The DC Extended Universe Ranked
The DC Extended Universe (DCEU, an unofficial name) was the result of an apparently spontaneous attempt on Warner Bros.’ part to compete with Disney’s immensely popular and (mostly) consistently entertaining Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). These “shared-universe” comic book franchises have fairly been criticized for their dominance of the motion picture industry. But for as much as I intellectually recognize the issues presented by these kinds of films, I also grew up with comic books, and in my need-for-comfort moments, many superhero blockbusters will do. However, much of the DCEU does not fit that bill. I wrote “spontaneous” earlier because this cinematic universe seems to have been put together hodge-podge, unlike the (nefariously and?) finely orchestrated MCU. In fact, the films of the DCEU have done enough to put me off DC’s comic book universe as well, making Marvel my preferred juvenile escapism between the Big Two of Comics. Nevertheless, it’s a marginal distinction in media away from the movies, and I’m always hopeful for good things coming from the DCEU. I’m usually disappointed, and with its future uncertain as multiple actors seem to be stepping away or distancing themselves from their roles (I’m looking at Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck especially), and other films in apparently constant development hell, the series probably won’t end up redeeming itself on the whole. So let’s get to the (mostly) pans.
EDIT 8/12/21: Added THE SUICIDE SQUAD. I still haven’t watched “The Snyder Cut” of JUSTICE LEAGUE.
EDIT 3/17/22: Added THE BATMAN. Yes, I know it’s not actually part of the DCEU, but it’s part of this whole trend of recent DC movies. Also, fine, I watched ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE, so that’s on the list.
EDIT 10/26/22: Added BLACK ADAM.
EDIT 3/23/23: Added SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS.
EDIT 6/21/23: Added THE FLASH.
EDIT 8/24/23: Added BLUE BEETLE.
EDIT 2/29/24: Added AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM.
#18 — WONDER WOMAN 1984 (2020)
D: Patty Jenkins
Recency bias is a hell of a thing, in either direction. But I have a feeling much more than a week after I watched WONDER WOMAN 1984, which was highly anticipated by me, on Christmas Day, I will not think much more highly of this really sloppy film. With the original WONDER WOMAN, Patty Jenkins had made something inspiring in spite of the ongoing cynicism surrounding comic book movies and blockbusters. With WONDER WOMAN 1984, Jenkins made an absolutely shallow and offensive appeal to wish fulfillment. It’s hard sometimes to know how much “auteur theory” to chalk up to these massive productions, but I will lay a significant amount of blame on Jenkins, if I also give her praise for WONDER WOMAN; I understand she fought to keep 1984’s nonsense introductory sequence in the film. Because the movie wasn’t long enough! Really, there’s a whole lot wrong with WONDER WOMAN 1984, a whole lot that many have written about very recently and that I myself could turn out into a full piece in its own regard. Let me leave you with this: WONDER WOMAN 1984 fails to make any of its “compelling” moments, whether serious, sad, or funny, mean anything.
#17 — JUSTICE LEAGUE (2017)
D: Zack Snyder, Joss Whedon
There’s no way “The Snyder Cut” will make JUSTICE LEAGUE a good film, probably not even a tolerable one. This is a rushed accumulation of characters who, for the most part, hadn’t been given any or enough time to be developed in their own films or, God forbid, in the movie itself. Joss Whedon’s contributions to JUSTICE LEAGUE, which he took over directing after a personal tragedy hit Zack Snyder’s life, only muddied the water for fans hoping there’s a good version of this movie somewhere. Well, they’re going to get a new version of it, sure, but it won’t fix the inherent story structure, pacing, and character problems that define JUSTICE LEAGUE.
#16 — SUICIDE SQUAD (2016)
D: David Ayer
SUICIDE SQUAD is a(nother) perfect example of how the DCEU was messed up from the get-go. The third film in the series was a team-up “adventure” with a relatively obscure, yet cult favorite, group. I mean, at least GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014) came out after THE AVENGERS (2012). But of course, the bigger issue is that the Oscar-winning (!) SUICIDE SQUAD is just bad. It has a lot of the same issues JUSTICE LEAGUE has, actually; none of SUICIDE SQUAD’s characters are especially well-explored, but I guess I don’t want solo movies for them either (but we got one for Harley Quinn, I’ll get to that). SUICIDE SQUAD also has a batch of relatively good actors delivering just incredibly bad lines with incredibly bad aplomb. If it’s better than JUSTICE LEAGUE, it’s only because SUICIDE SQUAD has some more color to it and out-and-out ridiculous, faux-edgy moments.
