James Gunn’s DCU could cast an actor who was wasted on two big-name Marvel movies and finally give him the superhero role he deserves. The DCU has been casting several actors in key roles since the franchise’s announcement. From Superman and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow‘s star-studded cast to Lanterns‘ growing cast of heroes and villains, the DCU already has secured characters such as Jason Momoa’s Lobo, Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan, Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart, and Ulrich Thomsen’s Sinestro, among others. Regardless of each projects’ release date, more DCU casting news are bound to be revealed in the coming months and years.

Throughout the years, both Marvel and DC have introduced promising character portrayals that were either abandoned or killed off before their time. The DCEU’s entire Justice League had the potential to carry several solo and crossover movies, but unfortunately, the franchise met several obstacles that led to its premature ending. The MCU has built a single continuity across seventeen years, but some of its characters were also left behind before they could fulfill their full potential, most often on the villain side of the franchise: Andy Serkis’ Ulysses Klaue, Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher, among others.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver And Kraven Were Wasted Potential

Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Two Marvel Characters Could Have Been Marvel Movie Mainstays

Avengers: Age of Ultron was a quietly momentous landmark for the MCU, as it introduced MCU magic and formally expanded the MCU’s Avengers line-up one last time before Captain America: Civil War divided the team. Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Pietro Maximoff a.k.a. Quicksilver is the first X-Men comic book character to appear in the MCU alongside Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, and he’s also the MCU’s first speedster. Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver had the potential to be a long-term MCU Avenger with unique action scenes, yet he’s one of the few Marvel heroes who have stayed ᴅᴇᴀᴅ permanently after his first movie appearance.

Almost a decade later, Aaron Taylor-Johnson starred in his own solo movie within Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, Kraven the Hunter. Kraven is one of Spider-Man’s most famous enemies, a founding member of the original Sinister Six, and the star of one of the most acclaimed Spider-Man comic book storylines to date: Kraven’s Last Hunt. Aaron Taylor-Johnson performed many of his own stunts in Kraven the Hunter, and his amazing physique suited the character’s abilities perfectly. Unfortunately, Kraven the Hunter‘s disastrous box office performance likely led to the end of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, and Taylor-Johnson is now unlikely to reprise his Kraven role anytime soon.

The DCU Can Still Give Aaron Taylor-Johnson A Good Superhero Movie Role

Aaron Taylor-Johnson Could Find His Best Superhero Role In James Gunn’s DCU

The DCU’s casting conditions seem to be pretty open so far. More than eight DCEU actors are reprising their roles in the DCU despite the franchise’s reboot, DCEU Aquaman actor Jason Momoa is returning soon as Lobo in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and MCU Crossbones actor Frank Grillo is playing Rick Flag Sr. in multiple DCU projects. Similarly to Frank Grillo, Aaron Taylor-Johnson could take advantage of his MCU character’s abrupt death to make the jump into the DCU, which could find him a bigger role that does his talent justice across multiple projects.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson doesn’t have to be attached to several DCU appearances at a time, and he doesn’t have to be a lead character. Taylor-Johnson could pop up as an important DCU character sporadically, and eventually participate in a DCU crossover or team-up event. Jason Momoa and Frank Grillo are both playing to their strengths as Lobo and Rick Flag Sr., but they’re also set to explore other venues that they didn’t have the opportunity to tackle in their limited time at the DCEU and the MCU, respectively. Aaron Taylor-Johnson could do the same in the DCU.

What DC Character Aaron Taylor-Johnson Could Play In The DCU

Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s DCU Casting Could Play It Safe Or Go Wild

Aaron Taylor-Johnson has played a wide variety of characters throughout his acting career, from an eccentric young John Lennon in Nowhere Boy and a weak and introspective Dave Lizewski in Kick-ᴀss and Kick-ᴀss 2, to the erratic Ray Marcus in Nocturnal Animals and the tough James Douglas in Outlaw King. Both the MCU’s Quicksilver and Sony’s Kraven the Hunter were depicted as less unpredictable and less evil than their comic book counterparts, making Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s performance seem more stoic. The DCU could do the opposite and cast Aaron Taylor-Johnson as an unapologetically evil and brutal anti-hero or villain like Vandal Savage or Captain Cold.

Otherwise, DC Studios could replicate Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s acclaimed Kick-ᴀss performance with a similar half-serious, half-comedic superhero parody character — qualities that apply to varying degrees to DC characters such as Catman, Mister Miracle, or Booster Gold. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the DCU could double down on Quicksilver and Kraven the Hunter’s subtle heroic or vilainous elements, with a fully heroic role like Green Arrow or a full-fledged villain role like Ares. Aaron Taylor-Johnson‘s real-life running skills could also make him a candidate for a DC speedster role like Max Mercury or Jay Garrick.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  February 14, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Spider-Man Homecoming 4

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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