Introduction:

The Director:

I feel that Gareth Edwards would be a brilliant director for the Justice League franchise who, unlike directors such as Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon, would pay proper respect to the source material and its characters, be able to convince Warner Bros. to respect him enough to direct the movie without interruptions or changes to his work and could deliver a much more iconic and memorable movie worthy of the lore of DC comics and history.

The Cast:

Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman [Age: Late 20s/Early 30s. Ethnicity: White.]: Superman is a fictional superhero who was born on the planet Krypton. Soon after he was born, Krypton was destroyed in a natural cataclysm, but his father saved his life by sending him to Earth in a small spaceship. His spaceship landed in the American countryside, where he was discovered and adopted by a farmer and his wife. They named him Clark Kent and imbued him with a strong moral compass. Early in his childhood, Clark developed various superhuman abilities, which, upon reaching maturity, he resolved to use for the benefit of humanity. To protect his privacy, Clark changes into a colourful and iconic costume and uses the alias "Superman" when fighting crime.

Liam Hemsworth [Age: 28. Ethnicity: White. Notable Works: The Last Song (2010), The Hunger Games (2012-2015) and Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)]: Despite his young age as an actor, Liam Hemsworth has shown beyond exceptional talent in acting and strong capabilities of being the lead male in some of the movies he has been in. Unlike Henry Cavill, Hemsworth has far greater emotional range and has shown to be able to perform emotionally vulnerable roles such as in The Last Song as well as more intense roles such as in The Hunger Games. I feel that such qualities are vital in accurately portraying the character of Superman and, with the exception of Man of Steel, haven’t truly been portrayed in recent years.  

Whilst Superman has been portrayed by several different characters over the years, one key trait must be kept and shown prominently in all of his movies – he is a beacon of hope and despite whatever pain and heartache he may live through, Superman always finds a way to persevere and keep focusing on the positives of life. That hasn’t truly been portrayed in the DCEU movies and is something I would want to focus more on the Superman character with Liam Hemsworth cast in the role, who I feel is far beyond capable of being the leading man of my own envisioned DCCU and would do the role of Superman justice.



Bruce Wayne/Batman [Age: 30s. Ethnicity: White.]: Batman is a fictional superhero who, after witnessing the murder of his parents Dr. Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne as a child, swore vengeance against criminals, an oath tempered by a sense of justice. As his alter ego, Bruce Wayne, a wealthy American playboy, philanthropist and owner of Wayne Enterprises, Batman trains himself physically and intellectually and crafts a bat-inspired persona to fight crime.

Diego Luna [Age: 38. Ethnicity: Mexican. Notable Works: Milk (2008), Elysium (2013) and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)]: In recent years, Rogue One has been one of my favourite movies and much of that stems from it having such an amazing and well-rounded cast that complimented each other. Luna was an excellent member of that cast who played the role of Cassian Andor so naturally and believably, with enjoyable witty back-and-forth retorts with Felicity Jones’ character and such a endearing warmth to his character. As well as Rogue One, Luna is an extremely versatile actor who has had experience in a diverse array of different roles over the years; from Jack Lira in Milk who initially appears a calm and pleasant character but later revealed to be mentally unwell, to the sociopathic drug cartel member Jonah Pincerna in Blood Father. Luna has played several characters over the years with various attributes of Bruce Wayne’s character and I believe is beyond up to the task of combining all of these traits and delivering a comic-book accurate yet intense performance.

For how I’d like to see Batman portrayed in an ideal Justice League movie, I’d like to see Batman’s detective skills shown more properly and his inner motivations for why he feels the need to keep being Batman to be shared with the audience. Although I think that Ben Affleck is the best visual representation of the Batman character in movie form so far, I don’t feel that he has yet to properly portray the character of Bruce Wayne in terms of his psychological attitudes towards his family, protecting Gotham and, most of all, the importance of his ‘No killing’ rule. 



