5 Characters Bruce Willis Could Play In The MCU (And 5 In The DCEU)

From Die Hard to Looper, Bruce Willis is one of the most iconic action stars of the 1990s and 2000s, so it’s surprising that he has yet to appear in either the Marvel Cinematic Universe of the DC Extended Universe.

Both comic book companies are still going strong with their universes expanding. Bruce Willis could surprise fans and bring a character to life, whether it’s a hero or a villain. Especially since he played David Dunn in the Unbreakable universe, itself a tribute to comics universes.

Marvel Comics Characters Bruce Willis Could Play

Hammerhead

Whether it is part of the new Tom Holland Spider-Man trilogy or within the rumored sequel to the Andrew Garfield movies, Hammerhead deserves a chance in a live-action Spider-Man movie. With most Spider-Man villains being powerful superhumans or people in high-tech suits, Hammerhead would be a refreshing change.

Bruce Willis has portrayed villains in the past but never has played a crime lord, allowing him to show more diversity in his acting. At the same time, Bruce Willis given makeup or CGI to give Hammerhead his iconic look could bring some healthy laughs.

Uncle Ben

With Tom Holland’s Spider-Man getting his own origin story with Spider-Man: Freshman Year, many are now curious what his Uncle Ben was like. As Uncle Ben, not only would it be a less action-packed role but a more lighthearted one which Willis hasn’t done since the likes of The Kid or Over the Hedge.

Rather than the stereotyped roles that Bruce Willis usually is given, Uncle Ben can allow him to not only show his charm, but because Freshman Year is animated, he would only have to do voice-overs.

William Stryker

The X-Men joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe could lead to many famous X-Men villains, including a reboot of William Stryker. The Fox version made him more akin to Abraham Cornelius who created Wolverine in the comics whereas the comic book Stryker is more of an extremist.

Stryker is a religious zealot who leads the Purifiers in trying to hunt down and kill mutants. This is the kind of role that can mix Bruce Willis’ natural charm with how scary he can be as shown in films such as The Jackal.

Old Man Punisher

Because of the success of films like Die Hard and The Fifth Element, Bruce Willis is up there with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone as one of the famous gun-toting action heroes. If any Marvel character fits that kind of typecast, it is the Punisher.

Though he might be considered a little old to play Frank Castle, he could play a veteran version of the character for either the main MCU or an alternate universe. Willis even played a Frank Castle-esque vigilante in his remake of Death Wish and played a merciless killer in Looper.

Nova

With both Richard Ryder and Sam Alexander being the two famous versions of Nova, the MCU could do for Nova what they did for Ant-Man. The older version of the hero training is the new version. Richard Ryder could be the older and worn-out Nova who is trying to protect the universe now that the cosmic superhero team, the Nova Corps, is wiped out.

Bruce Willis has practically made his career playing the older but dedicated police officer with 16 Blocks, Hostage, and even later Die Hard sequels. The CGI for Nova would likely make things easier for Bruce while delivering on a fun performance.

DC Comics Characters Bruce Willis Could Play

Great White Shark

The Matt Reeves Batverse has a massive roster of  Batman villains that it can choose from, especially for the darker, horror-esque take of his Batman. Also to fit into the noir-crime thriller angle would be the Great White Shark, a master racketeer with razor-sharp teeth and pale white skin.

If Colin Farrell can completely disappear under makeup as the Penguin, Matt Reeves could surprise fans by turning Bruce Willis into Warren White. This would be another different role for Bruce Willis, playing a more sinister villain but projects such as Sin City and Surrogates show that Bruce can commit to playing atypical characters.

Lock-Up

Being Batman can have consequences and lead to the rise in others in masks that think they are doing good but are actually doing harm. That means that someone like Lock-Up is ripe for future Matt Reeves’ The Batman sequels but also DCEU projects such as Batgirl sequels or Black Canary.

Lock-Up is a deranged security guard who believes in a very black and white version of justice. As a result, he takes matters into his own hands against villains and Batman alike. Similar to Punisher, Lock-Up could be another chance for Bruce Willis to show off how intimidating he can be.

Wildcat

For the Black Canary spinoff project, it would be the perfect opportunity to introduce Dinah Lance’s mentor: Ted Grant, aka Wildcat. Wildcat is an older ex-boxer who decided to get out of retirement by taking his frustration out on the criminals in his neighborhood. He’s also one of Batman’s mentors.

A mentor figure would allow Bruce Willis to have a less physically challenging performance with Ted Grant teaching Canary how to fight. Of course, fans would still love to see Bruce Willis and Jurnee Smollett working together to fight thugs and even a villain together.

Ted Kord

With the Blue Beetle movie on the way, fans are curious as to who could play Ted Kord, the previous Blue Beetle. Bruce Willis could do it, allowing him to mostly play a scientist and businessman since Ted Kord would have either been retired or killed by the time Jaime Reyes takes over.

Jaime Reyes could find video messages and logs from Ted Kord, teaching him about the Scarab fused into his back. Bruce Willis wouldn’t need to do much fighting, making the role a bit easier but it could allow him to steal the show since Ted Kord is just as interesting as Jaime.

Captain Cold

Though it depends on the version, Captain Cold is usually depicted as an older adversary for the Flash and his allies. Bruce Willis is already known for his calm and, for lack of a better term, a chill personality so he could easily portray one of the Flash’s iconic villains.

It would also provide a stark contrast between the hero and the villain. Barry Allen, aka the Flash, is this young man with superhuman speed but he’s foiled by a regular human with a genius tactical mind and an ice gun. In a way, it would be a reverse of Die Hard if John McClane was the antagonist.

The Question

Whether it’s for the Batverse or the DC Extended Universe, the Question is in dire need of a cinematic debut. He’s essentially Rorschach from Watchmen if he was more of a hero. That neo-noir investigative thriller aspect of the Question would easily fit with Bruce Willis.

The lack of a face would allow Bruce to relax and let stunt doubles do all the work while he perfects his detective noir character. Bruce Willis already played a neo-noir character in Sin City and several other characters and he has the comedic timing that is perfect for the Question’s smarmy and witty sense of humor.

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