Reacher star Alan Ritchson’s newest movie, War Machine, recently arrived on Netflix. It’s been met with generally favourable reviews, scoring 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, but without a theatrical release, it risks being lost within the streaming abyss. 

Ritchson has made no secret of the fact that he’d like to play the DCU’s Batman in The Brave and the Bold. However, with War Machine, it sounds like he’s eager to avoid delivering a “Marvel-type” movie.

However, rather than taking a blatant shot at the genre, the actor shared his belief that audiences have grown tired of following characters who don’t have the same vulnerability as a normal person. It’s an intriguing, perhaps flawed, point, yet still one that seems relevant amid continued claims of superhero fatigue. 

“We’re living through a period of cinema, especially with the Marvelization of a lot of theatrical tentpole movies in which the protagonists are almost invincible, we’ve reduced the stakes to something wholly unwatchable,” Ritchson shared. “There’s no secret that people are sort of over watching Marvel-type movies.”

“Our goal is to create a protagonist who is hanging on by a thread. Can we drag somebody to the brink of death and shoot it in a way that feels real and visceral so that people can actually relate to it on a human level? People are suffering out there. Life is hard, man. By crossing the finish line at the end of the movie, we remind ourselves that we can get through another day.”

“As fun as this movie is, there’s something deeply human that we can connect to,” the Titans alum added. “If 81 can get through that and get across the finish line, maybe I can too in my own life.”

As of now, there’s nothing to suggest there are solid plans for Richtson to join the Marvel or DC Universes. In the case of the latter, he’s admitted that Batman is likely off the table, but strongly hinted that he’s discussed another character with DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn. 

“Well, it’s not rumor that James Gunn is a fan,” Ritchson previously shared. “He said it himself. And am I a fan of James Gunn? Absolutely. I don’t want to mislead people. Words have been exchanged about Batman. But I strongly don’t think that Batman is in my future. I do think there is something in my future with DC. And I would like that to remain true.”

While it doesn’t necessarily feel like Ritchson is taking a shot at the MCU with his remarks above, it does seem somewhat contradictory that he’s so critical of “invincible” protagonists when he’s eager to join the DCU. Then again, this might offer an insight into the types of characters he’s looking to play. 

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