Alan Ritchson, widely recognized for his role as Jack Reacher in the Prime Video series “Reacher,” has had a diverse and intriguing career path. From an unforgettable audition on “American Idol” to appearances in blockbuster films like “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” and “Fast X,” his journey is noteworthy. However, prior to becoming an action star, Ritchson portrayed superheroes, beginning with his role as Aquaman on the popular Superman prequel series “Smallville.”

Ritchson made his debut in Smallville’s fifth season, portraying Arthur “A.C.” Curry, a University of Miami student who teams up with Clark Kent (Tom Welling) to combat environmental threats from LuthorCorp in the episode “Aqua.” He reprised his role in “Smallville” three additional times, starting with the sixth-season episode “Justice”—which brought together various Justice League members—followed by appearances in Season 8’s “Odyssey” and Season 10’s “Patriot.” As the pioneer actor to portray Aquaman in a live-action format, Ritchson laid the groundwork for future representations of the hero, showing that A.C. had far more depth than just being the punchline of aquatic jokes.

Beyond Aquaman, Ritchson continued to delve into the DC Comics universe. In 2018, he ventured back into the realm of superheroes on the DC Universe/HBO Max series “Titans,” taking on the role of Hank Hall, also known as Hawk. Across three seasons, Hawk, alongside his partner Dove (played by Minka Kelly), fought side by side with the Titans against emerging threats. Though Hawk met his end in the series’ third season, a heartening twist revealed him assisting lost souls in the afterlife. He was joyfully reunited with the original Dove, his half-brother Don (Elliot Knight), who had also passed away.

One fact about Alan Ritchson you may not know is that, following the success of the “Aqua” episode, “Smallville” creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar developed an Aquaman-centered series for The WB. This came just when The WB and the UPN had merged to form The CW, and so everything was a bit up in the air. Ritchson revealed on former “Smallville” star Michael Rosenbaum’s “Inside of You” podcast that he was initially set to reprise his role as A.C., only that never ended up happening. Instead, Gough and Millar decided the best way to do “Aquaman” was not as a direct spin-off, but as a separate entity entirely.

Although Will Toale was initially cast in the title role, Gough and Millar ultimately went with Justin Hartley as their choice for the new Arthur. Despite a stunning pilot, “Aquaman” tragically went nowhere, but Gough and Millar soon cast Hartley as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow for the sixth season of “Smallville,” a role he would stick with through the series’ end. Ironically, this meant that Ritchson’s next three appearances as A.C. on the series were alongside Hartley, the man who replaced him as Aquaman.

“Smallville” wasn’t the last time that Ritchson played the King of Atlantis either. In the 2008 animated film, “Justice League: The New Frontier,” he reprised his role as Aquaman in an uncredited voice cameo, as the Atlantean king returns Superman (Kyle MacLachlan) to the surface. Though he only gets one line, he plays the part with a far more royal cadence than he ever did on “Smallville.”

After years of playing both Aquaman and Hawk, Alan Ritchson isn’t done with the DC Universe yet. Over the years, DC and “Reacher” devotees alike have fan-cast Ritchson as various superheroes, and the actor himself seems to be interested in returning to the realm of super strength and colorful tights. When asked back in 2016 if he was going to play Shazam (the hero previously known as Captain Marvel) in the DC Extended Universe, Ritchson teasingly confirmed the inquiry in an X (formerly Twitter) post. (Of course, Zachary Levi ended up playing the DCEU version of the character.)

In recent years, rumors continue to spread that Ritchson will play Batman in James Gunn’s DC Universe reboot — and the actor himself seems interested. “I would love to play Batman,” he revealed in a 2024 interview with ComicBook.com. “But I am not yet Batman.” In a 2025 interview with Wired, Ritchson was asked once more if he had been cast as Batman in the new DCU, a question he’s reportedly asked often. “Would I play Batman? Yes,” he explained. “You wouldn’t even have to pay me to play Batman.” Despite that, Ritchson reminded fans that Gunn has publicly stated that RItchson would not be playing the Dark Knight in his universe.

It’s clear that Ritchson has a soft spot for DC, so whether he returns for the new live-action franchise or finds his way to a smaller animated role, we’d be lucky to have someone with his enthusiasm for the material.