The comic book genre continues to be wildly popular, with a few shared universes competing at the box office. Co-CEO James Gunn kickstarted a new DC Universe, already debuting three projects in theaters and streaming with a HBO Max subscription. Fans are curious about who will join the fun in upcoming DC movies, and some epic fan art has transformed actor Josh Brolin from Thanos to Darkseid. And honestly, I’m into this hypothetical casting.
The first slate of DCU projects is called Gods and Monsters, and will feature a variety of different titles. Given how iconic and powerful Darkseid is, it seems inevitable that he show up at some point in the future. And thanks to fan art from the Instagram of Boss Logic, we can imagine Brolin as ruler of Apokolips. Check it out below:
I mean, how cool is that? After Brolin brought Thanos to life with motion capture technology, he seems like a great fit to pivot over to DC as Darkseid. His talents and hulking physicality were not bogged down by acting through mocap, so why not let him join the fun for James Gunn and Peter Safran? After all, finding an actor who can portray Darkseid might be easier said than done.
Darkseid debuted in DC comics back in 1970, and has been a regular figure on the page, animated shows, and video games. Moviegoers who spent years watching the DC movies in order will recall he finally made his first appearance in live-action in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, played by actor Ray Porter. But it was a relatively small role, as he was the puppet master who primary villain Steppenwolf was being controlled by. As such, longtime DC fans are still hoping to see him take center stage as the bad guy of his own movie.
Of course, there’s been no indication that James Gunn and company are bringing Darkseid to the DCU anytime soon. None of the announced titles from Gods and Monsters focus on the character, and it would make sense if the studio was waiting until a full Justice League can be assembled before bringing the New God into the newly formed shared universe.
Of course, this type of epic fan art might inspire some theories and rumors about how Darkseid might join the fray. James Gunn teased that Superman: Man of Tomorrow will find Clark Kent and Lex Luthor team-up against a common enemy. While most fans think this means Brainiac will join the chat, perhaps that threat is actually Darkseid. We’ll just have to wait for Gunn to offer any clues.
Superman is streaming on HBO Max alongside DCU TV shows Creatures Commandos and Peacemaker Season 2, and if you don’t currently have access, now’s the time to buy with these Black Friday streaming deals. The next DC movie hitting theaters is Supergirl on June 26th as part of the 2026 movie release list. Hopefully Gunn will treat us to more exciting casting news sooner rather than later.