After the immense success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was only a matter of time before DC tried to emulate that success with its own library of iconic superheroes. The DC Extended Universe started off with Superman’s origin story, which was a logical jumping-off point in theory, but divided fans with its bleak, gloomy tone in Zack Snyder’s execution.
Despite this controversy, Man of Steel made enough money at the box office for Warner Bros. to pull the trigger on a cinematic universe. The muddled ensuing franchise has given audiences some of the best and worst comic book movies in recent memory.
Updated October 26, 2022 by Mark Sammut: The DCEU has released its one-and-only movie for 2022, Black Adam. A solo project focusing on a character who is not as mainstream as most of the DCEU's prominent players, Black Adam has garnered something of a mixed reception, but how does it compare to other films in the universe? Does it rank among the best DCEU movies?
12 Suicide Squad (26%)
Release Date | August 5, 2016 |
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Audience Score | 58% |
Warner Bros. gave David Ayer six weeks to finalize the script for Suicide Squad, then got anxious about his movie’s dark tone when Batman v Superman underperformed at the box office and Deadpool defied all expectations to become a hit.
So, the studio butchered Ayer’s cut by hiring the editors of the well-received trailer to basically cut the whole movie like a feature-length trailer. The result flits between clunky exposition and incoherent action.
11 Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (29%)
Release Date | March 25, 2016 |
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Audience Score | 63% |
The hype surrounding a movie called Batman v Superman resulted in bitter disappointment when the movie itself turned out to be nowhere near as fun as a movie bearing that title promised to be.
After Warner Bros. got the bright idea to use BvS as a springboard to their own Marvel-esque cinematic universe for DC characters, Zack Snyder lost interest in telling a cohesive story and took the opportunity to fill the movie with J.J. Abrams-style “mystery box” teases like the Joker’s murder of Robin and the Flash’s brief visit from the DCEU’s future. The scenes that do serve the story, like the infamous “Save Martha!” moment, are even dumber.
10 Justice League (39%)
Release Date | November 17, 2017 |
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Audience Score | 68% |
Considering it suffered from one of the most troubled productions in film history, it’s a miracle that Justice League is even coherent, but it’s certainly not a good movie. Zack Snyder planned a dark, gloomy, mega-sized follow-up to BvS, but the negative reception to BvS gave Warner Bros. cold feet, so they told Snyder to keep his gigantic movie under two hours and give it a lighter tone.
After a personal tragedy forced Snyder to step down, Warner Bros. took the liberty of completely changing his movie. The studio brought on Avengers director Joss Whedon to cram in a bunch of Marvel-style jokes, resulting in a tonal disaster.
9 Black Adam (39%)
Release Date | October 21, 2022 |
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Audience Score | 90% |
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's DCEU debut has mostly fallen flat with critics, all the while garnering a positive reception from viewers. Black Adam finds Kahndaq's eponymous anti-hero awakening from a long slumbering to discover a city under the foot of an oppressive regime. Due to not being a "traditional" hero and possessing incredible power, Black Adam's existence attracts the attention of the Justice Society of America, who quickly show up to take away Kahndaq's potential savior.
Black Adam is a strange flick that suffers from some serious pacing issues. The second act can be especially tiresome as the story repeatedly hits the same beats before defaulting back to fight sequences. While its predecessor feels needlessly stretched out, the final act rushes through a couple of big moments, and this presentation causes a few things to fall flat. The acting is also all over the place, although Johnson and Pierce Brosnan both turn in fun performances as Black Adam and Doctor Fate respectively.
Criticisms aside, Black Adam is by no means awful. The battles are generally entertaining, and they even produce a couple of funny moments. The film provides Johnson with an opportunity to play a darker character than his typical roles, and the actor's physical charisma shines through despite Black Adam's lack of a sense of humor. Even though Cyclone and Atom Smasher are given nothing to do, the film handles the Justice Society of America well as a whole, presenting them as antagonists and even hypocrites while still retaining their heroic cores.
8 Man Of Steel (56%)
Release Date | June 14, 2013 |
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Audience Score | 75% |
Zack Snyder kicked off the DC Extended Universe by giving Superman’s origin story a dark, gritty Batman Begins-inspired reboot in Man of Steel. While Snyder’s creative decisions proved to be controversial among diehard Supes fans, Henry Cavill proved to be a perfect casting choice for the role.
Like Fant4stic and The Amazing Spider-Man, which were similarly influenced by Batman Begins, the dark tone of Man of Steel didn’t suit its property. The last thing the bright-eyed symbol of optimism that is Superman needs is a bleak, dreary, pessimistic movie.
7 Wonder Woman 1984 (58%)
Release Date | December 25, 2020 |
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Audience Score | 73% |
One of the more divisive entries in the DCEU, Wonder Woman 1984 is an entirely different experience from its predecessor. Set during the decade of hair metal, the film seems to take a page from '80s body swap movies, be it through Barbara Minerva's transformation into Cheetah or Steve Trevor's controversial return.
Unfocused, slow-paced, and packed with inconsequential scenes, Wonder Woman 1984 takes an incredibly long time to get going, with the titular character barely doing much of anything for the first hour. Pedro Pascal delivers a fun over-the-top performance as Maxwell Lord, but the rest of the movie is all over the place.
