Summary
Throughout theDC Universe’shistory of film adaptations, there have been several instances of excellent casting choices that were perhaps the only good decisions in otherwise poor films. Given the cultural impact and visually spectacular nature of the genre, it is no surprise that DC’s various properties lend themselves well to film, with theatrical movies and film serials bringing the comic source material to the realm of live-action for decades. While many ofDC’s filmshave had a winning combination of compelling storytellingandactors, others may only be remembered for the latter.
The superhero genre was a risky curiosity for decades before films like 1978’sSupermanand 1989’sBatmanproved that the genre has far-reaching appeal and the potential to be an A-list movie category. Once superhero films became a dominant force in pop culture, DC saw massivesuccesses in films like 2017’sWonder Womanand 2018’sAquaman, with both films succeeding thanks to flawless casting, as well as storylines and character journeys that resonated with viewers. Unfortunately,some DC film adaptations over the decades are considered, divisive, forgettable, or simply bad films, save for one memorable casting decision.
How To Watch DCEU Movies In Order (By Release Date & Chronologically)
The DCEU’s timeline may be about to be rebooted in the DC Universe, but here’s how to watch the DCEU in release order or chronological order.
10Christopher Reeve As Clark Kent/Superman
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
Superman has been portrayed by a multitude of actors in live-action properties, andChristopher Reeve is still considered by many to be the best.1978’sSupermandid more than make people believe a man can fly, it also made people experience the joy, optimism, and large-scale epic of theSupermanmythos, owed in large part to Reeve’s performance as the titular hero. Reeve’s acting talents also proved the believability of Superman’s dual identity, with Reeve crafting two distinct performances for Clark Kent and Superman, convincingly portraying the two as separate people.
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, despite attempting to cover more serious subject matter with a story pitched by Christopher Reeve himself, is considered the worst in the franchise.
Sadly,the Richard Donner and Christopher ReeveSupermanfilm franchise saw a steep decline after its two widely successful outings.Superman IIIwas considered by many to have leaned too hard on the franchise’s comedic elements andSupergirlfailed to impress viewers.Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, despite attempting to cover more serious subject matter with a story pitched by Christopher Reeve himself, isconsidered the worst in the franchise.
Despite this, Christopher Reeve himself continued to be one of the film’s few successful elements, continuing to play the role of Superman excellently, even if the film itself failed.
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Cast
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace stars Christopher Reeve as the iconic superhero who takes on the global threat of nuclear weapons. Directed by Sidney J. Furie, the film features Gene Hackman reprising his role as Lex Luthor, who creates a new adversary for Superman in an attempt to achieve world domination. The movie examines themes of peace and conflict in the backdrop of Cold War tensions, continuing the legacy of the Superman franchise.
9Jim Carrey As The Riddler/Edward Nygma
Batman Forever (1995)
After the success of 1989’sBatman, its sequel,Batman Returns, gave director Tim Burton more creative control, resulting in a movie that – while popular today – was controversial in 1992.Returnswas a far darker and more frightening film than its predecessor, leading to backlash from parents who felt the film was unsuitable for children and Warner Bros continuing the series with a new director.
Joel Schumacher, who was far more familiar with theBatmancomics than Burton (and initially pitched aBatman: Year Oneadaptation) was tasked with makingBatman Forevera more family-friendly and marketable film thanReturns.
Foreverwas commercially successful, and although it gave Batman a far better character arc than either of Burton’s films,its intentionally prominent camp and more prominent comedy resulted in a film whose critical reception was far worse than the Burton films.Some viewers took issue with Tommy Lee Jones’s Two-Face, who lacked the seriousness and tragedy of his comic counterpart.
Jim Carrey’s Riddler, however, had quite a memorable performance as an over-the-top version of the classic Batman foe, with Carrey’s version being compared to Frank Gorshin’s Riddler from the classic 1960sBatmanTV show.
Joel Schumacher’s Batman Movies Aren’t As Terrible As People Think
Joel Schumacher’s Batman movies have a bad reputation, but they’re far better than people say- they represent a lighter side of the Batman mythos.
