Popverse's coverage of Comic-Con International: San Diego 2026 is brought to you by Dark Horse Comics.

If there has ever been a man built to be Batman, it is Alan Ritchson. The Reacher actor managed to make being a large man beating up bad guys feel like a superpower, which is half of what you want from a Caped Crusader. Everywhere he goes, Ritchson is being hounded by questions of whether he’ll be the DCU’s Batman. While there isn’t any casting news for him to share, Alan Ritchson did confirm over the weekend that he’s “having conversations” with the studio - just not necessarily about Batman.

“I feel like I have to address this because it comes up all the time,” Alan Ritchson said during the Reacher panel at San Diego Comic Con 2026. “I don’t ever want to lead somebody on to feel like maybe…” At this point, Ritchson paused to pick his words very carefully before continuing, probably to avoid inciting the wrath of an army of lawyers and casting directors. “I’ve had a lot of conversations with DC about what to do, because we would like to work together.”

But it isn’t just working with DC that people are interested in. We all want to know if Alan Ritchson is bringing his absolute unitness to the streets of Gotham.

“I never say never. Maybe Batman is the future, but I don’t think it is because we’re having conversations about another character. So, I just don’t think that Batman is in the cards for me, as much as I would love to do it.”

Ritchson has had a long and nuanced journey with DC, from playing Aquaman in CW's Smallville, just barely missing being cast as Robin in HBO Max's Titans, before later being cast as Hawk on that very same show (and crossing over into the Arrowverse).

What Ritchson says about a potential DC Studios role isn’t exactly a denial, of course, but it does sound like Alan Ritchson might not be the DCU Batman we’re all hoping he would be, but we’ll hopefully see him in something from DC Studios soon.

Enjoy our guides to how to watch the recent DCEU, the Arrowverse, and James Gunn's upcoming DCU. Oh, and don't forget our guide to what's coming up for DC projects on the big and small screens.