Diana Prince/Wonder Woman [Age: Mid 20s/Late 20s. Ethnicity: White.]: Wonder Woman is the daughter of the Greek God Zeus and the Queen of Themyscira Hippolyta. After a soldier known as Steve Trevor crashed his plane on the isolated Amazon island of Themyscira, Diana Prince joined the greater world to help Steve return home and then began to fight crime as the superheroine Wonder Woman.  

Nina Dobrev [Age: 29. Ethnicity: Bulgarian. Notable Works: The Vampire Diaries (2009-2015), The Final Girls (2015) and xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017)]: Nina Dobrev is one of the most underrated actresses in Hollywood today, having worked in the film and TV industries for almost a decade despite her young age and developed enormous talent and experience of various differing roles through each of her works. Best known for the hit show The Vampire Diaries, Dobrev was the lead protagonist and managed to carry the show for a staggering five years, whilst maintaining strong critical acclaim and positive reviews throughout such a long period. After leaving The Vampire Diaries, Dobrev went on to star in the 2015 thriller The Final Girls, in which she gave an intense performance as the character of Vicki Summers and received critical acclaim for her performance. She then went on to star as the lead female in the 2017 action blockbuster xXx: Return of Xander Cage which, although it didn’t receive favourable reviews, was still a big hit at the box office, demonstrating Dobrev’s natural ability to deliver exhilarating performances in action movies and reliability as a dependable and popular female lead.

I feel that with all of the experiences and qualities listed, Dobrev would make a brilliant Wonder Woman and would be far better at portraying the character more accurately and with more emotion than Gal Gadot has done in the DCEU. At first, I was looking forward to Gal Gadot’s take on the Wonder Woman character upon announcement of her casting, but I was later disappointed at how bland her performances have been and lacking of any real depth or passion. Dobrev is an actress who’s much more versatile than Gadot, has had more experience of leading big blockbuster movies and is in general a much more fitting and stronger actress to play the role of Wonder Woman. 



Arthur Curry/Aquaman [Age: Mid 20s/Late 20s/Early 30s. Ethnicity: White.]: Aquaman is the telepathic ruler of Atlantis and the Earth's oceans, an Atlantean with incredible strength and speed as well as the ability to command all sea-life. His unique physiology allows him to survive on land and at the ocean's greatest depths of pressure and temperature. Given the names Orin through his royal heritage and Arthur Curry by his human upbringing, he fights to protect both worlds using his mighty abilities and political influence.

Martin Sensmeier [Age: 33. Ethnicity: Native American. Notable Works: The Magnificent Seven (2016), Wind River (2017) and Westworld (2018)]: I’m a big fan of Jason Momoa’s take on the Aquaman character in the DCEU as a barbarian-esque witty member of the team with hints of emotional baggage as compared to the traditional comic-book version, and feel that Martin Sensmeier could do a reasonably similar, if not better, take on the Aquaman character. His performance in the big ensemble 2016 blockbuster The Magnificent Seven really sold this pick for me as, despite starring alongside the likes of Chris Pratt and Denzel Washington who are big names in Hollywood, Sensmeier still managed to shine in every scene that he featured in and blended into the role of a Western gun-slinging vigilante brilliantly. Having already starred in big action movies like The Magnificent Seven and played the roles of heroes and vigilantes, Sensmeier is a natural fit for a superhero movie, particularly one like Justice League in which Sensmeier can once again shine among an ensemble cast.

Like Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, I’d have Sensmeier’s Aquaman start off as a reluctant member of the Justice League, then gradually evolve into the traditional outgoing and friendly Aquaman that fans know into the comics, until finally regressing into the DCAU Viking-esque version of the Aquaman character after the death of his young child at the hands of Black Manta.