#15 — BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016)
D: Zack Snyder
I’m really sad that Zack Snyder was the guiding hand for the whole vibe of the DCEU. That was my sentiment after I walked out of BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE. On its face, it was already strange that this new universe’s Batman would be introduced in a pseudo-sequel to MAN OF STEEL, but also a Batman story, but also a JUSTICE LEAGUE 0.5. What a mess. But I must admit, the premise of bringing a Frank Miller-DARK KNIGHT RETURNS (1986) version of Batman onto film was promising. An older, more violent, grizzled version of Batman, portrayed by Ben Affleck, didn’t have to miss the point so. But it did, and so we have Batman’s crusade against Superman in this way. Henry Cavill and Affleck are better here than they were in JUSTICE LEAGUE, so that’s something.
#14— AQUAMAN (2018)
D: James Wan
I’m not really certain why I hear sometimes that AQUAMAN is one of the best DCEU films so far, relatively funnier and brighter than its peers. Well, sure, it’s kind of brighter. I do appreciate the underwater designs of creatures and technology. But I feel like the movie doesn’t go far enough! It’s like WONDER WOMAN 1984; its marketing really leaned into how different it was from the preconception of the DCEU, but it really ended up just marginally more cheesy. AQUAMAN is lighter fare, but it still doesn’t match the promise of the lesser MCU movies or the comic book films of the ’90s or 2000s. Also, do all of these movies have to be over two hours long!?
#13 — ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE (2021)
D: Zack Snyder
I resisted watching “The Snyder Cut” of the terrible JUSTICE LEAGUE when it was officially released in its uncut four hour long form officially as ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE. It came after an intense fan campaign that at its best was hopeful that Snyder had actually made a great movie that Joss Whedon had ruined and at its worst was a classic example of toxic fandom. In any event, Snyder’s epic vision after the much maligned “Whedon Cut” was not able to restore the movie into a wholly enjoyable and worthwhile one. ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE gets the deism and mythology inherent to the DC universe, and to be fair, his version does present a cohesion that was not found in the movie’s original form. Snyder’s cut improves effects and its shots are better composed, presumably augmented by some post-production lighting that actually serves to prevent much of the movie entering CG sludge territory. But it’s not able to solve the problems inherent to the movie’s wrongheaded grittiness, depiction of Batman, exposition-heavy structure, and ultimately, not many moments of compelling performances. ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE is undoubtedly better than the compromised 2017 release, but it’s a complicated mess that makes it hard for me to ever want to return to its scope.
#12 — AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM (2023)
D: James Wan
AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM being an improvement over the first AQUAMAN does not exactly make it a masterpiece. Those improvements are in littler things, like the new creative designs of the aquatic civilization and its creatures. But because the movies are the way they are right now, those designs are not always rendered brilliantly because of dodgy CG, which looks just as goofy in depicting the underwater motion of the human actors. Patrick Wilson is the MVP (besides the little-seen but always reliable Temuera Morrison) and the joking chemistry between him and Jason Momoa is fine, even if the star is…definitely not good in this (or maybe much else at this time). But all this is essentially moot because of the terribly bland dialogue and story structure and the way every single blockbuster film is distilled into the worst edit you’ve ever seen, with no pacing or heft or appealing continuity to even the simplest of interactions like, well, a conversation. AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM as the end to the DCEU in the strictest terms of Warner Bros’ shared universe of the past decade is fittingly mediocre.
#11 — BLACK ADAM (2022)
D: Jaume Collet-Serra
After fans lobbied for Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson to play Black Adam for what feels like decades, they finally got their wish with Jaume Collet-Serra’s contribution to the DCEU. Collet-Serra immediately distinguishes it from the CGI mess of other movies in the series and his last work (Disney’s JUNGLE CRUISE [2021]) with a stark eye and lighting that make the action legible in a way that many of these movies don’t achieve. But then the movie progresses and the Rock’s brick wall performance as the vengeful “antihero” title character sees him evaporating a bunch of mercenaries and tussling with Hawkman over and over. Hand in hand with the overlong “progression” of the story is a loosening of the grip that defined BLACK ADAM’s earlier moments and their visual strength. But there is entertainment to be found in this movie that “changes the hierarchy of power in the DC universe forever” or whatever. From the perspective of this big Doctor Fate fan, Pierce Brosnan delivers a suitably impressive portrayal, even if the ultimately offhanded integration of the Justice Society feels underwhelming and deserving of a different treatment. These “universe” implications shouldn’t be the total evaluation of a movie in and of itself, but these elements aren’t particularly exciting regardless. I found BLACK ADAM to be, fittingly, an OK “darker” inverse of the early 2000s comic book movie evocation that was SHAZAM!, its angsty-er approach and lame central performance dragging it much below its cousin.
