What Jensen Ackles Could Look Like As Batman For James Gunn's DC Universe

Superhero fans will recognize Jensen Ackles for his role as Soldier Boy in "The Boys," but there's another comic book character he's been linked to for the longest time. Heck, if it were up to the Ackles Army, he would have been cast as Batman the moment Peter Safran and James Gunn announced the DC Universe, a fresh start for DC films after the DC Extended Universe struggled to make an impact. And for those wondering what Ackles might look like as the Dark Knight, artist Captain Raccoon has you covered.

Posting on Instagram, Captain Raccoon adapted the same reveal that Gunn used when he debuted David Corenswet in the Superman suit to showcase Ackles' Bruce Wayne putting on his crime-fighting gear. This version of the Dark Knight wears a combination of the suit worn by Ben Affleck's Batman and the New 52 iteration of the character. Outside of the window, the Bat-Signal lights up the rainy night sky, though one wonders why Batman is getting changed in a room and not the Batcave. Maybe Alfred is cleaning up the mess that bats are known to leave.

In the comments section, there was overwhelming support for this casting suggestion. One user stated, "We need this. And Jensen would kill in the role." Others tagged Gunn in the hope that he would take notice.

We know that the Ackles Army is on board with the idea of Jensen Ackles becoming the new Batman in the DC Universe, but the real question is, does he want the cape and cowl? If he was offered the role, would he say yes? After all, plenty of actors have turned down big DC roles. Thankfully for the people who took to the comments section of Captain Racoon's post to share their excitement about the prospect of Ackles being named as the next Dark Knight, the chances of him turning down the role should an offer come his way are slim.

Speaking to Collider in June 2025, Ackles said that all James Gunn had to do is pick up the phone and call him — no Bat-Signal is necessary. He did, however, add that it would be a lot of pressure. "You talk about not wanting to fumble the football — that's one that I would be nervous as hell to carry," the former "Supernatural" star said. "But also proud. A certain feather in the cap. Anybody who gets to wear the cowl, they got something."

This certainly bodes well for those holding out hope that this fancast will come true. This isn't the first time that Ackles has issued a come-and-get-me plea to Warner Bros. and DC, either. At San Diego Comic-Con in 2013, the actor proudly wore a Batman t-shirt and was asked by E! News about potentially playing the role on the big screen. "Any guy in his right mind would die to play Batman," he said. "It would be a dream come true."

One thing going in Ackles' favor when it comes to potentially being considered as the next live-action Batman is that he's played the character several times in animated DC projects. The Dallas native voiced the Caped Crusader in the critically acclaimed two-part film "Batman: The Long Halloween" in 2021, and he's also played Batman in "Legion of Super-Heroes," "Justice League Warworld," and, most recently, in the trilogy "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths," which were among the best animated movies of 2024.

His role in "Batman: The Long Halloween" stands out in particular, since it's an outstanding adaptation of one of the best Batman comics of all time and Ackles unleashes a masterclass as the Dark Knight. Many reviews singled out his performance for special mention: IGN wrote that his version of Batman is "scary while still having a youthful aura about him." If that isn't enough to whet the appetite for Jensen Knight, lest we forget that he dressed up as Batman for Halloween in 2019 and had a professional photo shoot done that he shared on Instagram.

That's commitment right there. Honestly, what more does this man need to do to convince the powers that be that he's serious about this role? James Gunn, maybe it's time to give Ackles a call and see if he's busy.