Mera/Aquawoman [Age: Mid 20s/Late 20s/Early 30s. Ethnicity: White.]: Mera is the older princess of Xebel, a forgotten extradimensional penal colony for an ancient group of separatist Atlanteans, banished behind a sealed portal in the Bermuda Triangle. Trained since birth, along with her younger sister Siren, Mera was sent by the King of Xebel, to confront the current King of Atlantis and kill him in retaliation for the exile of their common people. However, the plan backfired when Mera fell truly in love with Arthur, deliberately choosing to keep claiming her cover story as her real past to avoid frictions with him.

Keisha Castle-Hughes [Age: 28. Ethnicity: Polynesian. Notable Works: Vampire (2011), Game of Thrones (2015) and Manhunt: Unabomber (2017)]: Perhaps an unexpected choice to play the role of Mera, but upon looking at her work, I feel that Keisha Castle-Hughes is a perfect fit. Castle-Hughes is an extraordinarily talented actress, having been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for the leading role of Paikea in the 2002 critically acclaimed movie Whale Rider, which was not only the first ever movie Castle-Hughes ever performed in, but one in which she acted at the age of twelve years-old. Since then, Castle-Hughes has focused on more action-driven works, including the 2011 horror flick Vampire, in which Castle-Hughes once again starred as the lead female and received critical acclaim for her intense and stellar performance. It may be argued that most people know Castle-Hughes for her role as Obara Sand in the cult-classic show Game of Thrones which, although Castle-Hughes’ character became a very controversial one among fans in the show’s sixth season, consistently maintained high applause among critics and general audiences.

After making a career of playing strong female characters in lead roles, I think Castle-Hughes is a flawless choice for Mera and would be more than capable to accurately portray a warrior image of the character as well as channel her comic-book aggressiveness and complexity of character.



Karen Beecher/Bumblebee [Age: Late Teens/Early 20s. Ethnicity: African-American.]: Karen Beecher is the girlfriend of Teen Titans member the Herald (a.k.a. Mal Duncan). In order to help make Herald look good in front of the team, Beecher secretly made herself a bumblebee-themed super-suit and attacked the Teen Titans. She escaped without this ruse being revealed. When she later explained to Mal and the Titans what she had done, they were impressed enough to offer her membership, which she accepted.

Amandla Stenberg [Age: 19. Ethnicity: African-American. Notable Works: The Hunger Games (2012), As You Are (2016) and Everything, Everything (2017)]: Despite her young age and lack of extensive movie appearances, Amandla Stenberg is emerging as one of Hollywood’s most sought after actresses today. She is best known for her breakout role as Rue in the first instalment of The Hunger Games franchise in 2012, for which Stenberg received an award for strong chemistry with co-star Jennifer Lawrence and numerous other nominations. Despite appearing in such a big-blockbuster ensemble movie with high-profile stars like Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth, Stenberg was nonetheless able to shine in her limited screen-time, portray her character as accurately as possible to the source material and deliver an emotionally memorable performance. In later years, Stenberg has taken on more leading roles in movies, most recently Everything, Everything in which she played the role of Maddy Whittier, a young woman with an immune disorder sheltered by her family for her whole life until she bravely decides to take matters into her own hands and travel the world to live a better life and cure herself of her illness.

Stenberg has made a career of greatly surpassing expectations placed upon her in Hollywood, playing minor characters in big blockbuster movies and appearing in low-budget movies yet ending up as one of the most acclaimed cast members of all the movies she has appeared in. I feel that Stenberg would be a huge asset to the Justice League franchise and would bring a lot of passion to the character of Bumblebee. Although Bumblebee is not a founding member of the Justice League in the comics, nor was she even ever a member at all, I chose to add Bumblebee in my fancast as a founding member because, technically, she is DC’s first African-American female superhero ever created and also one of DC’s youngest ever superheroes, two demographics which I feel would allow the franchise to better appeal to with Bumblebee’s character. Furthermore, like Amandla Stenberg herself, I’d also make the character of Bumblebee in this DC Cinematic Universe gay, primarily because it is far past time that an LGBT superhero was portrayed on the big-screen and to further appeal to more people across the world.