#10 — THE FLASH (2023)
D: Andy Muschietti
So much has been made about Ezra Miller’s criminal activity and THE FLASH’s dismal box office opening that it’s almost hard for me to see what the movie is to me. Perhaps I shouldn’t because of Miller’s involvement and the fact that THE FLASH is just part of a whole “cape movie” downturn and a fittingly mediocre semi-swan-song for the DCEU. But in watching the film from Andy Muschietti, who I know can do better, I was entertained as often as I was put off by the film’s consistently repugnant visual effects, a product of the overworked graphics artist industry I’m sure, and jokes that fall real flat. The multiversal nostalgia bomb in conjunction with other major characters’ inclusion in a so-called “solo movie” also needs to reined in. It’s getting to be too much. Even still, by the standards of the DC movies that have preceded it, THE FLASH comes in at a middling spot, a testament to just how unappealing many of those prior movies are.
#9 — MAN OF STEEL (2013)
D: Zack Snyder
Right in the middle of the pack is the movie that started it all, knowingly or not: MAN OF STEEL. It took three years for the sophomore release in the DCEU to follow it, and within its bubble, MAN OF STEEL was an adequate blockbuster. The gritty approach to most any comic property doesn’t often speak to me, and Superman most of all, but I thought Cavill’s portrayal sympathetic and the film’s visuals spectacular at times (even with the color drained out of them, as Snyder is wont to do). MAN OF STEEL is still not…I mean, I don’t think I can call it a “good” movie. It’s OK.
#8 — SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS (2023)
D: David F. Sandberg
SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS is a disappointment, it’s true. But this sequel’s dip in quality doesn’t always obscure its success as a totally enjoyable time at the theater. Its jokes don’t always totally land and fights with the big bads feel a bit protracted so that the movie hits the over two-hour cape movie mark, but the script still yields some funny moments, while Sandberg has enough of a handle on legible action, unlike some of his peers in the blockbuster space right now. Zachary Levi’s performance wears a little thin, but Jack Dylan Grazer is still the standout comedic force. The recurrence of a very obvious product placement is somewhat outrageous, but the family dynamic, while often cheesy, is mostly heartfelt and charming. Ultimately, FURY OF THE GODS is a movie of contradictions, weakening it as a full commitment to a quality, earnest counter within today’s superhero space.
#7 — JOKER (2019)
D: Todd Phillips
And here we come to something that inspires more fiery thoughts in me. While not technically part of the DCEU, I’ve included JOKER here as something that is part of this era of DC moviemaking and is also indicative of the direction I think Warner Bros. will go in more and more (THE BATMAN [2022] is another example). JOKER exists in a universe apart, and takes a “grounded” look at the origin story of the Clown Prince of Crime, Batman’s nemesis, the titular Joker. My issue, from the get-go, is that Joker is so compelling a villain because you never exactly know where he’s coming from. THE KILLING JOKE (1988) handled a Joker background perfectly because it left the door open as to whether the man actually told the truth; but then, I don’t expect Todd Phillips, the director of THE HANGOVER movies, to match the nuance of Alan Moore. Far be it from me to gatekeep comedy directors from drama (let alone the fact that I have no power in the matter), but Phillips especially displayed a lack of subtlety and understanding of his own characters and subject matter. His Scorsese echoes ring hollow, and there are all kinds of icky personal politics all over the thing. And yet, JOKER is more impressive a film than much of the DCEU, and its performances stronger. It is almost nominally placed at #4, much more resembling a potent film even while it acts as a pale imitation of the greats it so clearly wants to be among.
