and you know, I think that’s the throughline moreso than that kind of horror creature aspect of it.“ With the different takes on the Joker being so distinct and so individual, this process is definitely also something that’s integral to defining each iteration of the villain on-screen.
Bill Skarsgård’s Entire Acting History Underlines Why He’s Literally Perfect For The Role
Naturally, conversations around why Bill Skarsgård is a perfect choice for the DCU’s Joker tend to revolve around discussing the actor’s previous performance as Pennywise in the It movies – partially because playing another famous clown antagonist draws some natural comparisons, and partially because the duology’s director, Andy Muschietti, is also set to direct The Brave And The Bold. Watching Skarsgård’s version of Pennywise manage to prove horrific and yet nightmarishly compelling and engaging, it’s hard to not see how this prior performance could lead to a truly special take on the Joker too.
Bill Skarsgård’s most recent other horror movie role – that of Count Orlok in Nosferatu – further underlines the actor’s potential as the Joker. Skarsgård’s depiction of the vampire proves to be both monstrous and also horrific on a different, human level – horrifying because of his inhuman nature, and because it’s clear he once was human – with this striking duality being something that would inherently lend itself well to playing the Clown Prince Of Crime, as well as reinforcing how strong the actor’s ability to physically embody those who represent a twisted form of humanity.
The fact that Bill Skarsgård’s roles so often have him in significant transformations where some viewers don’t recognize him because his costume and acting mannerisms change him that significantly would also appear to lend itself to the idea of him having the capacity for a genuinely perfect Joker. The surreal and twisted cartoonish depictions of the villain in the comics appear to be a perfect opportunity for an actor who enjoys fully “transforming” and embodying their roles, giving the DCU Joker a prospective leg up in terms of being a different, more directly horror-inspired take on the character.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that Bill Skarsgård’s acting history also includes a wide range of performances outside of some excellent horror movie villain roles, with Barbarian proving that the actor is also more than capable of playing the horror movie victim as much as he is gothic monsters, movies like John Wick 4 showing how Skarsgård’s talents can be used in the action genre, and the actor’s ᴀssortment of comedy and superhero roles highlighting a range that could ensure a fully well-rounded Joker performance comes to pᴀss.
Bill Skarsgård’s Joker Could Work Alongside Whatever Batman The DCU Chooses
Bill Skarsgård’s acting history – and the wide range of roles that have cropped up within it, even if the overall trajectory veers in some specific directions – makes the prospect of him paying the DCU’s Joker all the more promising. Given this history, Skarsgård’s version of the character could conventionally work alongside whatever take the franchise decides to go with regarding its Batman, both in terms of the actor chosen and the overall tone of the depiction at hand, and indeed some blurring of genre lines would be more than possible were the DCU to go this route.
Having appeared in everything from R-rated horror to the animated children’s series Moomins and the Winter Wonderland, it stands to reason that, whatever the overall goal is in terms of depicting the DCU world of the Batman, Bill Skarsgård will have experience that can be leveraged to giving a solid performance in that specific category. Combine this with an uncanny ability to physically embody larger-than-life characters to such a strong degree that it’s become ᴀssociated with his name, and I find it hard to imagine anyone else being quite as suited for the overall DC Universe Joker role as Bill Skarsgård.
Upcoming DC Movie Releases
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Superman
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July 11, 2025
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Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
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June 26, 2026
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The Batman Part II
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October 1, 2027
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