Lois Lane [Age: Late 20s/Early 30s. Ethnicity: White.]: Lois Lane is an award-winning journalist for the Metropolis newspaper, the Daily Planet, and the love interest of the superhero Superman.

Zoe Kravitz [Age: 29. Ethnicity: African-American. Notable Works: X-Men: First Class (2011), Good Kill (2014) and Gemini (2017)]: Zoe Kravitz is another unfathomably underrated actress in Hollywood as a result of staunch racial bias, who has consistently played a wide variety of different film characters over the years with impressive performances. Kravitz is perhaps best known among comic-book fans for her role as Angel Salvadore in Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class, in which she gave an extremely commendable depiction of her character and easily portrayed the character’s moral complexity and attitudes towards the mutant race with a high level of strength and passion. Following this movie, Kravitz went on to star in more leading roles, including the 2017 mystery thriller Gemini, playing the role of Hollywood starlet Heather Anderson. Kravitz was able to brilliantly portray this character as seemingly almost-perfect and someone every woman aspired to be, until Lola Kirke’s character discovers her to have been murdered and uncovering Anderson’s own murky and troubled past.

I was initially a fan of Amy Adam’s take on the Lois Lane character in the DCEU and found her to be a relatable and easily believable character in Man of Steel. However, she became more cringe-worthy and unbearable in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, when she became more of a forever damsel-in-distress character with no real impact on the movie’s overall plot. I’d like to see the character be portrayed more accurately as a reporter who’s smart and capable enough to know when and how to protect herself and not forever need saving in the most trivial of scenarios by Superman, something which I believe Zoe Kravitz is more than accomplished enough to do.



Alfred Pennyworth [Age: Late 60s/70s/Early 80s. Ethnicity: White.]: Alfred Pennyworth is Bruce Wayne's loyal and tireless butler, housekeeper, legal guardian, best friend, aide-de-camp, and surrogate father figure following the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne. As a classically trained British actor and an ex-Special Operations Executive operative of honour and ethics with connections within the intelligence community, he has been called "Batman's batman". He also provides comic relief with his sarcastic and cynical attitude which often adds humour to dialogue with Batman.

Ian McKellen [Age: 79. Ethnicity: White. Notable Works: X-Men (2000-2014), The Hobbit (2012-2014) and Mr. Holmes (2015)]: Ian McKellen is one of my all-time favourite actors and in my opinion, one of the best actors alive today, having played countless iconic roles over the years from his role including Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit franchises, Magneto in the X-Men franchise and, more recently, even Sherlock Holmes in Mr. Holmes. To me, McKellen easily stands out as one of the best fancasting choices for Alfred given his extensive credentials and versatility as an actor; he has been able to play complex and morally grey roles such as Macbeth and Richard III in the 1976 Macbeth and 1990 Richard III plays respectively, play more comedic and light-hearted roles such as Freddie Thornhill in the British Sitcom Vicious and more tragic hero roles such as Magneto in the X-Men franchise. McKellen is an actor who is easily capable of flickering from one emotion to the next within a scene whilst maintain its intensity and realism to the audience, something which I believe would make him a great fit for Alfred.

Unlike previous interpretations of the character, I envision McKellen to portray a more regretful and sullen take on the Alfred character, someone who partially resents Bruce Wayne for training Jason Todd so rashly after Dick Grayson retired as Robin and not taking further precautions to prevent Todd’s murder by the Joker, and also resentful against himself for not adopting a more compassionate and loving role as a father-figure when Bruce was younger so that he did not go on to live a life of trying to redeem himself in the eyes of his parents. To further promote LGBT in film, I’d also have Alfred be portrayed as gay in these movies, primarily because it does not truly change anything of his character in that he has no fixed love interests in the comics and because Alfred is one of the most iconic characters in the Batman lore. 



Queen Hippolyta [Age: Late 40s/Early 50s/Mid 50s. Ethnicity: White.]: Hippolyta is the Queen of the Amazons of Themyscira, the sister of Antiope and the mother of Wonder Woman.

