The new DC Universe still needs to cast its Batman and Wonder Woman, and a few factors have me convinced that two popular choices for the roles, Jensen Ackles and Alexandra Daddario, might just be the best picks for the franchise. At the moment, only one-third of DC’s iconic Trinity from the comics has been cast. David Corenswet’s Superman is the DCU’s first movie, and even though other heroes will join the Man of Steel in the film, Batman and Wonder Woman will have to wait longer to make their formal debuts in the DCU’s Chapter One.

Both heroes have already appeared in the franchise, though no actors were cast for the roles, as Batman, Wonder Woman, and several other heroes appeared in a nightmare sequence in the animated Creature Commandos series. All heroes present were ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, but that vision was stopped from becoming a reality. Batman also stopped Doctor Phosphorus in a flashback, but he had no lines. Batman’s The Brave and the Bold movie will include his formal DCU debut, but Wonder Woman has no set project to appear. With rumors about who will play the heroes, perhaps the most popular choices are the best.

Jensen Ackles & Alexandra Daddario Have Talked About Playing Batman And Wonder Woman

The Actors Would Love To Enter The DC Universe

When it comes to Batman, multiple actors have started to become popular picks for the DCU version of the character. Some of the most talked-about names for the role include stars like Reacher‘s Alan Ritchson, 1923‘s Brandon Sklenar, and Ackles. What unites all three is the fact that they have opened up about the fans’ desire to see them playing the DCU’s Dark Knight, as well as showing their love for Batman. Ackles was the first to do so, commenting on how Batman was his favorite hero years after cosplaying as Bruce Wayne.

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In June 2023, Ackles opened up about his DCU Batman chances. The actor joked about how he would inevitably lose the role to Pedro Pascal, one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors, who has since been announced as Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic, in Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps. After joking, Ackles got more serious about his desire to join the DCU. The actor noted that Batman is his favorite superhero and that he would love to play him in live-action, saying, “Sign me up.” Casting for Batman depends on The Brave and the Bold‘s script being finished.

Daddario’s Wonder Woman comments are not as recent as Ackles’ desire to play Batman. The actress was one of Hollywood’s rising stars around the release of the Percy Jackson movies. In a 2013 interview with Collider, Daddario was asked about whether she could be cast to play Diana Prince. While that role eventually went to Gal Gadot in the DCEU, Daddario claimed that she would love to be in a Wonder Woman movie or even see such a project get made. Given her comments about the role and its importance, Daddario could be open to joining the DCU.

Jensen Ackles And Alexandra Daddario Are No Strangers To DC

The Actors Have Already Played Key Roles In The Franchise

While Ackles and Daddario have yet to play live-action DC heroes, both stars have already been part of DC’s broad universe, with Ackles playing multiple roles. His only live-action DC character was Jason Teague in Smallville, with a young Ackles playing a 1-season villain. The actor’s more in-depth DC roles came in animation. First, Ackles voiced Jason Todd in Batman: Under the Red Hood, becoming part of one of DC’s best animated movies of all time. Then, Ackles voiced Batman himself, playing Bruce Wayne in multiple movies in the DC Tomorrowverse continuity.

Daddario’s only DC role to date came from that same animated universe. While she has become one of the most popular candidates among fans for the DCU’s Wonder Woman, that was not the character she voiced. Instead, Daddario gave life to another strong female character from the DC Universe, voicing Lois Lane in multiple movies. I would love to see the actors use their experience in the animated DC landscape, especially with Ackles having multiple movies as Batman under his belt, in the DCU. The franchise will use its actors across all mediums, so the duo would fit in.

The Fan-Favorites For The DCU Have Plenty Of Live-Action Experience For Their Roles

Ackles And Daddario Have Shown Their Superhero Credentials In Action-Packed Roles

While the animated experience as major DC characters is great for Ackles and Daddario’s DCU chances, the actors also have the live-action credentials for the role. When it comes to Batman, I simply cannot see any of the other popular candidates for the role coming close to the same experience as similar characters that Ackles has. The actor played Dean Winchester for 15 seasons of Supernatural, giving life to a dark, tortured hero who fought monsters to save those who could not save themselves. Childhood trauma and a playboy personality were also part of the role.

Ackles’ live-action superhero expertise comes from Prime Video’s The Boys. While not a traditional superhero, the Captain America-like character he plays, Soldier Boy, allowed Ackles to show how he could become a scene-stealer in the superhero genre. As for Daddario, her role as Annabeth Chase in two Percy Jackson movies could serve as her Wonder Woman audition. Wonder Woman is an Amazon warrior full of compᴀssion who can also plow through an entire army if needed. Daddario’s Annabeth, the daughter of Athena, had a similar personality, grit, and intelligence to that of Diana Prince.

How Jensen Ackles & Alexandra Daddario Would Fit The DCU’s Batman & Wonder Woman

Key Details Of One Of The Heroes Have Been Revealed

David Corenswet, who plays the DCU’s Superman, is 31. As such, there is a chance that the franchise will try to cast actors of a similar age range for Batman and Wonder Woman. While Daddario might be seen as slightly outside that range, the 39-year-old actress can easily pᴀss as someone in her early 30s. James Gunn has yet to reveal any details about the story of the DCU’s Wonder Woman, but with her past in the Percy Jackson franchise and Paradise Lost, Wonder Woman’s prequel series, exploring Themyscira’s mythology, Daddario would fit into the franchise.

At 47, Ackles could be ruled out of the Batman race. However, The Brave and the Bold will include members of the Bat-Family. Adding to that, the film’s story will be about Bruce Wayne discovering that he has a son, Damian, and bonding with the young Robin. An older Batman would fit in with that setup, and I would love to see how Ackles plays a Batman with an entire Bat-Family, something he did not experience as much in DC’s animated films. All in all, Jensen Ackles and Alexandra Daddario are perfect choices for the DCU Batman and Wonder Woman.

DC Universe

The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.

Upcoming DC Movie Releases

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  The Batman Part II

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