Christopher Nolan’s critically-acclaimed Dark Knight Trilogy includes some of the superhero genre’s most influential films, and one notable actor from the trilogy should join the ongoing DC Extended Universe. Taking a grounded and relatively realistic approach to one of DC’s most iconic superheroes, the Dark Knight trilogy revitalized the Batman franchise and inspired countless films, whether or not they’re superhero adaptations. The trilogy is known for its unique takes on Batman’s famous rogue’s gallery, and one villain, in particular, is perfect for the DCEU, with the Dark Knight trilogy actor playing a new version of the character.
Cillian Murphy played Doctor Jonathan Crane, a.k.a. the Scarecrow, in Batman Begins as one of the film’s major villains, with Murphy reprising the role in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. The DCEU is a drastically different universe than Nolan’s Batman continuity, prioritizing comic book accuracy over relative realism, yet Murphy can and should play a new version of Scarecrow to match the newer franchise. Reusing superhero film actors in new (or even the same) continuities is not unheard of, and Murphy’s range and history with the Scarecrow character would make him a perfect addition to Batman’s DCEU rogue’s gallery.
Why The DCEU Can Re-Use A Dark Knight Actor
The DCEU’s counterpart franchise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, already has a history of reusing actors. Luke Cage’s Alfre Woodard and Mahershala Ali each found additional roles in the MCU, with for former playing Miriam Sharpe and the latter playing Blade. The MCU’s Spider-Man franchise reintroduced J.K. Simmons to the role of J. Jonah Jameson, albeit a different iteration of the character than the one seen in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy (though both iterations are part of the MCU multiverse).
If Cillian Murphy were to join the DCEU as the Scarecrow, the reprisal would be akin to Simmons’ newer iteration of Jameson, with Murphy playing a new continuity’s Jonathan Crane. This version of Scarecrow would likely have a more comic-accurate costume and far more outlandish plots, along with an established history with Ben Affleck’s experienced version of Batman. Despite this, the elements of Murphy’s Dark Knight trilogy performances would likely remain, allowing him to maintain his chilling portrayals in a more fantastical setting.
Why Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow Should Return
While never the primary antagonist in any of the Dark Knight trilogy’s films, Cillian Murphy’s Scarecrow is the only supervillain to appear in all three movies and remains an iconic element of Nolan’s Batman universe. Considering Murphy’s range in TV shows like Peaky Blinders and the upcoming film Oppenheimer, his chilling potential as a more comic-accurate Scarecrow would be welcome in the DCEU. Moreover, the Dark Knight trilogy did not truly use Scarecrow to his fullest potential, and the DCEU would provide Cillian Murphy with another chance to play the Scarecrow in a far larger role.