Winona Ryder [Age: 46. Ethnicity: White/Romanian Descent. Notable Works: The Iceman (2012), Experimenter (2015) and Stranger Things (2016)]: Winona Ryder is another actress in this fancast who I feel is grossly underrated and has not received as many awards as I believe she should have. Ryder has been a remarkable actress over the years, having first rose to fame for her roles as May Welland and Josephine March in the 1993 and 1994 movies The Age of Innocence and Little Women respectively, both of which earned Ryder Oscar Nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. Following her recent comeback to Hollywood, Ryder has taken on more supportive roles in films, such as Sheryl Mott in the 2013 blockbuster Homefront and the 2015 flick Experimenter, both of which Ryder was once again critically praised for giving such moving performances.

However, it is Ryder’s lead role as Joyce Byers in the hit Netflix show Stranger Things that has cemented this casting choice for me, giving such a powerful performance for her character through juggling multiple storylines involving her character through just three seasons, portraying a character searching for her missing son with such understandable emotional vulnerability and pain as well and leaving the audience in question of Byers’ intentions and mental stability. These are all qualities that would make Ryder perfect for playing an action-driven mother figure like Queen Hippolyta, and I feel it is past-time that Ryder was brought back into the spotlight again in a major superhero flick like Justice League.



Steve Trevor [Age: Late 20s/Early 30s. Ethnicity: White.]: Steve Trevor is an A.R.G.U.S. agent, former member of Team 7 and United States Navy SEAL. He is also the love interest of Wonder Woman.

Scott Eastwood [Age: 32. Ethnicity: White. Notable Works: Fury (2014), The Fate of the Furious (2017) and Overdrive (2017)]: A rising star in Hollywood and a stable household name, Scott Eastwood is a brilliant action-movie lead capable of holding his own in big budget ensemble movies and delivering exhilarating acts. I found him to be an extremely likable actor in The Fate of the Furious, in which, despite appearing alongside Hollywood giants like Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson, Eastwood was still able to star in some memorable scenes such as his comedic bantering with Tyrese Gibson’s character Roman Pierce, chasing Vin Diesel’s character Dominic Toretto in sports cars across New York City and fighting cyber-terrorists on an abandoned Russian nuclear submarine. Eastwood is an actor who’s dependable enough to be able to carry an action-driven franchise like my own envisioned DCCU effortlessly whilst also giving a strong-driven take on the character of Steve Trevor.

Unlike the DCEU’s version, I’d have my own DCCU version of Steve Trevor be set during the modern era, acting as a government agent like in the New 52 and DC Rebirth, struggling to maintain cohesion and peace between the World Governments and the Justice League in a more grounded setting.



Amanda Waller [Age: Late 50s/Early 60s. Ethnicity: African-American.]: Amanda Waller is a U.S. Government agent renowned for her brutal methods and ruthless approach. She was director of the government agency A.R.G.U.S. but still maintains her leadership over Task Force X, otherwise known as the Suicide Squad.

Halle Berry [Age: 51. Ethnicity: African-American. Notable Works: X-Men (2000-2014), Extant (2014-2015) and Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)]: Halle Berry is another veteran actress in Hollywood who has played a wide range of significant and critically acclaimed roles over the years. Most prominently, Berry received an Academy Award for Best Actress in the 2001 drama Monster’s Ball, in which Berry played the role of widower Leticia Musgrove, a psychologically complex and dark character whose actions and trauma left audiences enthralled. Since then, Berry has gone on to perform in more action-driven roles, including the role of Storm in the X-Men franchise which, although had not been consistently successful with movies such as X: Men: The Last Stand being panned by fans and critics alike, Berry nonetheless consistently excelled in her part as Storm. Throughout the years, Berry has been able to perform highly multifaceted and driven roles in action and drama movies, including ensembles, which makes me believe that she would be a perfect fit for starring in my own envisioned DCCU.

