Johnny Depp’s name has often cropped up, linking him to comic book movie projects. Not long after Heath Ledger so brilliantly portrayed the Joker, it was claimed he was in line to play the Riddler, but Ledger’s performance intimidated him so much that Depp believed he couldn’t live up to it.
More recently, before Benedict Cumberbatch’s casting, he was said to be one of the names in contention to play Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Of course, none of these rumors ever came to anything, and Depp has yet to debut in a superhero movie. However, there are plenty of roles he’d be suited for, including these six in James Gunn’s upcoming DC Universe.
The Riddler
Johnny Depp is known for playing eccentric characters, so any comic book villain he played would have to fit that description. The Riddler certainly does that. As mentioned above, Depp has been linked to the character before but reportedly avoided playing him due to the possibility of being negatively compared to Ledger’s Joker. Enough time has now passed for him to have gotten over that, and he’d be more than capable of doing an excellent job as the inquisitive Batman villain. Depp’s DC Universe Riddler would undoubtedly be more Jim Carrey than Paul Dano. Still, he’d put his energetic and quirky spin on it to differentiate it from previous modern cinematic portrayals.
Mister Mxyzptlk
Mister Mxyzptlk isn’t a purely villainous character, per se, but he’s undoubtedly an antagonistic pest. He’s a member of a species of Fifth Dimensional Imps known as Zrfffians (of the planet Zrfff). He possesses untold reality-altering power, reminiscent of a classic cartoon character’s “Toon Force,” and can only be vanquished by tricking him into saying his name backward. He’s an irritating thorn in Superman’s side, and Depp would be brilliant in the role, as he perfected the art of playing a nuisance as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean series of films. “Mxy” is yet to appear in a live-action movie, and Depp would be the ideal candidate to introduce him to mainstream cinema audiences.
Manchester Black
Manchester Black is a British antihero turned supervillain in DC Comics who possesses telekinetic and telepathic abilities on an enormous scale. He’s been a member of teams like The Elite, Suicide Squad, and The Authority. The latter group is particularly significant because they’re confirmed to be coming to the DC Universe in a self-titled movie. Black is incredibly charismatic, and Depp would have that trait down to perfection. His exaggerated cockney accent is also something Depp can undoubtedly do, as that was Captain Jack Sparrow’s accent in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. While many fans would like a British actor for this role, should Manchester Black be introduced in the DC Universe, Depp would be a strong candidate.
Two-Face
Two-Face is the alter-ego of Batman villain Harvey Dent, a once-upstanding Gotham City citizen and highly respected district attorney. During a court trial, mob boss Sal Maroni threw acid in his face, hideously disfiguring him and driving him mad, subsequently turning him into the evil Two-Face with a split personality. Depp would use his immense versatility to convey the schizophrenic aspect of Two-Face brilliantly. He could effortlessly switch between the calm and sane Dent to the manic and vicious Two-Face, and it would be a treat for cinema fans worldwide to behold. Think City of Lies’ Russell Poole one minute, Mad Hatter crossed with Sweeney Todd the next.
Sinestro
Thaal Sinestro is the leader of the Sinestro Corps in DC’s comic books – the fear-powered counterparts to the Green Lantern Corps. Like any DC Lantern, Sinestro wears a ring to fly, survive in space, defend himself, and create powerful constructs – in his case, powered by the fear he instills in others. In 2011’s Green Lantern, Mark Strong played the character, and he did so well. However, the movie was otherwise awful, meaning fans missed out on further live-action Sinestro action. Lanterns are confirmed to appear in James Gunn’s DC Universe, and Johnny Depp would be an excellent choice for Sinestro. He has the right look and a powerful screen presence that could make Sinestro terrifying. Something about a Tim Burton-directed Green Lantern film with Depp as the villain screams “massive success.”
The Joker
Several actors have, of course, already played the Joker in a cinematic setting – Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, Jared Leto, and Barry Keoghan have all played Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime in a theatrically-released movie – but there’ll always be room for a version played by Johnny Depp. Of course, he’d have to get over his reported intimidation by Ledger’s portrayal, but that was 16 years ago, and Depp has the talent to make his Joker legendary. He’s convincingly played menacing villains as the eponymous Sweeney Todd in 2007’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, so there’s no reason why he couldn’t pull this off, given his eccentricity and versatility.
