Well, some of us do, anyway. A few people do something much more productive: they get creative. Putting their art and Photoshop skills to the test, they don’t wait around to see the things that they dream of for their favorite characters and movie stars. They just go ahead and make the dream real. Now, thanks to their efforts, we can all see what some of our dream pairings would look like.
Some characters haven’t even been produced on the screen at all, and that is definitely a crying shame. Here, we can see what they would look like if the casting agents and screenwriters put their heads together and realized that they were missing out on some obvious greatness.
If you’re annoyed about Ben Affleck getting cast as Batman, or you’re waiting desperately to see a better version of the Marvel extended universe TV show characters, then you’re in luck. These examples of Marvel fan Photoshops show us a much better version of the characters than the ones we received. Now we’re just going to sulk in the corner about how we’ll probably never get to see them in real life, but you can enjoy the gallery.
15. The Rock As Apocalypse
The efforts to bring Oscar Isaac to life as Apocalypse have been met with little better than mockery, which is why we’re enjoying this mock-up of The Rock as the character instead. He looks a lot more convincing than the real thing, and this isn’t even a real photograph. The Rock is unfortunately signed on to play Black Adam for DC, so there’s very little chance that this one would ever come to life. It’s especially a shame when you consider the bulk and height that he would bring to the role. It would make him into even more of an imposing character, which feels right compared to the comic book version. The effects on this edit are spot on, so we have to say all props to the artist who put it together.
14. Megan Fox As Wonder Woman
There were a lot of rumors going around at one point that Megan Fox was going to be cast as Wonder Woman. Of course, we now know that she was not. Still, these fan Photoshops do have us wondering (no pun intended) about whether she would have been the right person to fill those boots. Certainly, it would have been good for her career. As it is, we have Gal Gadot filling the role. The reaction of Marvel fans has been mixed, with some hailing her as a symbol of feminine strength and others criticizing the choice of actress. Those who were in the anti-Gal camp might appreciate this poster and the idea that it propagates. Still, it’s only a dream: Gal will be filling the role for any subsequent movies, and so Megan is definitely out – and with her career the way it is, it’s doubtful she would be eligible for the role at any rate.
13. Idris Elba As Green Lantern
This great mock-up by Poumap gives us the future Green Lantern that we might all hope for. It seems that everyone likes to speculate about Idris Elba being the next everything, from James Bond to Doctor Who, but he is already a part of the DC universe as Heimdall. If he switched over to Marvel, he might make a pretty good successor to Ryan Reynolds’ Hal Jordan. John Stewart replaces him in the comics and even wears the same kind of facial hair that you see in this image, so it’s a good likeness. We all know Reynolds is a great guy, but sadly, his portrayal of Green Lantern just stunk. With a poor script, poor directing, and badly cast co-stars, he had little chance. Perhaps a reboot with Elba could be the thing to put that right.
12. Matthew McConaughey As Mysterio
We have yet to see an appearance from Mysterio in our current Marvel series, and that is a bit of a shame. There were some whisperings at one point that the character would be appearing in one of the Amazing Spider-Man sequels, but considering that set of films got rebooted pretty quickly, the idea appears to be off the table again. But, if they did decide to bring in Mysterio and the rest of the Sinister Six? McConaughey looks like our guy for the role. There are a lot of psychological aspects to the character that he would be able to bring in from his experience in roles like True Detective, and he would be a truly sinister rival to go up against our new, young Peter Parker. It would be like nothing he has faced so far.
11. Charlize Theron As Captain Marvel
Carol Danvers would definitely be a great role for Charlize Theron, as she is super tough and not afraid to show it. She has a healing factor which makes her more or less impervious to harm, and she also exudes a certain grace. Tough but graceful – that sounds kind of like Charlize, right? She has the acting chops as of Mad Max: Fury Road, so we have no doubt at all that she would be great in the role. So far we have Brie Larson cast as Danvers, although there is still some time for that to change. The project has changed hands a fair few times, so there’s always a little hope that we might see this awesome combination in 2019. There’s nothing for it but to wait and see how things will turn out.
10. Neil Patrick Harris As The Riddler
We wouldn’t necessarily want to change the current version of The Riddler from the show Gotham – he’s doing a pretty good job, so credit where credit’s due. But there is also the chance that Riddler might show up in the new Batman series currently running with Ben Affleck in the main role. He has been absent in the silver screen adaptations so far, so we’d be interested in seeing that. If they did bring him into the storyline, it would be great to see Neil Patrick Harris in the role. He could bring that quirky flair which was pretty much wasted on the unnecessary adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events, in which he was far and away the highlight. That kind of crazy humor matched up against a super serious Batman would actually be pretty fun to see.
9. Eliza Dushku As Catwoman
Eliza Dushku is one of those classic actresses who made their name in the late 90s and early 2000s by enthralling the hearts of young nerds. Those nerds are all grown up now, and they happen to form a large percentage of the theatre-going and TV-watching public. What the public wants, the public should get, right? We reckon there aren’t many Marvel fans who would turn down the chance to see Eliza in this get-up. Currently, the only Catwoman we have in the works is young Selina in Gotham, and it will be a long few years before she reaches the stage of looking as hot as Eliza. Maybe we can keep our fingers crossed for this character popping up in the next Batman movie, though sadly we probably shouldn’t hold our breath for this casting.