More recently, it was Berry’s role as Ginger Ale in the 2017 comic-book flick Kingsman: The Golden Circle that really sealed my fancasting pick for her as Amanda Waller, playing the role of a badass super-agent Ginger Ale rather easily and naturally, which for me is a perfect fit for Amanda Waller. I’ve grown to prefer the New 52 version of the character than the traditional version of the character that Viola Davis based her interpretation on in Suicide Squad, and think Berry would be great in adopting that take on the character, acting as the Nick Fury of the DCCU.



General Sam Lane [Age: 50s. Ethnicity: White.]: Sam Lane is a General in the US Army and the father of Lois Lane.

Jeffrey Wright [Age: 52. Ethnciity: African-American. Notable Works: The Ides of March (2011), The Hunger Games (2013-2015) and Westworld (2016)]: Another underrated actor who has performed in a large number of major blockbusters over the years, Jeffrey Wright has worked in Hollywood as an actor for decades now and would be a great talent to the DCCU. Wright is primarily known for playing more supportive roles in Hollywood flicks like Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace in 2006 and 2008 respectively as CIA operative Felix Leiter, in which Wright was a crucial part in adding to the high drama and suspense of the two movies, which can perhaps be best seen in the iconic poker game towards the end of Casino Royale. More recently, Wright has earned critical appraisal for his lead role as Bernard Lowe in the hit Netflix show Westworld, the head of the Westworld Programming Division and a robot in disguise, a character that shows Wright’s natural ability to be able to play morally grey and borderline-sociopathic characters, which I feel make him a perfect fit for the character of General Sam Lane.

I’ve personally been disappointed with how little the DCEU has been fleshed out in terms of backstories for some of its main characters and how little supporting characters from the comics like Sam Lane have appeared in the main movies, which is why I’ve included him in this fancast, to act as an army General fighting against Darkseid’s alien invasion and as a strong supportive character to Superman and Lois Lane.



Maxwell Lord [Age: 30s/40s. Ethnicity: White.]: Maxwell Lord is a wealthy businessman and entrepreneur responsible for organising the Justice League. Taking an interest in their management, he secured United Nations sponsorship for the League and acted as their benefactor for several years.

Daniel Dae Kim [Age: 44. Ethnicity: Korean. Notable Works: Lost (2004-2010), Hawaii Five-0 (2010-2017) and The Divergent Series (2015-2016)]: An unconventional pick for the character, but one that I think would be perfect , bring some further much-needed racial diversity in Hollywood and help end the stigma against Asian actors in the film industry. Daniel Dae Kim has always been a personal favourite actor of mine, having starred in the hit TV shows Lost and Hawaii Five-0 in major lead roles and helped to keep both shows running for over half a decade. Kim’s performance as Chin Ho Kelly was the main clincher in sealing this casting choice as, throughout the series, he played the character brilliantly with so much development over the years, going from a pessimistic fired police officer to a happy go-lucky reformed police officer on the Five-0 taskforce, to a vengeful killer wanting revenge against his brother for killing his wife and ultimately retiring the character as a character completely accepting of his self-guilt and deeds wanting to give a better life for his niece. Some of my favourite scenes from the series involve Kim’s character, including being kidnapped and made to dig his own grave by terrorists before being killed in a jungle at the middle of the night, seemingly afraid and then to turn into a sociopathic-like killer and kill all of his captors Rambo-style.

Daniel Dae Kim is perfect for the character of Maxwell Lord in my eyes as he could easily play a character who initially seems so benevolent and kind, but on the inside is a cold, calculative madman plotting the end of the Justice League just as he begins to support them. In this movie, Lord would start as a financial benefactor to the Justice League and a PR man, before eventually betraying the League in the sequel. 



Darkseid [Age: N/A. Ethnicity: N/A.]: Darkseid is the tyrannical ruler of the planet Apokolips and father of Kalibak and Orion. His ultimate goal is to conquer the universe and eliminate all free will.

