Willem Dafoe As The Joker? New Fan Art Ponders What Could Be

Willem Dafoe may already have a role in the DC Extended Universe (Vulko), but Villain Daily has unearthed not one, not two but four pieces of fan art that imagine the esteemed actor as DC’s Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker.

Yes, not for the first time, the Internet has selected its own candidate for the coveted role, and Dafoe is merely the latest addition to the wishlist. Other Hollywood stars who have received the makeover treatment include Christian Bale (The Dark Knight Trilogy), Jackie Earle Haley, Tom Hiddleston (Thor: Ragnarok) and even Leonardo DiCaprio, who was originally tipped for the titular role back in September.

Those rumors have since resided, though it’s worth mentioning that the chances of DiCaprio signing on for The Joker were supposedly slim to none in the first place. And that’s even when you factor Martin Scorsese into the equation, who is serving as one of the project’s many producers. However that may be, artists ‘@WillGray_06’ and ‘@jeffstahl_art’ have rendered Willem Dafoe as Batman’s arch nemesis, and the two-time Oscar nominee certainly looks the part.

Of course, Willem Dafoe is no stranger to playing a villain on screen. Back in the early days of Hollywood’s comic book obsession, the actor tortured Peter Parker as the sneering Green Goblin, while more recently Netflix subscribers were treated to Dafoe’s decidedly disturbing portrayal of Ryuk, a Shinigami with a peculiar connection to the famous Death Note.

Could it be that Warner Bros. is about to buck tradition and have Willem Dafoe play DC’s Clown Prince of Crime? The Joker offshoot is situated beyond the confines of the DCEU, and is therefore considered to be its own separate beast. Even still, at 62 years young, we imagine the actor is too old for what is essentially an origins movie, but it’s fun to speculate on what could have been regardless.