The films of DC Universe Sometimes, there are some sudden changes in their dialogues, which doesn’t always work out over time. Compared to films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, films starring DC characters are much less sanitized as a whole, being generally edgier and more corrosive than their squeaky-clean competition. This means they tend to care less about making sure their dialogue has a good shelf life, with many quotes in various DC films aging quite poorly.
There are many different factors that can seriously age a DC film lineup in a short space of time. The DCEU films in particular have produced some one-liners, while the older films tend to feature some alarmingly awkward and unnecessarily sexually charged dialogue that seems strangely out of place in retrospect. Additionally, the DC films are full of false starts and promises of later expanded stories that never end up developing.
10
“Just the pussy I was looking for”
The Penguin, Batman Returns
Batman Returns it ranks relatively high compared to the quality of many other Batman films, but that doesn’t mean every aspect of it has stood the test of time well. The dynamic of the film’s two main villains, Catwoman and The Penguin, presents an interesting Beauty and the Beast dynamic between Michelle Pfeiffer’s sensual performance and Danny DeVito’s mutant sewer. That being said, their strange relationship becomes quite uncomfortable at times when the Penguin appears to be struggling to control his affections.
At one point, when meeting Catwoman, the Penguin growls “Just the pussy I was looking for“, making a weird sexually charged pun at Selina Kyle’s expense. This line is one of the places where the screenplay for Batman Returns aged heavier. It’s not that it’s unbelievable that a socially marginalized outcast like The Penguin would say such a thing, but Catwoman’s relative acceptance of the phrase and the strange wink at the audience it implies leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
9
“Joygasm!”
The Riddler, Batman Forever
The original Batman film quadrilogy continued its increasingly raunchy sensibilities with Batman forever. Here, Jim Carrey’s The Riddler is the main antagonist, prancing around the screen performing tricks with his cane in a questionably tight-fitting question mark-themed jumpsuit that leaves disturbingly little to the imagination. As fun as it is to watch some of Carrey’s ridiculous antics as the cartoon villain, he occasionally dips his toes into unnecessarily sexual waters.
Just as his complicated plan to blow up the Batcave begins to come to fruition, The Riddler celebrates his success with some pelvic thrusts in time with the surrounding explosions, followed by a strong groin grab. To cap off the over-the-top routine, Carrey pulls off an impressive cane trick before shouting “Joygasm!“, her full anatomy painfully visible through the skin-tight outfit. Why director Joel Schumacher insisted this part make the final cut will forever remain a vaulted mystery.
8
“What, are we some kind of… Suicide Squad?”
Deadshot, Suicide Squad
The DCEU is a graveyard of infamous lines that have since been memorized into ironic oblivion, especially in 2016’s case Suicide Squad. Still the DCEU’s worst-reviewed film to date, a large portion of Suicide SquadHis infamy was his dedication to cheesy one-liners, bad enough to age him exponentially within days of his film debut. Among the team of villains, Will Smith’s Deadshot might take the cake for the most cringe-worthy line in the entire film.
Giving in to the temptation to have a character clearly state the film’s title in dialogue, Suicide Squad Infamously, Deadshot reviews his circumstances with Rick Flagg. In his signature incredulous tone, Will Smith asks if he and the other inmates are literally a “Suicide Squad,” resulting in one of the most hilarious lines in DC film history. In addition to the cheesiness with which the quote ages the film, it is difficult to swallow Will Smith’s total lack of interest in what he is saying with the same standard performance he has delivered in dozens of other films.
7
“Prepare the Armada. We will use the old methods”
Darkseid, Zack Snyder’s Justice League
The last few DCEU films were particularly sad for the way they continually made empty promises of future stories that would never end up being manifested. One of the biggest was Darkseid’s invasion of Earth, an obvious reflection of the MCU’s treatment of Thanos a few years earlier. In Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Darkseid is given a large amount of screen time to tease his supposed future appearance as he recounts Steppenwolf’s failure to his general, DeSaad.
In doing so, Darkseid declares his intention to invade Earth the old-fashioned way after Steppenwolf’s plans fail, prompting DeSaad to “Ready the Armada”. This turned out to be an empty threat, as the DCEU ultimately collapsed long before Zack Snyder had a chance to realize his vision for Darkseid’s battle with the Justice League. It’s very disheartening to hear lines like this again after some time knowing that the future films they promised would never happen.
6
“To be clear… shouldn’t we have a league of our own?”
Lex Luthor, Justice League
Zack Snyder’s Justice League It was far from the only time a DCEU villain promised a major return to form, only for the franchise to fizzle out before such plans could manifest. Interestingly, the original cut of Justice League also introduced its own unfulfilled prophecy with a post-credits scene in which Lex Luthor meets Deathstroke. Released from captivity with a freshly shaved head, Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor meets with Joe Maganiello’s Deathstroke on a fancy yacht, discussing some business in his plans to assassinate Batman.
