We Now Know How Macaulay Culkin Could Look As The Batman's Joker

In Gotham, crime never sleeps — and neither do the imaginations of avid fans excited about The Batman, the upcoming Matt Reeves-directed movie featuring Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne and an all-star cast of villains front and center in the action. 

Though The Batman touts famous characters like Catwoman (played by Zoë Kravitz), the Riddler (portrayed by Paul Dano), and Penguin (brought to life by Colin Farrell), noticeably missing from the roster is the fan-favorite villain the Joker – Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime and a franchise driving force in his own right. Fans clamoring to see Mr. J on the big screen in The Batman have thrown plenty of names into the ring of actors they'd love to see take on the green-haired trickster's role, with one of the most popular names being perennial bad boy slash America's former sweetheart Macaulay Culkin. 

Now, thanks to fan artist BritEdit and their awesome work, we have a glimpse into what Culkin could look like if he were to assume the mantle of Gotham's least-loved comedian in The Batman.

With the signature pale makeup (or acid-washed deformity) and creepy red smile, this edit makes it easy to picture Macaulay Culkin in the role of the classic comic book villain. Along with the hauntingly sunken eyes and shocking green hair, this post had fans drooling for more information about the upcoming Batman movie and expressing their thoughts about a Culkin iteration of the Joker. One wrote in the comments section of the Instagram post, "He would be a suitable fit."

Unfortunately, it's not yet clear whether we'll get to see the Clown Prince of Crime in The Batman. The film is already jam-packed with characters ripped from the pages of DC comics, and tossing in another one — particularly one as canonically important as the Joker — could overstuff it. Plus, there's the question of whether audiences would experience Joker fatigue if The Batman were to include the wide-smiling villain; in October 2019, the world witnessed yet another new star take on the role — Joaquin Phoenix, in Todd Phillips' gritty origin story tale Joker.

However, there are high hopes for a Joker appearance in a subsequent film from The Batman director Matt Reeves. Past reports have indicated that Reeves could be teeing up for a full-fledged Batman franchise to rival Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. If that's the case, perhaps a follow-up to The Batman will feature the Joker — much like how Nolan's Batman Begins went sans-Joker (save for an end-of-movie mention) before introducing him in The Dark Knight.

Regardless, Macaulay Culkin is a favorite for some fans, if an unexpected choice. However, he may want to consider the dangers of taking on this iconic role – like the physical and psychological effects it's had on actors in the past — before he accepts the part when and if it's ever actually offered to him.

The Batman is scheduled for release on June 25, 2021.