J.K. Simmons has revealed that he has no clue or ideas as to how the concept of the multiverse is dealt with in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Extended Universe movies. Simmons, who is an Academy Award winner, is one of those actors who have got the chance of playing significant roles in both DC and Marvel superhero film adaptations. And now that these franchises are using the concept of the multiverse to grow bigger and expand or push boundaries in their respective stories, Simmons is unaware of the way these two franchises connect worlds under a shared, unified, multiverse.

Simmons started his journey of superhero film appearances with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, wherein he played Daily Bugle editor, J. Jonah. Jameson. Appearing in all three films of Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy before the fourth film got sacked, Simmons became a fan-favorite and was ultimately brought back to play the role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

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But before he returned to Marvel, he had a nice stint with DC Extended Universe films, Justice League and its Director’s Cut, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, wherein he essayed the role of Gotham City Commissioner James Gordon. Simmons is also returning to pay Gordon once more in the upcoming HBO Max original, Batgirl, which also shares continuity with the same franchise.

However, despite being an integral part of the two franchises, Simmons is yet to familiarize himself with the setting of these superhero spectacles. During a chat with Variety at the recent Critics Choice Awards, Simmons revealed,

With the complex multiversal cross-overs and changes and intersections in timelines, it’s tough to keep tabs for the performers to know where actually the film takes place in such a big franchise. Hence, we certainly don’t blame Simmons for not knowing anything about it.

It’s super cool to be, and for there to be room in the Marvel Universe, as we’ve seen, and in the DC Universe for these alternative universes or realities or whatever they are, I don’t know… I have no idea. They write a script and I learn the lines and the director says, ‘Stand over there.

Simmons’ Confusion With The Idea of Alternate Realities Is Viable

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Both MCU and DCEU are entangling a lot of stories altogether by bringing in characters from other film series set in a different timeline. The idea is to service the fans with their favorite iterations of these pop-culture comic-book icons, which is clearly working for the studios. While Marvel has already gone far into the concept with No Way Home and Loki, DC is planning to do it in a more extensive and complex manner with Andy Muschietti’s The Flash (2023). Furthermore, the gap between Simmons’ reprisal of his respective characters in the two franchises is significant, which, for an actor, leaves a lot of loops to fix. So, for an actor with a number of films on the plate, going the simple way and sticking to the script and director’s commands is the best way to tackle the role and keep the progression of the role consistent.

For now, Simmons’ future in the MCU is unknown, but one can rest assured that the actor may appear in the future Spider-Man installments, and maybe, the adjunct Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. As for his appearance in DCEU, Batgirl is the only confirmed casting of Simmons in the franchise. In the movie, there are speculations of him appearing in a younger version via digital de-aging, but nothing can’t be said with confirmation yet. As for his future DC appearances, you never know how Warner Bros. proceeds ahead with Batman’s lore in DCEU, wherein Gordon would be an essential inclusion.