6 Aquaman (65%)
Release Date | December 21, 2018 |
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Audience Score | 73% |
Aquaman was the laughingstock of the DC Extended Universe until Zack Snyder cast Jason Momoa to play him. With his hulking physique and infinite coolness, Momoa made the king of Atlantis one of the world’s most popular superheroes overnight.
After Joss Whedon’s reshot version of Justice League bungled Arthur Curry’s characterization, James Wan came along to deliver a standalone movie with the globetrotting adventures of Indiana Jones and the large-scale battle sequences of The Lord of the Rings that went on to surpass The Dark Knight Rises to become the highest-grossing DC movie ever made.
5 Zack Snyder's Justice League (71%)
Release Date | May 18, 2021 |
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Audience Score | 94% |
The DCEU movie with the highest audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, Zack Snyder's Justice League is a sight better than the theatrical version. Clocking in at four hours, this is a truly epic film worthy of the Justice League name. Due to the project's length, both returning and new heroes are given room to breathe, with Cyborg and The Flash benefiting the most.
The director's cut is undoubtedly the best way to experience this story, as it not only does a far better job of introducing new characters to the audience but also features superior action and drama. This version even presents Steppenwolf as a decent villain.
4 Birds Of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn) (79%)
Release Date | February 7, 2020 |
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Audience Score | 78% |
While there are a couple of issues with the script, Birds of Prey was a huge improvement over Suicide Squad, basically by taking the one good thing from that movie (Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn) and getting rid of everything else, including her romantic connection to the Joker.
The main problem with Birds of Prey is that it doesn’t know if it wants to be a Harley Quinn solo movie or a team-up movie; it’s set up as the latter but seems desperate to be the former. It’s never a good sign when a studio renames a movie in the middle of its theatrical run.
3 The Suicide Squad (90%)
Release Date | August 6, 2021 |
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Audience Score | 82% |
Written and directed by James Gunn, The Suicide Squad brought a host of lesser-known DC characters to the big screen, a feat the movie accomplished without feeling bloated or disjointed. Boasting a serviceable narrative that facilitates the humor and action well, The Suicide Squad is simply fun, something that not every DCEU movie can claim to be.
With Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, Viola Davis, and John Cena, The Suicide Squad is overflowing with charisma, and Gunn's energetic direction permits each performer to shine. After the polarizing Wonder Woman 1984, the DCEU needed a runaway success, and The Suicide Squad more than delivered.
2 Shazam! (90%)
Release Date | April 5, 2019 |
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Audience Score | 82% |
After Zack Snyder got the DCEU off to a decidedly humorless start with Man of Steel and BvS, David F. Sandberg injected the franchise with some much-needed comedy with the zany, self-aware fun of Shazam!, in which a teenager is granted the ability to turn into an adult superhero by uttering the titular catchword.
Zachary Levi carried the whole movie as Billy Batson’s superpowered alter ego, bringing all the character’s immaturity, incompetence, and an irrepressible urge to have fun to his superhero form.
1 Wonder Woman (93%)
Release Date | June 2, 2017 |
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Audience Score | 83% |
Patty Jenkins was the perfect director to bring Wonder Woman to the screen. In stark contrast to the MCU’s overuse of bathos, Jenkins decided to excise the word “cheesy” from her vocabulary and took Diana Prince’s journey from Amazonian warrior to world-saving superhero seriously.
This paired well with Gal Gadot’s steadfast commitment to the role and resulted in the DCEU’s greatest entry. The “No Man’s Land” sequence is one of the most breathtaking set pieces in recent blockbuster memory.
Upcoming DCEU Movies Announced For 2023
The DCEU has taken things relatively slow in recent years, but the universe will be picking up steam in 2023. Four movies – two sequels and two new solo projects – are currently confirmed to launch by the end of next year.
Shazam! Fury Of The Gods
- Release Date: March 17, 2023
Billy Batson and the Shazam family will be heading on another action-comedy adventure with Fury of the Gods. Along with coming to grips with his own godly powers, Shazam now has to supervise a host of other children who can spontaneously transform into superheroes. The upcoming DCEU movie will introduce Helen Mirren as Hespera.
The Flash
- Release Date: June 23, 2023
After a couple of delays, The Flash looks set to officially debut in 2023. Taking inspiration from the iconic Flashpoint comic storyline, the DCEU movie will find Barry Allen messing around with time travel, a decision that has consequences. This concept also opens the door for characters from other timelines to make an appearance.
Blue Beetle
- Release Date: August 18, 2023
One of the risker solo projects in the DCEU, Blue Beetle brings an important but lesser-known character to the big screen. Originally intended for an HBO Max release, Blue Beetle eventually shifted to a theatrical production. The titular role will be performed by Xolo Mariduena of Cobra Kai and Parenthood fame.
Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom
- Release Date: December 25, 2023
The sequel to 2018's Aquaman, The Lost Kingdom will also be directed by James Wan and star Jason Momoa as the iconic hero. Quite a few characters from the first film will be returning for its successor, but little information has been provided regarding the sequel's direction or story.