Giancarlo Espositohas graced our screens as various iconic villains over the years. Of course, Gus Fring (Esposito) put him on the map inBreaking Bad, but Esposito has worked his way into almost every major Hollywood franchise in recent years. Esposito now has a growing list of infamous villains on his resume, from Moff Gideon inStar Warsto Stan Edgar inThe Boys. Esposito finally debuted in the MCU this year,appearing as Sidewinder inCaptain America: Brave New World. Sadly,his talent was underutilized. Sidewinder was more of a henchman than a villain, which didn’t play to Esposito’s strengths as a devious, manipulative schemer. Not to mention, he had very little screen time.
There is one major cinematic franchise that Esposito has yet to appear in.The DCU has undergone several rebrands in the past decade, andEsposito hasn’t appeared in any DCU project. Fan castings have pitched numerous roles, like Lex Luthor, Hugo Strange, and Martian Manhunter. Nevertheless, in a recent interview with IGN, Esposito made his choice loud and clear, claiming he wanted a shot at Mr. Freeze.
We Desperately Need a New Live-Action Mr. Freeze
Despite being one of Batman’s most iconic villains,Mr. Freeze hasn’t made a live-action appearancesince Arnold Schwarzenegger portrayed him inBatman & Robin.Schwarzenegger’s performance became a well-loved but hilariously bad takeon the character, with many of his terrible puns, like “Ice to meet you!” becoming running gags online. However,The Batmandirector,Matt Reeves, sparked hope for a new live-action Mr. Freeze after declaring his love for the villain several years ago. There has been lots of online speculation around the main villain ofThe Batman: Part IIand whetherFreeze will make an appearance. We know that the film is set during the winter,making it a fitting moment for someone like Mr. Freeze to take over Gotham.
Reeves has clarified that his universe will remain grounded and will only use the character if he can “unwind the fantastical and see, well, how could that make sense here?” But should he decide against using him, there is still hope for Esposito.James Gunn’snew DC cinematic universe has greenlit anotherBatman movie that will run concurrently with the Reeves universe, titledThe Brave and the Bold.Gunn has a lot of love for Batman villains. Many have already appeared inCreature Commandos, and Gunn has even greenlit a soloClayfacemovie. So there’s every chance we could see Esposito take on the role in one form or another.
Esposito Is the Perfect Fit for Mr. Freeze
Mr. Freeze was a minor Batman villain in the comics, but he rose to popularity during the90s Batman animated series. In this iteration, Mr. Freeze was a scientistwhose villainous schemes were all in service to save his wife, Nora, from a rare degenerative disease. His backstory painted him in a much more sympathetic light and transformed Mr. Freeze into acomplex, morally grey villainthat audiences could engage with. Ever since then, Batman fans have begged for a new, faithful version of the character in live-action, and Esposito would be the perfect man for the job.While villains like Moff Gideon and Sidewinder are somewhat one-dimensional and straight-up evil,Esposito’s most famous villain, Gus Fring, is a perfect example of a complex villain. Despite his undeniable cruelty,audiences found it easy to root for Gus, given his charm, principles, and intelligence.
Esposito’s range of characters proves he is up to the challenge, and he has abackground in playing DC villains. He voiced R’as al Ghul inSon of Batman, Black Spider inBatman: Assault on Arkham, and was the original voice of Lex Luthor inHarley Quinn. Esposito recently made headlines for pitching his ideal MCU casting, where he would play Professor X (Patrick Wilson) alongsideDenzel Washingtonas Magneto (Ian McKellen). It would be amazing to watch these two legends take on those roles, but it seems unlikely that will happen anytime soon. Given that Esposito has recently featured as a different MCU villain,and Washington supposedly has a role lined up inBlack Panther 3, Esposito’s wish may not come true. However, his hopes of playing Mr. Freeze are well within reason.
Giancarlo Esposito Deserved Better Than ‘Captain America: Brave New World’
Never make the same mistake twice.
Given his impressive catalog and love of the character, it would be great to see Esposito become Mr. Freeze, though the casting ultimatelylies in James Gunn’s hands. Gunn has a good reputation for casting DC villains.The Suicide Squadfeatured a huge range ofminor DC villains that were excellently cast, such asDaniella Delchior’s Ratcatcher andJohn Cena’s Peacemaker. If anyone can make it happen, it’s James Gunn, so hopefully he’ll hear Esposito out.
The Batman
In a dark city plagued by crime and corruption, a masked crusader investigates a puzzling string of crimes linked by cryptic messages. His journey into the depths of the city’s sinister underworld reveals connections among its most powerful citizens and forces him to confront his own complex relationship with justice.
