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Will Smith has had a long and successful career in film, regularly starring in major theatrical releases. While he recently had a career best performance at the box office with Aladdin, he also joined the DC Extended Universe as Deadshot in David Ayer's Suicide Squad. While he won't appear in James Gunn's upcoming sequel/reboot, fans are eager to see him eventually reprise the villainous role. But fan art recently imagined what the 52 year-old actor might look like as Superman.
The DC Extended Universe as we know it began with 2013's Man of Steel, with Henry Cavill famously playing the title character. But Will Smith was famously in the mix to play the last son of Krypton in Superman Returns. Now we can see what the actor/musician could have looked like as Clark Kent. Check it out below.
I mean, how cool is that? Will Smith has proven his ability to take on a variety of iconic roles, including his very own comic book character. And while Deadshot is a marksman and badass, it would be even cooler to watch Smith fly through the air as Superman himself. But for now we'll just have to check out this fan art and imagine.
The above image comes to us from the Instagram of digital artist ApexForm. They've amassed a following on social media after rendering countless fan theories and castings into gorgeous reality. This type fan art helps sustain fan excitement for both the DC and Marvel fans, especially when the break between films grew longer as a result of various film delays.
Will Smith's time in the DCEU can be re-watched on HBO Max. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.
Superman Returns hit theaters back in 2006, and was a direct sequel to Christopher Reeves' movies as the Man of Steel. The role of Clark Kent/Superman eventually went to actor Brandon Routh, who would eventually suit up as Atom in the Arrowverse. But a variety of other actors were considered including Jude Lawn, X-Men's Daniel Cudmore, and the great Will Smith.
In the end, it would be over a decade until Will Smith eventually played a beloved DC character. But rather than taking on a hero like Superman, he was one of the bad guys when debuting in Suicide Squad. Smith's character was one of the protagonists of that movie, which ended up suffering from studio interference. But he even got scenes with Ben Affleck's Batman, setting up future crossovers that might never happen at this point.
Unfortunately, Will Smith isn't one of the actors who will be reprising their roles in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad. In the end Smith reportedly had a scheduling conflict, and wouldn't be appearing with the likes of Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, and Joel Kinnaman. And while it was originally reported that Idris Elba would be taking on the mantle of Deadshot, he was instead given a different character so that Smith could return o the role sometime in the future.
The Suicide Squad will hit theaters on August 6th, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your trips to the movies next year.
