As the world waits as James Gunn builds up his new DC Universe, one of the biggest questions on people’s minds concerning this new franchise is the actors. Specifically, fans are anxious to see who will play the Joker in the DCU, especially since Gunn plans to unveil a new version of Batman and Gotham City in The Brave and the Bold.
Being the most popular villain in DC Comics, the Joker is very much a necessity when it comes to presenting the Dark Knight and his stomping grounds on the big screen. It seems like neither Jared Leto nor Joaquin Phoenix will return to play the Joker anytime soon, so chances are that DC will bring in a fresh face to put on the clown makeup. It’s unknown how or when the Joker will make his debut in the DCU, but these five actors should be the top candidates to portray Batman’s greatest adversary.
Owen Teague
Though he broke out as a leading actor in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Owen Teague first showed his skills playing villains such as bully Patrick Hockstetter in 2017’s popular horror film It. He later stole the show in the divisive 2020 miniseries The Stand, in which he gave an unsettling and well-rounded performance as the sinister Harold Lauder.
Both characters were very much glimpses of a young Joker before he grew up to be Gotham’s greatest villain. Now, the 26-year-old Teague seems ready to don the moniker of the Clown Prince of Crime in the DCU, having displayed the acting skills necessary to bring this agent of chaos to the big screen.
Jack Quaid
Jack Quaid has shown his diversity as an actor by playing both heroes and villains in many popular films and shows. He is best known for playing Hughie Campbell in The Boys, as well as Superman in My Adventures with Superman and Brad Boimler in Star Trek: Lower Decks. However, he has also played villainous roles in horror movies like 2022’s Scream and the upcoming 2025 film Companion.
His character in Scream rings closest to the Joker, being a manipulative murderer who jokingly mocks his targets once he shows his true colors. All in all, Quaid has established himself as a talented actor, and a character like Joker certainly wouldn’t be too far out of his acting range.
Jamie Campbell Bower
Jamie Campbell Bower wowed audiences worldwide with his haunting performance as Vecna in the fourth season of Stranger Things. The menacing aura Bower summons as the cold and calculating Vecna harkens back to another evil mastermind: Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight.
Both characters project an unsettling and profound evil with no trace of empathy that audiences can’t look away from, making them highlights of their respective stories. Since Stranger Things is coming to an end in 2025, this should free up Bower to portray another iconic villain in cinemas as the Joker.
David Howard Thornton
David Howard Thornton has established himself as a horror icon playing Art the Clown in Damien Leone’s Terrifier film franchise. Though Art never had any dialogue in those movies, this silent character spoke volumes thanks to Thornton’s theatrical and expressive performance. The actor himself expressed to GamesRadar his desire to play the Joker in James Gunn’s DCU.
One can easily see Thornton playing the villain on film, and technically, he already has. Thornton delivered a noteworthy performance as the Clown Prince of Crime in the fan-produced TV series Nightwing: Escalation, invoking memories of both Mark Hamill and Cesar Romero’s Jokers. Such an interpretation already shows how DC can return to its roots and portray a new but traditional version of the Joker that fits in Gunn’s cinematic universe.
Bill Skarsgård
Bill Skarsgård established himself as top-tier by playing a variety of villains in film and television. Skarsgård became a household name by portraying the ferociously evil clown Pennywise in 2017’s It. More recently, the actor terrified audiences with another shocking and chilling performance as Count Orlok in director Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu.
Based solely on his performance as Pennywise, Skarsgård can surely focus such menacing energy into bringing the Clown Prince of Crime to life. He’s displayed great range with the different kinds of villains he played on screen, showing that he can bring something unique in his interpretation of the Joker. Skarsgård himself expressed his interest in portraying the Joker in the DCU in an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, which has all but put him at the forefront as a likely candidate to play the iconic villain.