8. Willem Dafoe As The Joker
A lot of people disagreed with Jared Leto’s Joker, while others thought it was the best refresh we could possibly have hoped for to follow in Heath Ledger’s footsteps. Whatever your position, when it comes to the remake of the Joker that most often gets people talking, it has to be Jack Nicholson. A lot of people consider his to be the classic incarnation, or at least they did before Ledger. Who else would be better at bringing THAT Joker back than Willem Dafoe? He’s also an older actor, which works great when considering the age of our current Batman – we don’t need a youthful Joker just making his start on the Gotham scene, we need a crazy guy who has been escaping Arkham for twenty years. If there’s one thing you can count on Dafoe for, it’s crazy.
7. Emma Stone As Poison Ivy
Oh, come on – just look at her. Anyone with eyes can see that this Photoshop of Emma Stone as Poison Ivy is just meant to be. In the current Gotham series, Ivy might be a young woman now, but she’s also pretty dumb and acts like the stroppy teenage girl she still is inside. This version of Poison Ivy would be kicking ass and not bothering to take names. She looks like she could rip Jim Gordan’s heart out and eat it, and probably achieve it with his permission too. It’s unfortunate that the show probably doesn’t have the budget to cast Emma – we’d love to see her accelerated in age again and stepping back into the show looking like this. Maybe they can save it for the sequel once Bruce is all grown up.
6. Christian Bale As Captain Britain
We already know that Christian Bale is perfectly suited to superhero movies. The Batman he brought to our screens in the Dark Knight trilogy was pretty much universally celebrated, even if it did also spawn a few memes. He could bring those impressive acting chops to bear on another character: Captain Britain, alias Brian Braddock. He would be a foil to Captain America, a man with different values and different battles to fight. There are a lot of great storylines and villains from his timeline that could be brought in to embody both dark and playful elements of the superhero arc. Plus, it would be another chance to see Bale’s muscular body decked out in skin-tight superhero armor or on display in his real-world life, and there have to be very few people who would turn that down.
5. Danielle Panabaker As Killer Frost
This character already exists with this actress playing her, so what’s so special about this Photoshop edit? Mainly the fact that it looks about a thousand times cooler than the version that we ended up getting. Killer Frost looks fine, but it’s very obvious that the costume and effects departments are limited by the fact that they have a TV show budget instead of a summer blockbuster budget. Imagine if we could have this Killer Frost on our screens: the radioactive glow around her natural-looking hair, the updated costume… it’s all clearly a step up from the version that we have now. Maybe someone at Marvel will see this edit and start thinking about making some changes. One thing that TV execs have to remember is that characters still have to look convincing, not just like their comic book versions.
4. Josh Brolin As Batman
Whose idea was it to drop Ben Affleck into Batman v Superman? It was a tired performance and lacked inspiration in all ways. Both he and Henry Cavill have been slammed for the film, which was almost universally panned. So, if we’re going to go down the gruff and older Batman route, why not go for a man who really looks like he has taken some knocks in his time? Josh Brolin has the gruffness about him to pull it off, and while he might not be as slick as Affleck in the Bruce Wayne scenes, at least he might be able to bring a bit of substance to the role. Since Affleck has been both Batman and Superman in previous roles, perhaps it would have been a better idea to go down this casting route instead.
3. Naomie Harris As Storm
We like just about everything about this fan Photoshop. You’ve got Naomie Harris, who is a key rising star in the world of acting and also an excellent fit for this role as a successor to Halle Berry’s version. You’ve got the rebellious look with the clothing and hairstyle, which has been sorely lacking in the most recent incarnation with Alexandra Shipp. There’s something very soft about Alexandra, and Naomi is capable of being a little sharper around the edges. You’ve also got the atmosphere. Looking at this Photoshop makes us want to know what Storm is about. Screenshots of the real thing? Not so much right now. Again, this isn’t one that is likely to make it to our screens. Storm has her own development arc going on right now, so we’re unlikely to see her replaced or accelerated into an older version.
2. Jeremy Renner As (Hello) Hawkeye
Alright, so, everyone complains about Jeremy Renner‘s Hawkeye being boring. They say that he doesn’t have enough going for him and that he’s always just a foil to get the plot moving forward in various (mostly boring) ways. Well, guys, we have a solution for you. Just put Hawkeye out looking like this and any movie will instantly be made 1000 times better. We particularly enjoy the diamante sparkles on his arrows; it will really make them sing as they fly through the air. You would have to really root for any guy who went out onto the battlefield looking like this. It’s odd, but somehow merely changing the colors is enough to make us notice that his costume is kind of ridiculous. Will we see this happen in real life? Sadly… no.
1. Tom Hardy As Rick Flag
There were a lot of things wrong with the Suicide Squad film, and while there were also a lot of things right, fans have noticed some areas where improvements can be made. We’re not even going to approach the issue of Cara Delevingne, but we can start with improving Rick Flag. There are very few films or shows which would not be improved by the addition of Tom Hardy. In fact, you could probably count them on the fingers of one hand. Go ahead and try to think of some. As the gruff yet lovelorn Flag, Hardy could definitely bring his nuance to the character as well as making him infinitely more likeable. It’s not exactly that there was anything wrong with how the casting worked out, but Hardy’s early consideration for the role got us all excited.
