Alan Ritchson Says DCU Batman Probably Isn’t Happening — but His Next DC Role Could Be Huge

Alan Ritchson has spent the better part of the past year sitting at the center of one of the DC Universe’s most persistent casting rumors, with fans repeatedly connecting him to the role of Batman ever since James Gunn and Peter Safran began mapping out their new cinematic vision. Between his imposing physical presence and years of superhero-adjacent roles, the pairing always felt like a natural fit to plenty of longtime followers of the franchise.

That speculation only grew louder once Ritchson began dropping cryptic hints in interview after interview, never quite confirming or denying his involvement while insisting that real conversations with DC Studios were taking place behind the scenes. Each new appearance seemed to add another layer to the mystery rather than clearing anything up.

That mystery finally got a clearer answer at Comic-Con. According to CoveredGeekly, Ritchson said he is pretty sure he will not play Batman in the DCU, though he confirmed he is in talks to play another DC character. Speaking during ‘Reacher’s panel at the convention, Ritchson explained that he felt he had to address the rumors directly since the question comes up constantly, admitting he never wanted to lead people on to believe Batman was still a real possibility.

Ritchson elaborated further during the panel, explaining that while he has had extensive conversations with DC about working together, and that he would never rule anything out completely, he does not believe Batman is actually in his future. Instead, he revealed that those ongoing conversations are centered around a different character entirely, one he did not name during the panel.

That confirmation lines up with a pattern of comments Ritchson has made over the past several months, each one edging slightly closer to ruling out the Caped Crusader specifically. During an earlier appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Ritchson had said that words had been exchanged about Batman, but that he strongly did not believe the role was in his future, while still expressing hope that something else with DC would eventually come together.

Ritchson has also previously shut down speculation about another major DC role, telling interviewer Liam Saul that he would never take on Aquaman given his respect for Jason Momoa, who has since transitioned to playing Lobo within Gunn’s DCU. That conversation also saw Ritchson express interest in exploring new territory within the franchise rather than reprising a role he had already played during his time on ‘Smallville.’

Ritchson’s history with DC properties stretches back years, having portrayed Aquaman across multiple seasons of ‘Smallville’ before later taking on the role of Hank Hall, known as Hawk, throughout his run on ‘Titans.’ That track record has made him a familiar face to DC fans well before the current wave of Batman speculation ever began.

With Batman now seemingly off the table according to Ritchson’s own comments, fan speculation has already begun shifting toward other possibilities, with names like Orion, Hawkman, Captain Atom, and Wildcat circulating as characters he could still be in the running for. None of those have been confirmed, leaving plenty of room for further guessing in the months ahead.

For now, Ritchson remains focused on ‘Reacher,’ with its fourth season set to premiere soon, while his conversations with DC Studios continue to play out behind closed doors. Whatever character eventually comes from those talks, fans are clearly eager to see Ritchson step into the DCU in some capacity before too long.

What DC character do you think Alan Ritchson could be in talks to play? Share your best guess in the comments.