Already a superhero of sorts in her own right is Emmy Rossum, having played a woman of great resilience on Showtime’s American remake of hit UK family dramedy Shameless until her Season 9 exit. However, the Golden Globe-nominated actress has never gone the route of celebrities who go on to play actual costumed vigilantes in Marvel movies and DC movies.
Yet, the New York native has been the subject of fancasting, with comic book readers believing her to be a perfect choice for certain heroes who have yet to be given the cinematic treatment. This is despite the fact that she did appear in the 2009 film Dodgeball Evolution, the live action adaptation of the popular anime that is infamous for ignoring every essential detail of its subject material. Fortunately, most people have forgotten about this debacle already and are ready to see Emmy Rossum try her hand at a comic book role.
Given that neither of the big two comic book movie universes have a role for Emmy Rossum at the moment, the possibilities are endless. To remain concise, however, the following are just seven characters from within the pages of Marvel and DC that I had in mind.
Rogue
For many fans of the X-Men movie franchise, Anna Paquin will always be Rogue, but, if you are like me, it is a thrill to learn how the MCU will redefine a character for a new era and a new audience. As usual, the key to a successful recasting is the getting the best actor and Emmy Rossum, best known for playing the feisty de facto leader of a family who turn everything they touch into tragedy, would be a fantastic candidate to play the mutant who falls under the same description. Not to mention, Rossum's versatile acting range would come in handy for scenes in which Rogue uses her abilities of power absorption to assume the personality of whoever she touches.
Black Orchid
A lesser-known character who would be an intriguing addition to the DCEU is Black Orchid, a woman who possesses many of the more common superhero abilities of flight, invulnerability, and super strength, but her most important, and unique, talent is disguise. The Black Orchid is an alias that has been passed down from person to person for decades, and more recently reinvented as a member of Justice League Dark, which would make J.J. Abrams' upcoming HBO Max series the perfect opportunity for an introduction. However, based on a 2009 interview with MTV, Emmy Rossum would most likely be interested in adapting Neil Gaiman's much darker interpretation that reimagines the character as plant/human hybrid with powers of seduction, almost like if Poison Ivy switched sides.
She-Hulk
Amid the announcement of a live action Disney+ exclusive series putting the spotlight on Jennifer Walters, better known as She-Hulk, fans were quick to provide their own suggestions of who should play Bruce Banner's more even-tempered cousin. Among those names was none other than Emmy Rossum, who has also exhibited the same kind of spunk and confidence that it would take to pull off the Marvel heroine throughout much of her career. She even bears an appearance that could match the character perfectly, of course, with the help of a full-body makeup procedure and, perhaps, hitting the gym a little harder than usual.
Talia Al Ghul
On the other hand, there is sure to be somebody who would love to see Emmy Rossum take on a the role of a more grounded and insidious character of comic book lore. Furthermore, there must be a great deal of Batman fans who are curious to see if and how Talia Al Ghul (the daughter of Bruce Wayne's trainer turned enemy Ra's Al Ghul and the mother of his son, Damian) could fit into Matt Reeves' upcoming reboot if it successfully kickstarts a new franchise. Well, if we are to expect the unmerciful assassin in Robert Pattinson's future as the Dark Knight, what better chance to see Emmy Rossum play a villain is there?
Lady Deadpool
Speaking of characters with awkward romantic ties to other comic book heroes, in an alternate reality within the Marvel Multiverse known as Earth-3010, there exists a woman named Wanda Wilson, a Canadian mercenary who became the subject of a experiment that dramatically changed her appearance and her biological makeup to become indestructible anti-hero with a twisted sense of humor. In other words, yes, she is literally the female version of Deadpool, right down to adopting the alias "Lady Deadpool," but there is still more to her than a ponytail protruding from her mask to help her standout. In fact, with Emmy Rossum in the role, giving her the chance to show off the furthest extent of her comedic talent, watching her play off Ryan Reynolds' Merc with a Mouth in a future film would be an absolute joy.
Oracle
Not everybody in the Batfamily wears a costume, such as one of the Dark Knight's most important allies, Oracle: the alias Barbara Gordon assumes after the Joker's bullet paralyzes her, leaving her to help protect Gotham City with a computer. While this character, who was given the live action treatment once before on the WB series Birds of Prey (not to be confused with the Harley Quinn-led 2020 movie), would not give Emmy Rossum the opportunity to be part of the action of a DC film, casting her would help ensure that this iteration of Barbara is depicted with the right kind of emotional depth. That being said, one might wonder why I do not just suggest Rossum to play Batgirl, Barbara's original alter ego, and the main reason is that I have another, and arguably better, idea for the actress.
Batwoman
Many were shocked by the news that Ruby Rose stepped down from the title role of Arrowverse spin-off Batwoman after just one season playing the Gotham City hero and LGBTQ+ comic book icon. Now that The CW intends to replace the Australian model and actress with a whole new character to assume the Batwoman alias, Emmy Rossum might have room to be a series regular again. Better yet, and probably more likely, she could reinvent the character of Kate Kane for the big screen to finally bring her irresistible personality to a role that literally kicks butt.
What do you think? Are these the comic character whom Emmy Rossum deserves to play, or do you believe these characters deserve someone else? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for more updates on the former Shameless actress, as well as even more hypothetical comic book movie casting calls, here on CinemaBlend.
