The superhero genre continues to be wildly popular, with multiple shared universes releasing new content and competing for box office supremacy. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order were hyped when it was revealed that Harrison Ford was joining the MCU as part of the Captain America 4 cast list, and his performance did not disappoint. Although I'm obsessed with his hilarious reaction to learning he was on the short list to play Batman back in the day.
While the MCU (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription) originally had another actor play Thaddeus Ross, the death of William Hurt made way for Harrison Ford to take over. Fans are wondering what upcoming Marvel movies he'll show up in next, but it turns out he could have played Batman back in the day. A clip from MTV's Instagram showed him hilariously reacting to that news, and I just keep re-watching. Check it out below:
How funny is that? Either Ford didn't realize he was up to play Batman or simply forgot it, but his surprised/bummed reaction is thoroughly meme-able. And with his signature gruff voice and handsome bone structure, he probably would have crushed playing the Caped Crusader. Although in the end that role would be played by Michael Keaton as well as his replacements Val Kilmer and George Clooney.
The live-action Batman franchise (which is streaming with a Max subscription) was wildly popular, especially the first two Tim Burton movies. Harrison Ford would be a great choice to play Batman, although now it's hard to imagine anyone but Michael Keaton in those titles.
Funny enough, the discussion about Harrison Ford's likeness to Batman actually came up on his TV series Shrinking (which can be streamed with an Apple TV+ subscription). During Season 2, Ford's character Paul is talking to Alice (Lukita Maxwell), when she declares:
Because, yes, you sound like Batman.
Paul says he does this for "gravitas", but the timing of that episode and this interview with the Star Wars icon is strangely perfect. Indeed, Ford's signature vocal cadence would be perfect for Gotham's Protector, and is similar to the voice Christian Bale put on while in the cape and cowl for Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy.
Batman is one of the most popular superheroes of all time, so he's been adapted for TV and film many times throughout the years. Fans are waiting to see who plays the role in the new DCU, but the first slate of projects titled Gods and Monsters does have titles where he should appear. There's also Matt Reeves' The Batman franchise, starring Robert Pattinson in the title role. Unfortunately, no Batman-centric projects are currently on the 2025 movie release list. Now excuse me as I re-watch that clip of Ford for the 20th time.
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