Jason Isaacs [Age: 55. Ethnicity: White. Notable Works: Harry Potter (2002-2011), The Death of Stalin (2017) and Star Trek: Discovery (2017-2018)]: A commended actor best known for playing antagonistic roles and iconic fictional villains like Lucius Malfoy, Jason Isaacs is another unconventional pick in this fancast, but one that I think would be perfect for Darkseid. As aforementioned, Isaacs is best known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise, a villain that reeked of arrogance and snobbishness with an underlining tone of self-pragmatism, three of Darkseid’s most important qualities in the comics. After his portrayal as Lucius Malfoy, I have no trouble imagining Isaacs as Darkseid, talking down to his minions like Desaad, considering humans to be a lesser species etc. and Isaacs would do a tremendous job of portraying Darkseid’s mannerisms so accurately to the smallest of details.

Isaacs has gone on to play other noteworthy roles in recent years, including as the lead villain role of Baron von Reichmerl in the 2017 horror A Cure for Wellness, a disturbed character who hides his true identity and warped intentions throughout the film and who Isaacs portrays as an extremely mentally unhinged individual with great talent. For these roles as well as Isaacs’ natural ability to play great film villains with enormous talent, I feel Jason Isaacs could play a brilliant Darkseid.



Steppenwolf [Age: N/A. Ethnicity: N/A.]: Steppenwolf is an Apokoliptian general, a member of Darkseid's Elite and the father of the half-Amazon Fury.

Bill Nighy [Age: 68. Ethnicity: White. Notable Works: Pirates of the Caribbean (2006-2007), Total Recall (2016) and The Limehouse Golem (2016)]: Another veteran actor with an extraordinary high level of versatility in just how many different kinds of movie roles he can play, Bill Nighy is an impressive actor and would be a great addition to my envisioned DCCU as Steppenwolf. It may be argued that he is best known for his stellar performance as the evil Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, a character widely considered in the modern era as one of cinema’s greatest villains, largely stemming from Nighy’s great voice work and intense performance. Davy Jones was an extremely well developed and written character, first appearing as an evil tyrant with no qualms about killing or enslaving others, then breaking down once he himself was forced to work for Lord Beckett, another villain in the series, only to then grow even more deranged and bloodthirsty once he was free of Beckett’s control and became hell-bent on killing all those who stood in his way. Nighy played Davy Jones with such a powerful level of rage and excellent charisma, which is why I feel Nighy would be perfect for playing the general of Darkseid’s armies.

I was not a fan of the DCEU’s portrayal of Steppenwolf and would make him a simpler villain with clearer motivations – he wants to enslave all of humanity under Darkseid’s orders and enjoys being at the forefront of battles. However, when Darkseid is later forced to withdraw his forces from Earth after Batman threatens to destroy Apokolips with health spores set to detonate (like in Superman/Batman: Apocalypse), Steppenwolf rebels and chooses instead to remain on Earth, hoping to be his own independent conqueror. In my envisioned take on the character, Steppenwolf would be much more like his comic counterpart and more of a direct threat to the Justice League.   



Kalibak [Age: N/A. Ethnicity: N/A.]: Kalibak is the eldest son and loyal follower of Darkseid.

Gustaf Skarsgard [Age: 37. Ethnicity: White. Notable Works: Kon-Tiki (2012), Vikings (2013-Present) and Westworld (2018-Present)]: A relatively unknown actor with an impressive number of action-driven roles, Gustaf Skarsgard is another rising actor in the TV industry and on the big-screen, being part of the leading cast of two heavily popular TV shows in the United States and having such an extensive career of major movie roles. Skarsgard is perhaps best known for his role as Floki in the hit drama series Vikings, a shipbuilder and close friend of the lead cast, gradually going on to become one of the three remaining core protagonists of the entire series. Skarsgard has received large applause from critics and fans alike for delivering a consistently intense performance in his character and helping to support such a high popularity for the Vikings franchise. More recently, Skarsgard has found further fame in the HBO series Westworld, in which Skarsgard plays the action-driven character Karl Strand, who takes a leading stand against the rogue hosts in Westworld and attempts to reassume dominance over the theme park.