#6 — THE SUICIDE SQUAD (2021)
D: James Gunn
The narrative of THE SUICIDE SQUAD (pulling a THE PREDATOR [2018] versus PREDATOR [1987] thing) was nearly established before it even came out. And ultimately, it is in fact a much better semi-sequel pseudo-reboot of Ayer’s infamous movie, capturing the spirit of the comics more effectively and providing a much more fun, post-modern, ironic, and gore-splattered experience in the process. In spite of whatever impact on box office numbers COVID/HBO Max availability is having on THE SUICIDE SQUAD, James Gunn’s do-over has already hit the top of DCEU lists like this one. Among the malaise of DC and Warner Bros.’ comic book movies of the past eight years, THE SUICIDE SQUAD, like the movies to follow on this list, stands out as a detour from the template set by Disney’s MCU. What I mean is that THE SUICIDE SQUAD embraces a sensibility that could be seen in superhero movies of the 2000s; it only briefly sketches a universe outside its plot, and that’s totally OK. We don’t need a whole lore dump of who King Shark is or why there’s a humanoid weasel running around. In that sense, THE SUICIDE SQUAD has moved past the movies it follows in the footsteps of; it doesn’t rehash origin stories, although of course, it is essentially a sequel that assumes you have some idea of what its titular group is. But even if you don’t, the beginning of the movie cleverly communicates what’s at stake for this band of misfits by quickly eviscerating a different team of terrible, deep cut villains. That introductory sequence quickly establishes that we’re dealing with an R-rated version of Gunn’s instincts with the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY movies. THE SUICIDE SQUAD is full of action sequences set to popular music, with characters who kind of hate each other at first, and who ultimately learn to work together. The over-the-top violence and nihilistic humor that is added to Gunn’s formula from his Disney forays are much better executed than they were in Ayer’s predecessor, but THE SUICIDE SQUAD still wearies with its central aesthetic. It’s also not as cohesive in its approach to its characters as the movies to follow on this list, but I suppose that’s the danger of ensemble movies. Even still, Gunn is able to impart an emotional core that, while never transcendent, makes these ridiculous people likable. David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man is the MVP of the movie.
#5 — BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN) [2020]
D: Cathy Yan
BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN), as you can probably tell from its ridiculous name, is another attempted course-correction from the Snyder-dominated vibe of the DCEU’s earliest movies. This ostensible Harley Quinn solo movie is also another team-up film (one of four that make up the 9-movie DCEU [not including JOKER]), again with another relatively obscure group that movie audiences probably aren’t too familiar with. But sure, BIRDS OF PREY does focus primarily on Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, who is a more sympathetic and funny character than she was in SUICIDE SQUAD. Because, yes, BIRDS OF PREY is a decent little movie. Cathy Yan did a good job of taking what was meant to be the edge of SUICIDE SQUAD and translating it into a didactic but appreciated female empowerment story. There are good action scenes here, and colorful ones at that, anchored by Robbie in opposition to Ewan McGregor’s absolutely bonkers villain. I love Pedro Pascal, but his performance in WONDER WOMAN 1984 was meant to be as off-kilter as McGregor is in BIRDS OF PRETY. And indeed, the whole cast of the movie is pretty good, with support from Rosie Perez and Ella Jay Basco being especially welcome counters to the rest of the over-the-top insanity. It’s uneven as a continuation of earlier DCEU themes and a reevaluation of comic book fun on film, but BIRDS OF PREY is far and away among the most entertaining installments in the series.
#4 — BLUE BEETLE (2023)
D: Ángel Manuel Soto
Look, the standards of the DCEU are so low, and my and many’s collective exhaustion with “cape movies” so high, that it’s not exactly an ultimate achievement for BLUE BEETLE to rank this highly. But amid convoluted multiversal storytelling and “solo” movies laden with other superpowered individuals, Ángel Manuel Soto’s origin story is comfortably “old-fashioned.” Like the next film on this list, BLUE BEETLE operates like some of the superhero movies of a couple decades earlier, and that somehow feels fresh again. I really liked the New 52 comics reboot of the titular character and the elements this movie borrows from that run are mostly remixed quite well. At its center is the likable and tight-knit Mexican-American family, with a tragic event actually feeling weighty because of the humor and heart built quickly into the story and images of racialized violence Soto, if not subtly, then relatively powerfully uses. It’s not like BLUE BEETLE is some revolutionary allegory, but it’s satisfying to see a little bit of emotional heft in a landscape of barren films. The visual effects are suitably reined in, with no overtly bad results that in other movies could be attributed to extreme digital artist overwork (although of course I’m not totally sure of the circumstances on this movie). The villains are somewhat bland, and the performance of Xolo Mariduena as Jaime Reyes isn’t exactly scene-stealing (that honor goes to George Lopez), but the colorfulness and charming simplicity of BLUE BEETLE makes it a definite joy compared to the slogs present throughout the DCEU.