8Arnold Schwarzenegger As Mr Freeze
Batman & Robin (1997)
WhileBatman Foreverhad many redeeming qualities, Schumacher’s secondBatmanfilm,Batman & Robin, doubled down on the qualities that annoyed some viewers inForever.Batman & Robinwas a campier, more lighthearted, romp that doled out far more puns than its predecessor and put a far stronger focus on marketability than any previousBatmanfilm.While hardly the worst superhero film by today’s standards,Batman & Robin’stoyetic camp resulted in significant backlash from viewers, leading cast members, and even Joel Schumacher himself to apologize for the movie, though their apologies were wholly unnecessary.
TheBatmancomics have gone through incredibly lighthearted eras over the decades, soBatman & Robinwas not disrespectful to the source material.One of the film’s villains – Mr. Freeze– was certainly memorable, whether viewers loved or hated him.Arnold Schwarzenegger turned in perhaps the campiest performance in the film,serving as the source of most of the film’s many puns and chewing the scenery in all his scenes.
7Shaquille O’Neal As John Henry Irons/Steel
Steel (1997)
Along with Batman & Robin, 1997 also saw the release of another unsuccessful DC film adaptation:Steel.In the comics, John Henry Irons quickly became a beloved member of the DC pantheon, serving as a potential successor to Superman himself, following his death in the infamousDeath of Supermanstoryline.A film adaptation of theDeath of Supermanwas planned at one point, as was aSteelspinoff film, but Steel would, ultimately, be made with no attachment to anySupermanfilm franchise. Starring Shaquille O’Neal as John Henry Irons,Steelreimagined the character’s mythos severing his ties with Superman.
Steelwas, sadly, both a critical and commercial failure, with critics dismissing the movie as forgettable and cliché. Shaquille O’Neal himself was also criticized for his performance as Steel, yet his casting in and of itself was not necessarily a bad decision.Shaquille O’Neal has proven to be a talented actor in other films and TV shows,and would likely have been praised if he was given better material.
Steel
Steel is a 1997 film directed by Kenneth Johnson, featuring Shaquille O’Neal as John Henry Irons, a weapons designer who becomes a vigilante after his research is exploited by a ruthless arms dealer. With the help of his expertise in metallurgy and technology, Irons constructs a powerful suit of armor to fight for justice and protect his community from the dangerous weapons he helped create.
6Halle Berry As Patience Phillips/Catwoman
Catwoman (2004)
After the release ofBatman Returns, a Michelle Pfeiffer-led spinoff began development. The film entered development hell, however, after the release of the more family-friendlyBatman Forever. The film would finally be released in 2004, however, taking the place of a planned yet ultimately canceledBatman vs Supermanmovie.
2004’s Catwoman had little to do with Tim Burton’sBatmanuniverse and theBatmancomics themselves starringHalle Berry as an original version of Catwomannamed Patience Phillips, though the film does include an easter egg implying that it may have been set in the same continuity asReturns.
Halle Berry should have starred in a properCatwomanmovie that adapts the comics with better writing.
2004’sCatwomanis considered one of the worst superhero films of all time, with critics and viewers alike criticizing its lack of proper characterization for Catwoman and for its nonsensical story.Despite this, Berry’s casting was the only element ofCatwomanthat received praise.Ultimately, Halle Berry should have starred in a properCatwomanmovie that adapts the comics with better writing.
Catwoman
A cosmetics industry employee is murdered after discovering a dangerous secret about an anti-ageing product. However, an Egyptian cat saves her, giving her the power of speed and the senses of an agile feline.
5Keanu Reeves As John Constantine
Constantine (2005)
2005 saw the release of the widely successfulBatmanrebootBatman Begins, as well as the far less successfulConstantine. Due to its many differences from its comic source material and inconsistent writing,Constantinehad a mixed but ultimately negative reception, with many critics finding its premise laughable and creative choices questionable. Yet most critics nevertheless praised Keanu Reeves’s performance as the titular John Constantine.
Constantinemay have been a critical failure in 2005, but over the years it has become somewhat of a cult classic,which can be at least partially attributed to Reeves’s performance. As of 2023,a sequel toConstantinehas been in development, with Keanu Reeves expected to return as John Constantine. The sequel is currently expected to be an Elseworlds property, allowing it to coexist alongside the forthcoming DC Universe film franchise without being set in its continuity.
