Who could Willem Dafoe be playing in the Justice League film? Aside from being one of the "good guys", nothing else is known about Dafoe's role. There are a number of possibilities, but a big clue could come from an earlier rumor that initially seemed far-fetched but could actually prove to be true. A 4chan post, stated that Willem Dafoe was being considered for a role in the movie, 8 days before THR's report.
According to that 4chan report, Black Canary, Iris West, Darryl Frye, T.O. Morrow, Wade Eiling and Sarah Charles are all expected to appear in the film as well. The report also states that WB is looking at Alona Tal, Imogen Poots, James Remar, Alfred Molina, Ed Harris, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tessa Thompson, Javier Bardem, Bill Nighy, Jackie Earle Haley, Rosamund Pike, Joel Edgerton and Frances McDormand to fill out the Justice League cast. It's still too early to deem that report factual but if any of these actors follow Dafoe, then we should consider it gospel.
With that report taken into consideration, here are 5 possible characters Dafoe could be playing in Justice League.
WILL MAGNUS
The creator of DC Comics' Metal Men could be character that turns up in the Justice League film. Created in 1962 by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru, Magnus is considered to be one of the top minds in the DC Universe and built the Silver Age artificially intelligent robot team of Gold, Iron, Lead, Mercury, Platinum and Tin. In the New 52, the Metal Men are closely associated with Cyborg's origin. After being fused with a Mother Box, Cyborg lashes out at his father and seeks the help of Will Magnus to understand what he has become and determine if he's still human.
There were rumors a few years back that Warner Bros. was interested in developing a live-action Metal Men movie with director Barry Sonnenfeld. DC Entertainment president Diane Nelson has also
name-checked the Metal Men as one of her personal favorite picks for a live-action adaptation. "
Sandman is right on top. I think it could be as rich as the Harry Potter universe. Fables. Metal Men. Justice League. And yes, I'm going to say it: Aquaman." Since that statement, we've had developments on all those properties, except for the Metal Men. Perhaps the DCEU continues its world building by having Willem Dafoe cameo as Will Magnus in the Justice League movie as a way to kickstart a Metal Men movie?
METRON
If Darkseid is being set up as the big villain of the DCEU, it's inevitable that at some point, audiences will be introduced to Highfather and the planet of New Genesis. The "Ying" to Apokolips' "Yang", New Genesis is an idylic planet ruled by Highfather and his New Gods, an intergalactic empire that balances out Apokolips' death and destruction with peace and prosperity. One of the more interesting characters central to the conflict between New Genesis and Apokolips is Metron, a Jack Kirby creation who among other things, acts as an intermediary between Darkseid and Highfather. Though he is extremely powerful, Metron has taken on the role of observer and chronographer.
At various time of crisis or peril, Metron is known to show up on Earth with advance warning for the Justice League. To explain Darkseid's origin and purpose, a flashback scene or two will definitely be needed to show the origins of Uxas' mad quest for the Anti-Life equation. Who better to narrate such a tale than Metron?
MARTIAN MANHUNTER
DC fans around the globe would be ecstatic if it turned out that Dafoe was playing J'onn J'onzz aka Martian Manhunter. The current rumor about the Justice League film that has fans the most excited is the fact that more heroes are expected to appear besides Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg. Could one of those heroes be one of the League's most popular heroes, the Last Son of Mars? With the New 52's reboot of the DC Universe, J'onzz lost his long-standing membership in the JL to Cyborg, a superhero more traditionally associated with the Teen Titans. Purist were naturally outraged. Including both characters on the roster would certainly appease fans of both characters.
Dafoe does have experience playing a motion-capture character thanks to his turn as Tars Tarkas in John Carter of Mars (where he ironically played a green-skinned alien). It also may come as a surprise that Dafoe played a green-skinned supervillain in a little known film called Spider-Man. Perhaps Dafoe has a natural affinity to the color green?
DOCTOR FATE
The DCEU is currently very sci-fi and tech heavy, thanks to characters like Batman, Flash and Cyborg. But the solo Wonder Woman (Greek Pantheon) film and Suicide Squad (Enchantress) appear to be junctures where the DCEU will introduce audiences to the magical side of its universe. Just as Marvel has its Sorcerer Supreme in Doctor Strange, the DC counterpart would be Doctor Fate. There was a Doctor Fate TV show in development a few years back that mysteriously never gained any traction. Perhaps the show was shelved because plans developed to use the character in the DCEU?
Kent Nelson is one of the many wielders of the Helmet of Nabu and the most likely candidate that Dafoe could potentially be playing. There's a strong rumor that Doctor Fate shows up in the Wonder Woman film, played by Saïd Taghmaoui. With that film set in World War I, perhaps the Helmet of Fate passes to Nelson at some point during the next century.
T.O. MORROW
The DCEU appears to be borrowing very heavily from the New 52, a 2011 reboot of the entire DC Comics Universe. A portion of the reboot was devoted to modernizing Cyborg's origin story and making him a member of the Justice League instead of the Teen Titans. In his new origin (written by DCEU consultant Geoff Johns), his father was no longer the sole scientist responsible for his cybernetic enhancements, a fellow S.T.A.R. Labs colleague by the name of T.O. Morrow lended Silas Stone a helping hand. The 4chan rumor states that Morrow is another character expected to show up in Justice League and it would certainly be a fitting role for Dafoe.
T.O. Morrow is a complicated character, who starts out as one of the good guys but eventually ends up a villain. Reports on WB's strategy for building the DC Films Universe state that each new character introduced is expected to further expand the storytelling possibilities in subsequent films. With Morrow having created the superhero robot Red Tornado and his evil siblings, Red Torpedo and Red Volcano, his introduction would certainly expand the DCEU's ability to explore further corners of DC Comics lore.
Who do you think Dafoe will play in Justice League? Or perhaps the better question is who do you WANT Dafoe to play in the movie (a question that may possibly have a different answer)? Sound off in the comment section below with your answer and debate amongst your fellow CBMers.