These roles and exceptional performances make Skarsgard perfect for Kalibak in my eyes and I have no doubt that Skarsgard could deliver such an intense and intimidating enough portrayal that would be accurate to the character.



Desaad [Age: N/A. Ethnicity: N/A.]: Desaad is Darkseid’s master torturer on Apokolips who is infamous for his sadism as he draws power from the agony of others.  

Aidan Gillen [Age: 50. Ethnicity: White. Notable Works: Game of Thrones (2011-2017), King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and Maze Runner (2015-2018): Aidan Gillen is one of the coolest actors alive with such an extraordinary level of craftsmanship and dedication to his work. He is best known for his role as Petyr ‘Littlefinger’ Baelish on Game of Thrones, one of the most complex characters in a convoluted series with a vast array of equally fascinating and complex characters that are yet often overshadowed by Gillen’s performances. Many diehard fans of the A Song of Ice and Fire books have been critical for the low accuracy of the show’s portrayals of certain characters, however they are all almost unanimous in how brilliant Gillen has been in bringing Littlefinger to life, from the small details like his mannerisms and gravelly tone of voice, to the larger details like his almost sociopathic attitude towards killing people and intoxicating smirks. His role in Game of Thrones has won Gillen countless awards and helped to further jumpstart his career, gaining Gillen roles in major blockbuster movies such as King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and the Maze Runner franchise, both of which Gillen also played antagonistic and scheming villain roles that won high appraisal.

For these roles, I think Gillen would be fantastic at the role of Desaad and there is really no one else I can imagine delivering as menacing and unsettling a voice for Desaad like Gillen can.



Bruno Mannheim [Age: 30s/40s. Ethnicity: N/A.]: Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim is one of the world's greatest crime bosses and the leader of the criminal organisation known as Intergang. His father is former leader of Intergang, Boss Moxie. Beyond his motivations as a ruthless thug, Mannheim is a devout worshiper of the Religion of Crime and their Crime Bible. This leads to him becoming a loyal servant to Darkseid.

Andy Garcia [Age: 62. Ethnicity: Cuban. Notable Works: Rob the Mob (2014),Geostorm (2017) and  Bent (2018)]: An actor who needs no introduction, Andy Garcia is an immeasurably talented actor with a long history of famous movie roles and a wide versatile range of roles. Garcia first cemented his status as an iconic actor in Hollywood fame as Vincent Mancini in The Godfather: Part III, a role for which he was nominated for several awards, including an Oscar, and although the movie was not considered as brilliant as its predecessors, Garcia nonetheless received critical acclaim for his performance. Over the years, Garcia has gone on to act in more movies that stand out in cinematic history, from Ocean’s Eleven to The Lost City and now remains an actor who can perform dozens of different roles in any sort of movie he likes by any sort of director because he is so tremendous and dependable as an actor.

In recent years, Garcia has played the role of Big Al in the 2014 crime thriller Rob the Mob, a mafia boss with frightening anger issues and who goes to extreme lengths in order to eliminate those who pose a threat to his organisation. When I watched this movie again recently, I immediately thought Garcia would be able to portray a DC comics mob boss-esque villain with relative ease and Bruno Mannheim is the perfect character for Garcia to do just that. In my envisioned take on the Justice League movie, Mannheim would serve as the main antagonist of the first act of the movie, acting as an underling for Darkseid by preparing for his invasion and using his vast underworld connections to weaken the US’ military defences and artillery.

---

Conclusion:

That's the end of my fancast - I've had a lot of fun making this fancast and putting all my picks together in this article, now I'd love to know what your thoughts are on my picks. Do you like them, dislike them or is there any you would change? Let me know in the comments and be sure to hit the thumbs up button!