5 DC movie characters we want to see return in the multiverse

With the upcoming The Flash movie opening up the DC film universe to parallel dimensions and a multiverse (in the way Spider-Man: No Way Home did the same for the Marvel Cinematic Universe), one can hope to see more actors and characters return to the screen once more.

After all, The Flash will see 70-year old Michael Keaton return to his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman from the 1989 Tim Burton movie, and he will follow that up for the Batgirl HBO Max original film. If Keaton can return after 30 years, we don’t see why these five DC movie characters can’t make a comeback too, either.

Now, to be fair, we want to be reasonable so while we love Christopher Reeve as Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent, Reeve isn’t around anymore. And though it might be great to see Brandon Routh take to the skies once more as Superman, he had his chance with TV’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover.

That said, here are five DC movie actors reprise their characters in the multiverse.

Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman

Whilst we are super amped to see Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman in The Batman, we would love to see Pfeiffer return in the latex Catsuit once more. Appearing in Batman Returns, Pfeiffer has been labelled the best Catwoman (and with good reason). The woman handles the whip like no other, one may say she even seems like a natural with it.

Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman still holds a place in many people’s hearts and minds so if Keaton’s beloved Batman can return, we don’t see why Pfeiffer shouldn’t come back as Selina Kyle — this is especially since the actress has expressed interest in a previous interview. Please Warner, we beg of you.

Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern

Before Reynolds was Deadpool, he was Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern. The Free Guy actor may have successfully made the world forget his role in the movie, but we can’t and won’t. Green Lantern may have been director Martin Campbell’s worst film where the only thing good out of this movie is Reynold’s meet-cute with now-wife Blake Lively.

Seeing how Reynolds flourished as Deadpool, it’s only fair that he returns as Green Lantern to redeem himself once and for all. Hey, if Andrew Garfield gets his redemption arc, so should Reynolds.

David Dastmalchian as Polka Dot Man

When promos for James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad movie was released, Polka Dot Man was one of the characters that made fans go “huh?”. Not only was this character unpopular at the time, but he also seemed rather dull on paper. That is until we saw Dastmalchian bring the character to life in the movie.

Unfortunately, the villain was killed off at the very end of the movie. Having Dastmalchian return as Polka Dot Man in another movie, or even a solo spin-off series ala John Cena’s Peacemaker, would be super cool.

Harry Lennix as Martian Manhunter

Lennix’s Martian Manhunter was cut out of Joss Whedon’s Justice League but was able to get some screentime in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Unfortunately, it was a rather short cameo still.

For those unaware, Martian Manhunter actually has a pretty awesome set of superpowers that usually make him one of the stronger Justice League members. He’s got some of the usual powers like flight and super strength, but also has unique Martian powers that we’ve not seen any of the heroes possess. It would be nice to see Martian Manhunter be explored even further and maybe even join the rumoured new Justice League with Flash, Batgirl and Supergirl.

Keanu Reeves as Constantine

We’ve seen Reeves return to the role as Neo Anderson for The Matrix Resurrections so why not have him back as John Constantine? Currently, the actor is busy with John Wick 4, a 47 Ronin sequel and BRZRKR for Netflix but with Reeves expressing he would love to see another Constantine movie, can’t Warner Bros just take the hint already?

A Constantine reboot series was announced earlier in 2021 for HBO Max with no cast attached to the project. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity for Reeves to slide back in as the British exorcist and occult detective.

Bonus: The one actor we don’t want to see in the new multiverse

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr Freeze

Schwarzengger’s Mr Freeze in Batman & Robin was peak comedy. Despite getting paid a whopping US$25 million (S$34 million) for the role, all Schwarzengger did was deliver awful puns from “Stay cool, bird boy” to “Alright everyone… chill!”

Unlike Reynold’s Green Lantern, which is worthy of redemption, Schwarzenegger’s Mr Freeze falls on the other spectrum and deserves to be forgotten. Should Mr Freeze return to the multiverse, let’s hope Warner Bros casts someone who is — forgive us — cooler.

READ ALSO: 5 Spider-Man movie characters we want to see return in the multiverse

This article was first published in Geek Culture.