At the world premiere of The Boys series finale, Blood and Bone, someone asked actor Jensen Ackles if he’s going to be the DCU’s Batman. He didn’t laugh off the question. He didn’t say “that’s up to James Gunn.” He said, “Every night.”
Of course, those two simple words were enough to get fans talking about casting him in James Gunn’s DCU again.
Look, Ackles has been playing this game for a while now. He told Collider last year that he’s basically waiting by the phone for James Gunn to call. “I’ll cross ’em too,” he said crossing his fingers. “Just say the word.”
And we’ve already seen the images he posted of himself as Batman for Halloween a few years ago. Then he also voiced the character in Batman: The Long Halloween (2021) and Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths (2024).
So, yes, at this point, the 48-year-old actor isn’t campaigning for the role anymore. He’s basically waiting for the approval from Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment. What’s different is that he went from “I’d love to play Batman someday” to basically saying he’s Batman “every night.” What that means is up for interpretation, of course. Does it mean he’s already got the role or that he’s given up hope? Or perhaps he’s just tired of answering that question at this point. It. sounds like he’s made peace with whatever the decision is or will be.
But still the fans rage on. He’s gotten support from Batman fans across the globe, as well as co-stars. Antony Starr, who played Homelander on The Boys, was also keen on seeing Ackles in the role. “That’s a good idea. I saw something about that. I’d watch that too.”
The case for Ackles in the DCU isn’t built on wishful thinking, either. Not only does he look like Bruce Wayne, and have a history playing superheroes on TV, but he also has a very deep understanding of the character, as he would have after voicing him multiple times in animation.
Now that The Boys is done, although he’s appearing in a spin-off soon called Vought Rising, Ackles is free to give another superhero the attention it deserves.
James Gunn’s The Brave and the Bold has been in development for a while now, and no Batman has been cast. But he’s already mentioned that a number of big stars have contacted him about the role. And he’s spoken to plenty of them about it, including Alan Ritchson.
Still, Ackles sits at the top of most fan lists, and our own readers on Fortress of Solitude voted for him, too.
The word is yours, Gunn.
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