#3 — SHAZAM! (2019)
D: David F. Sandberg
#1 and #2 for this list are nearly interchangeable, for different reasons. At #2, though, is SHAZAM!, a welcome ode to the superhero films of the early 2000s. The DNA of Sam Raimi’s SPIDER-MAN trilogy can be felt especially. One scene is eerily similar to Doc Ock’s murderous scene in SPIDER-MAN 2 (2004), which also makes sense considering Raimi and David F. Sandberg’s roots in horror. But SHAZAM! is not horrifying in the least. It’s a heartwarming and funny origin story that evades rote territory if only because of its strong writing and solid, core performances from Zachary Levi and Jack Dylan Grazer (the latter a constant delight). “If only;” I mean that SHAZAM!’s origin story approach is not new, but it’s been out of vogue for a hot minute, and by now, it feels refreshing again. It may be no coincidence that SHAZAM! is also the most removed from the Universe of the DC Extended Universe, and while it can’t be said it’s among the best superhero films of the past few years, SHAZAM! is a consistently fun watch and an impressive achievement among the failures of its peers.
#2 — WONDER WOMAN (2017)
D: Patty Jenkins
So now you can see why 1984’s failure stings so much. That sequel is a far cry from the power of its original; indeed, as far as is possible within the DCEU. But with the first WONDER WOMAN, Patty Jenkins was able to transport the character into an era to which she did not originally belong, and indeed an era that is not often covered within blockbuster or comic book films. Wonder Woman’s “adventure” through World War I, the war to end all wars, had its share of comic relief moments among a greater, humane message that I believe 1984 was trying to emulate. I have learned I am a sucker for war movies to some extent, not because I love the violence, but because I am impressed by the weight of war. So this story, resolved disappointingly to be sure, holds a weight that puts it just over the impact of SHAZAM!, a perfectly fun superhero movie. I am not inclined to say that WONDER WOMAN is some kind of incredible film, commenting with nuance on the horrors of war. But I do think it transposes the superhero film structure into the narrative of The Great War to lend its central character a strong purpose and a sense of isolation that other DCEU movies could not hope to have, set as they are within a world with other costumed adventurers. And so WONDER WOMAN is, as dubious an achievement as it is, the crowning achievement of the DCEU.
#1 — THE BATMAN (2022)
D: Matt Reeves
As I said in my note, I understand THE BATMAN is not part of the DCEU. The way things are going with these comic book movie universes, though, Robert Pattinson’s version of the iconic character will end up fighting alongside Ezra Miller’s Flash, or something. But I sure hope that doesn’t happen, because director Matt Reeves was able to create a standalone world and story (although a sequel would be welcomed) that both satisfies the typical Batman experience and deconstructs the character for film. The “typical Batman experience” is actually in reference to some of the great grounded comic book storylines, because I don’t think this vibe has ever been brought to the movies. Even Christopher Nolan’s THE DARK KNIGHT [2008](a better movie, but slightly), renowned for its grittiness and “realistic” approach, feels over-the-top by comparison. Reeves pulls from great detective and mystery dramas of the past 20 years to make a Batman movie that seems to really get the loneliness and even the failures of the character. Pattinson delivers a nuanced performance (although his Bruce-Wayne-to-Batman screen time ratio is probably the lowest of all the live action performers) and he’s joined by incredible support from Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, and Colin Farrell. The practical and investing feel of THE BATMAN is unparalleled by anything else to come out of DC movies since, well, THE DARK KNIGHT, and it’s included here as a counter to and part of the trend of the DCEU, sandwiched as it is between releases of that specific universe. It is without a doubt the best DC movies in years, the best Batman movie since THE DARK KNIGHT, and the best comic book movie since LOGAN (2017). Reeves’ vision, within its space, is a rare exploration of deeper themes supported by strong, cohesive visual language. But regardless of comparison to its peers, THE BATMAN is a special movie.
