The films that adapt the heroes of DC Universe I've seen many characters make decisions that have aged poorly. Even before the start of the DCEU film timeline, DC film adaptations were bringing DC Comics heroes to life on the big screen. Featuring several iconic characters such as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, films set in the DC Universe feature some of the most recognizable characters in pop culture.
However, these characters don't always make the best decisions. The DCEU films have seen many characters make certain choices that turn out to be terrible in the long run, or be seen differently years later as part of the ever-changing cultural landscape of modern society. Well-intentioned or not, each of them has come to be considered a bad choice in retrospect, making these 10 DC movie decisions age incredibly poorly.
10
Waller Choosing to Enlist Villains Instead of Heroes
Suicide Squad (2016)
Of all the DCEU's post-credits scenes, one of the most moving saw Bruce Wayne interacting with Amanda Waller after the events of Suicide Squad. The scene tied 2016 to the DCEU, establishing him as part of the franchise and subtly teasing that Ben Affleck's Batman could face off against Jared Leto's Joker at some point in the future. However, it also highlights how ridiculous Waller's decision to form Task Force X was.
The scene reveals that Waller knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman, and that she also has influence over other metahumans, including the Flash. This raises the question of why she would recruit wildly unpredictable criminals to do her bidding.especially as the scheme got out of control. The decision to do so ended up aging poorly, as it worked even more against Waller than for her, and Suicide SquadThe post-credits scene confirmed that she did indeed have more reliable options.
9
Black Adam taunting Superman
Black Adam (2022)
Another DCEU setup taking place after the events of its film arrive Black AdamHenry Cavill's post-credits scene, which featured the triumphant return of Henry Cavill's Superman. The scene saw Black Adam facing off against Superman, with the former goading the latter and teasing a future fight between the two powers. Shortly after Black AdamUpon release, the scene aged remarkably poorly.
Not long after Cavill's long-awaited return as Superman, it was announced that the DCEU would be rebooted and that he would no longer play the role. Black Adam's decision to goad Superman not only seemed reckless at the time, but it also led to nothing, causing him to age poorly in a meta sense. Even worse, the tease of Cavill's return was also never paid off, making even the decision to include the scene age poorly even within months Black Adamlaunch.
8
Jonathan Kent telling Clark not to save him
Man of Steel (2013)
Man of Steel began the DCEU with a Superman origin story, establishing DC's most iconic hero right off the bat. While Henry Cavill's first appearance as Zack Snyder's Superman was largely well-received by audiences, one specific decision made by a character in the film has aged especially poorly. At the beginning of the film, young Clark Kent is forced to watch his father die, all because the older Kent didn't want Clark to expose his abilities to the world.
Not only does Clark debut as Superman a few years later, but the decision to give his life to protect Clark's secret has been exposed as absurd over time. The more the audience scrutinized the moment, the more it became evident that Clark could have easily saved his father without revealing his identity. Not only does it seem like a frustrating plot hole, but it also makes Pa Kent's decision look particularly bad in hindsight. Man of Steel.
7
Batman trying to kill Superman
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
The DCEU Introduced Its Batman in The Division Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justicepitting the two DC heroes against each other on the big screen. A decision made by the franchise's Dark Knight at the beginning of the film has aged especially poorly within the franchise. After witnessing the destruction of Metropolis, Bruce Wayne swears revenge on Kryptonians, including Superman himself. The decision to do this proved to be incredibly naive in later films.
By the film's end, the heroes are able to reconcile their differences anyway, making Batman's hasty vow of revenge seem distinctly fragile. However, after Superman's death at the hands of Doomsday, it is up to Batman and his fellow heroes to bring Superman back to life as they need his help to fight Steppenwolf. All of this makes Batman's desire to kill Superman seem especially ridiculous, and his decision ages poorly as a result.
6
Trusting Catwoman to help against Bane
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Christopher Nolan Dark Knight The trilogy remains one of the most beloved in the superhero genre and is widely celebrated as one of the best film trilogies ever made. The final entry in the three-film arc, The Dark Knight Risessees the introduction of Catwoman in Nolan's Gotham. Shortly after meeting her, Batman makes the reckless decision to trust the career criminal he caught stealing his late mother's jewelry.