Constantine
Constantine follows John Constantine, a chain-smoking occult detective who has journeyed to Hell and back. Released in 2005, the film pairs him with a policewoman to investigate her twin sister’s mysterious suicide, taking them into a hidden world of demons and angels in modern Los Angeles.
4Brandon Routh As Clark Kent/Superman
Superman Returns (2006)
Set in a branching timeline that acknowledges the events of Richard Donner’sSupermanandSuperman IIbut ignoresSuperman IIIandThe Quest for Peace, 2006’sSuperman Returnsis clearly meant to be a full-length homage and love letter to the original Christopher Reeve films.Returnsgoes to great lengths to replicate the look and feel of Donner’sSupermanand slightly update it for more modern audiences, butthe film, ultimately, lacks the originality and earnestness of the Donner films, resulting in a boring and lifeless replica of betterSupermanmovies.
WhileSuperman Returnsis a rather forgettable movie overall, it is incredibly well cast, with Brandon Routh in particular being a phenomenal live-actionSuperman.Routh conveys most of the same endearing qualities of Christopher Reeve’s Superman but simply lacked material worthy of his performance.Routh would get another chance at playing the role, however, in the Arrowverse’sCrisis on Infinite Earthsevent.
3Ryan Reynolds As Hal Jordan/Green Lantern
Green Lantern (2011)
2011’sGreen Lanternwas intended to initiate a DC shared movie universe to compete with the successful Marvel Cinematic Universe It was, unfortunately, a massive critical and commercial failure.Green Lanternwas an undercooked film that failed to capture the compelling dramaand epic space opera-like qualities of theGreen Lanterncomic mythos, and its failure even led to the cancelation ofGreen Lantern: The Animated Series, a phenomenalGreen Lanternadaptation meant to promote the live-action film.
Green Lanternstarred Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, with Reynolds doing the best he could with sub-par material. This, combined with his controversial iteration of Deadpool in 2009’sX-Men Origins: Wolverine, left him with a poor track record in superhero adaptations,yet he would finally see success in the genre in 2016’sDeadpool. While Hal Jordan will not reappear in a live-action property until the release of the DCU’sLanterns, Reynolds’ performances as the post-2016Deadpoolare beloved, with Reynolds even mockingGreen Lanternin two of theDeadpoolmovies.
2Margot Robbie As Harley Quinn
2016’s Suicide Squad is considered by many viewers to be one of the worst films in the DC Extended Universe.Based on the popular team of supervillains and anti-heroes of the same name,Suicide Squadattempted to bring a chaotic, lighthearted, energy to the DCEU as it built toward itsJustice Leaguefilm, but it became a critical failure due to its underdeveloped characters and disjointed plot. One of the film’s casting choices, however, would prove to be incredibly popular.
Robbie’s iteration of Harley Quinn co-starred in two more DCEU films and some viewers predict that she might even continue to portray Quinn in the DCU.
Margot Robbie brought the iconic supervillain Harley Quinn to life inSuicide Squad, with her performance being one of the few elements of the film that was consistently praised. Naturally,this led her to be one of the fewSuicide Squadcharacters whose role was expanded in the DCEU. Robbie’s iteration of Harley Quinn co-starred in two more DCEU films and some viewers predict that she might even continue to portray Quinn in the DCU, though Robbie herself has suggested that she will not reprise the role.
1Jurnee Smollett As
Birds of Prey
AlthoughBirds of Preyis one of the better-received installments in the DCEU, the film was a commercial failure. The film adapted another popular DC superhero team and saw the return of Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, but its failure might have been due to its connection to the unpopularSuicide Squad, its underwhelming marketing campaign, and possibly general audiences’ unfamiliarity with the titular team. In any case, the film not only saw the welcome return of Robbie’s Harley Quinn but also the DCEU debut of Black Canary, played by Jurnee Smollett.
Black Canary’s character arc inBirds of Preysees her grow from a singer in Roman Sionis’s nightclub to the popular hero viewers are familiar with from DC’s comics. Smollett’s endearing performance resulted in the development of aBlack Canaryspin-off movie, which was still in development as of August 2022. With theDC Universeset to partially reboot the DCEU in late 2024, it seems unlikely that a Jurnee Smollett-ledBlack Canaryfilm will be released, however.
