9 Actors Who Almost Played Comic Book Villains

9. Robin Williams - The Riddler

Robin Williams was initially approached to play The Joker for Batman (1989), with Jack Nicholson hesitating to commit. It's unclear whether Warner Bros were seriously interested or it was just a negotiating ploy, because Nicholson ended up accepting the role.

Cut to a few years later, and Williams was touted to play The Riddler for Tim Burton opposite Michael Keaton, but sadly the project never happened. Warner Bros were disappointed with the box office of Batman Returns, and blamed the film's violence and dark overtones for the $150m shortfall in revenue compared to 1989's Batman.

Burton agreed to take a step back, and let Joel Schumacher bring a more family friendly vibe to the series. As a result, Keaton parted ways with the character and Jim Carrey was brought in as the Riddler, much to the disappointment of self-proclaimed comic book aficionado Williams and moviegoing fans around the globe.

Years later, during Christopher Nolan's tenure with the franchise, Williams would again pitch for the role of the Joker, before eventually telling Empire:

"Chris, call me, I’ll do anything. I could be a great character — or some weird little man in the background in Arkham Asylum.”

Unfortunately, Williams never made it into a Batman film. He might not have been a fit for Nolan's more grounded approach, but the thought of his singular comedic talent being let loose to improvise as the Riddler opposite Keaton's Batman is one of the genre's greatest what ifs.