Here, Lex Luthor proposes to Deathstroke the idea of the two starting their own league in response to the formation of the Justice League. This is an obvious setup for the DCEU’s Legion of Doom, a cool concept for a future crossover film that would unfortunately never come to fruition. It’s sad to see Luthor’s line here, knowing that a unique idea for a superhero movie that hadn’t been done before was left on the table when the franchise came to an unceremonious end.
5
“I bought the bank”
Batman, Justice League
Occasionally, superhero movie lines can age poorly, not because of changing pop culture standards, tongue-in-cheek infamy, or the failed promise of future films, but because they simply refuse to make sense when thought more than one moment. A prime example of this is Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent’s aside at the end of Justice Leaguein which it is revealed that Wayne is helping to restore Kent’s damaged house. Previously, the farm had apparently been repossessed by a bank due to some financial difficulties on the part of the Kent family.
When Clark asks Bruce how he managed to get the house back from the bank, he simply replies “I bought the bank”. On paper, this is a cool line that showcases Bruce Wayne’s wealth, but the more you think about it, the less sense it makes. Even assuming Bruce Wayne is a multi-billionaire, buying a (supposedly) national bank would probably leave him destitute. It seems unlikely that Wayne’s enormous wealth would have prevented him from reclaiming the house without resorting to such drastic measures, making the quote make little sense in retrospect.
4
“Besides, who’s going to give you a chance?”
The Joker, Zack Snyder’s Justice League
If there’s one thing Zack Snyder’s superhero movies love to do, it’s drastically alter the tone with a shockingly dirty line. This follows the nightmare of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, in which the Joker and Batman establish an uneasy alliance. Closing the truce with a strange, sexually charged joke, Jared Leto’s Joker assures Batman that he won’t betray him in a dirty, crude way.
Admittedly, it’s not strange for the Joker to say something like that, especially in a situation as grim as an active apocalypse. However, there are allegations of sexual misconduct against Jared Leto (Image: Disclosure)through News week) which first appeared in 2005 and aged this line particularly badly coming from Leto’s character. Even though nothing substantial has come of the allegations, it’s an uncomfortable and awkward quote that only gets worse coming from Jared Leto.
3
“Black Adam… We should talk”
Superman, Black Adam
Of all of DC’s attempts to seed exciting future cinematic events, the comic book giant’s brief stint championing lesser-known Shazam villain Black Adam as a new main character was one of the strangest. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s star vehicle promised to forever alter the hierarchy of the DC universe, introducing a powerful antihero into the mix with Black Adam. The film was a critical and commercial failure, which only made the tease of a Superman and Black Adam crossover film in a post-credits scene even more depressing over time.
Apparently sent by Amanda Waller, Superman appears in the film’s final moments, dramatically emerging from the shadows to challenge Black Adam. The blatant attempt to promise more conflict to come aged the film tremendously, creating an embarrassing knock on an already subpar DCEU outing. Even more disheartening is realizing that this was Henry Cavill’s last cinematic appearance as Superman, who deserved better than such a painfully painful line teasing a future film that everyone knew would never be released.
2
“I just think he’s kind of hot”
Air Force Captain, Man of Steel
The first DCEU film, Man of Steel it was occasionally a little heavy-handed in its attempts to draw audiences into Superman’s newest cinematic incarnation. This can be seen in a tense standoff that Superman has with some members of the United States Air Force, shortly after destroying one of his surveillance drones in an attempt to find out where he lives. After Superman flies off, an Air Force captain has a stupid smile on her face.
When her commander asks what’s going on, Airwoman admits that she thinks Superman is hot. That line reeks of insecurity on the part of the film, desperately hoping to sell audiences to Henry Cavill’s Superman on at least a superficial level of mainstream appeal. A strange and unnecessary line that the film didn’t need to sell audiences on Cavill as one of the best live-action Superman actors, one would hope that real-life military leaders could act with a little more decorum when interacting with a alien force as powerful as Clark Kent.
1
“Hail Marta”
Superman, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
One of the most infamous lines in comic book history, “Hail Marta” quickly became a hilarious indictment of the DCEU as a whole. During the title fight of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Batman surprisingly manages to gain the upper hand over his powerful opponent thanks to a combination of a power suit and a kryptonite-tipped spear. As a last resort, Superman shouts his own mother’s name, which happens to be the same as Batman’s, giving the Dark Knight enough respite for the two to resolve their differences.
The convenience with which this line suddenly buries the hatchet between Batman and Superman has been widely ridiculed for good reason, getting more and more absurd as the years go by. Realizing that Martha Wayne and Martha Kent shared the same first name is an interesting premise on paper, but in execution, it totally falls flat as the touching moment of emotional realization that the film intends it to be. Over time, the “Save Martha” line only became even more consolidated Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justicethe place as an unequal CC film.
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