Batman is set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, reports say

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the biggest movie franchise on the planet. It has grossed over $29.8 billion at the box office across 33 movies, with that number expected to increase significantly with the upcoming release of Deadpool and Wolverine. It has also attracted some of the biggest stars in Hollywood to its line-up over the years, while making sure that other actors become some of the biggest stars in Hollywood.

Over the years, it has attracted names such as Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Natalie Portman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Olivia Colman, and more. It also turned the likes of Chris Hemsworth and Tom Holland into household names.

Now, according to a new report, a former Batman star could be making his presence felt on the MCU in the near-future.

Batman star George Clooney rumored to be in talks to join the MCU

According to a new report from Marvel scooper MyTimeToShineHello, veteran actor George Clooney is in talks to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The insider doesn't mention what kind of role he could be playing, but needless to say that this has sent the internet into a bit of a meltdown for multiple reasons.

Clooney is one of the biggest names in Hollywood, known for his charismatic performances, his stylish silver hair and his incredibly smooth voice, so it would be a major win for Marvel Studios to have an actor of his caliber in the shared universe of superheroes. The question is: Who could he play?

That's a question that the fans have already begun trying to answer, with one speculating about the possibility of him playing Charles Xavier, a.k.a. Professor X, in an X-Men property. It would certainly be a huge casting for that role if that were the case and Clooney would have a tough act to follow after Patrick Stewart's sensational performance as the character in Fox's X-Men movie series (and the MCU's own Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness).

Clooney himself is no stranger to superhero movies, having notoriously played Batman in the critically-reviled Batman and Robin. The 1997 movie was so outlandish that it halted the momentum of his career and very nearly ended it. Nearly three decades later, he reprised the role in a cameo appearance as Bruce Wayne in 2023's The Flash.

Another Batman in the MCU?

If the rumors of George Clooney joining the MCU turn out to be true, it would make him the third Batman movie actor to join the MCU franchise. The thing is: His two predecessors ended up making the jump from big screen hero to big screen villain.

Michael Keaton, who played the iconic role of the Caped Crusader in 1989's Batman, its 1992 sequel Batman Returns, and 2023's The Flash, appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017 as the villainous Vulture in a performance that received acclaim from fans and critics. Meanwhile, Christian Bale, who played Batman in 2005's Batman Begins, 2008's universally-acclaimed The Dark Knight, and 2012 trilogy-closer The Dark Knight Rises joined the MCU relatively recently, playing Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder in 2022. His performance was praised, but fans felt that the film's portrayal of the character undercut Bale's incredible work.

If George Clooney ends up joining his fellow Batmen stars in joining the MCU, could he also end up playing a villain? He sure has it in him to do it, as he wasn't always the handsome hero of every movie he appeared in, but if that's what Marvel wants of him here, who could he be tasked with bringing to life? The truth is that there are an abundance of characters that Clooney could play, and we would happily sit and listen to him speak as all of them for hours. Whoever he does play would no doubt benefit from the added charm that the veteran actor is renowned for.

It's best to wait for this report to be confirmed by either Marvel Studios or Clooney himself before you get too excited about it, but the idea of a star of his caliber joining the MCU is always exciting, especially when it's a former Batman star. Even if Batman and Robin wasn't a fan-favorite then, it's become something of a cult classic in today's day and age, with fans appreciating how absolutely bonkers it is. So yeah, seeing Clooney back in another comic book movie would be pretty darn cool.