In addition to showcasing new versions of Catwoman, the Penguin, the Riddler and Carmine Falcone, Matt Reeves The Batman teases a few more iconic bat villains for future appearances. Barry Keoghan makes a cameo as the Joker, Batman injects himself with what appears to be Venom (the super-steroid that gives Bane his powers), and the word “HUSH” in the Riddler’s house doc teases the introduction of, well, Hush.
Plus, the fact that Gotham District Attorney Gil Colson was killed by a necklace bomb seems to suggest that a grounded version of Two-Face is on the way. Since the DA position is vacant, it could be filled by an aspiring lawyer named Harvey Dent. From Jon Hamm to Oscar Isaac, there are plenty of casting choices to launch this play.
ten Chris Evans
With his performances as Steve Rogers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Chris Evans has represented integrity, optimism and justice for a decade. If he made the jump to DC Films, Evans might want to play a villain who represents evil instead.
Rian Johnson previously flipped Evans’ sharp on-screen image in murder mystery Knives outgiving Evans the opportunity to cast him as a delightfully smarmy eccentric villain (and the actor knocked it out of the park).
9 Idris Elba
Idris Elba is another actor who could skillfully capture both sides of Harvey Dent. Elba’s Two-Face would have the confident and charismatic leadership of Stacker Pentecost and the cynical side of DCI John Luther.
The only thing that could stop Elba from being cast is that he once played Bloodsport in The Suicide Squadbut that movie was set in the main DCEU and The Batman technically takes place on “Earth-Two” in a totally separate universe, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
8 Matt Damon
According to MTVMatt Damon was the first choice to play Two-Face in The black Knight. Aaron Eckhart ended up taking the role due to a scheduling conflict, so Damon could play the role opposite Pattinson in The Batman universe instead.
Damon has classic movie star charms, but he’s also played serial killers to unsettling effect in movies ranging from The Talented Mr. Ripley to Kevin Smith Dogma. He would be an excellent choice to play the “white knight” of Gotham.
7 John Cho
John Cho’s acting career has shown that he is more than capable of playing likable and affable characters. But in the recent screen thriller Researchhe also nailed the brooding intensity.
Cho’s turn as Sulu in the star trek The reboot trilogy proved he could take on a familiar character made iconic by another actor and put his own spin on it.
6 Robert Downey Jr.
In Iron Man, Robert Downey, Jr. won the career comeback to end all career comebacks with his turn as Tony Stark. Tony was an unscrupulous figure facilitating crime before changing his mind and committing to fight for justice. As Harvey Dent, Downey could chart the opposite course.
Now that his time with Marvel is over, Downey could make the jump to DC. He could play Two-Face with the same eccentricity as his born killers documentary filmmaker Wayne Gale.
5 Daniel Kaluuya
After a few years of underrated supporting roles in movies and TV shows, Daniel Kaluuya quickly rose to stardom with the double whammy of his Oscar-nominated performance in get out and her Oscar-winning performance in Judas and the Black Messiah.
Kaluuya has a lot of top-notch charisma, but he also brings a lot of pathos to every role. It would be interesting to see how he would explore Dent’s psyche on screen.
4 Benedict Cumberbatch
From Sherlock Holmes to Stephen Strange, Benedict Cumberbatch never plays the traditional heroes. They always have a downfall like a huge ego or addiction that they have to overcome. Cumberbatch could be a perfect choice for a complex Batman villain like Harvey Dent.
Cumberbatch recently revealed a surprising dark side with his Oscar-nominated performance in The power of the dogproving he can play a real monster.
3 Sterling K. Brown
In Turn by Randall Pearson in It’s us (and a slew of other performances), Sterling K. Brown has shown he can play protagonists who are warm, likeable, noble, and easy to root for in his sleep.
But he also occasionally proved he could play a sinister villain. Brown starred as a murderer who cracks under pressure in one of the best episodes of Brooklyn nine-nine.
2 Jon Hamm
Jon Hamm is one of Hollywood’s most charming and charismatic actors, and he played a suave anti-hero to dramatic effect in Mad Men. Harvey Dent is basically Don Draper if he quit advertising, started practicing law in Gotham City, and got a chemical burn on half his face.
Hamm went from traditional charm to classic villain in the third act of baby driverrevealing a previously unknown dark side that could be exploited for a new film version of Dent.
1 Oscar Isaac
Oscar Isaac has charm to spare. He can play a warm heroic type like Poe Dameron and also a scary antagonist like Ex-Machina‘s AI-abusing CEOs, both with the same level of charisma. Isaac could bring these two characters to the same character with the fall of Harvey Dent.
The actor proved his turn in the recent Marvel movie Moon Knight series that he’s adept at exploring the psychology of troubled comic book characters (and, more specifically, playing a dual-personality character).
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