The plan predictably backfires when Catwoman betrays Batman's trust and delivers the hero directly into Bane's clutches. His selfish nature was clear from the start, and Batman made the unusual choice to let his guard down. Even though Catwoman proved trustworthy in the end, her betrayal at the beginning of the film makes Batman's decision to trust her seem like incredibly poor judgment on his partaging poorly once she was able to betray him to save herself.
5
Leaving to go to Krypton
The Return of Superman (2006)
Launched in 2006, The Return of Superman is one of the most forgotten chapters in the hero's cinematic history. This status is unfair, as the film has significant merit, although one of the titular hero's decisions ages significantly over the course of the film. The Return of Superman begins with Superman arriving once again on Earth after investigating the location where scientists believe they found the remains of Krypton. The adventure that follows leads him to meet Lois Lane's fiancé, Richard, and her son, Jason.
As if losing a future with the woman he loved didn't make his decision to leave old bad enough, the later revelation that Jason is, in fact, Superman's own son makes it that much worse. Superman's choice to leave Earth meant he missed the birth of his son and the opportunity to build a life with Lois, all for the sake of experiencing her destroyed home world. Through no fault of his own, Superman's decision ultimately proved to be terrible.
4
Manipulating Batman and Superman to fight
Lex Luthor, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Of all the many live-action versions of Lex Luthor, Jesse Eisenberg's remains one of the least popular. A lack of comedic accuracy and poorly conceived writing are most often cited as the reasons, although the character also makes some incredibly bad decisions during his brief appearance in the DCEU. It is revealed that Luthor is pulling Batman and Superman's strings, hoping to encourage the former to kill the latter.
What makes Luthor's decision age so poorly is his reaction to Superman's death, even after being directly responsible for it. He announces that Superman's defeat has left Earth vulnerable, lamenting the evil that is supposedly to come. What is more, his decision to become involved in Batman and Superman's lives leads to his capture and imprisonmentmaking the decision age poorly on almost every front imaginable for the unpopular version of the DCEU's iconic supervillain.
3
Batman revealing his identity to Rachel
Batman Begins (2005)
Batman begins serves as an incredible origin story for the eponymous vigilante, with Christian Bale bringing the Dark Knight to life in a way few could have imagined before his release. The film's ending shows him subtly revealing his identity to his love interest and childhood friend Rachel, quoting his own line of dialogue from earlier in the film after saving her life as Batman. However, the decision to do so led to some rather unpleasant and unforeseen circumstances.
Rachel's knowledge of Bruce's identity was what prevented her from becoming romantically involved with him, as revealed in the letter she left for him after her death. However, he also saw her protect him from the Joker in The Dark Knightcatching the villain's attention in the process. This is an important part of what led the Joker to kidnap and kill Rachel, which means that Bruce's decision to reveal his identity to her indirectly caused his death.
2
Refusing to save Jesse Kane
Aquaman (2018)
The DCEU's Aquaman was one of the franchise's most popular heroes, as Jason Momoa's charismatic performance complemented the innovative writing to make him one of the DCEU's most exciting figures. However, a decision the character makes at the beginning of his first solo film ended up aging him incredibly poorly, haunting him throughout his history in the franchise. While saving a submarine attacked by pirates, Aquaman finds himself fighting David and Jesse Kane.
When the latter is injured in the fight, Aquaman refuses to save their lives, leaving the duo to die. David manages to escape, swearing revenge on the hero and adopting the mantle of Black Manta. If Aquaman had simply chosen to save Jesse's life, he would never have made an enemy of his son. Not only was the decision to let them die decidedly unheroic, it backfired on Aquaman in a major way.
1
Bruce Wayne saving “Ducard” from fire
Batman Begins (2005)
Batman begins followed idealistic young Bruce Wayne as he developed the Batman persona to fight crime in Gotham, but not before receiving extensive training from the League of Shadows. Unwilling to take a life, Bruce accidentally sets fire to his headquarters, but stops to save the life of his mentor, Ducard, in his escape. Doing so ended up being one of the worst decisions made in DC film history.
Ducard turned out to be none other than Ra's al Ghul, the leader of the League of Shadows and the man who intended to destroy Gotham. This caused his plan to attack the city to come to fruition, forcing Batman to stop him and ultimately cause his death anyway. It also indirectly led to Bane's attack on Gotham in The Dark Knight Risesmeaning that if Bruce had simply left his mentor to die, he could have avoided later conflict and collateral damage. As such, it is one of the worst age decisions in the history of DC Universe.
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