The WORST Scene In Every DCEU Movie

  • 7 months ago
If only we could pretend these hadn't happened. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re taking a look at scenes from each DC Extended Universe film that made us cringe hard. We may mention crucial plot points, so this is your spoiler warning.
Transcript
00:00 I don't want no beef.
00:01 You don't want no beef?
00:02 You don't want no beef?
00:03 You don't want no beef?
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're
00:08 taking a look at scenes from each DC Extended Universe
00:11 film that made us cringe hard.
00:14 We may mention crucial plot points,
00:16 so this is your spoiler warning.
00:19 I think he likes it.
00:20 What the hell?
00:21 [SCREAMING]
00:24 Number one, Superman destroys Metropolis, man of steel.
00:28 Zod's ship uses the same technology,
00:30 and if we can make the two drives collide with one
00:32 another--
00:32 --a singularity can be created.
00:34 Like a black hole.
00:35 Yes.
00:35 So if we open up this doorway, then theoretically,
00:38 they should be pulled back in.
00:39 So you want us to bomb them with that?
00:42 The inaugural DCEU epic took a lot of risk
00:45 with the revisionist Superman origin.
00:48 Audience were mixed on Man of Steel's lumbering character
00:50 drama, but especially polarized by its action-packed climax.
00:54 Zod, if you destroy this ship, you destroy Krypton.
00:59 Krypton had its chance.
01:06 [SCREAMING]
01:09 The last Kryptonians do battle from Smallville to Metropolis,
01:12 leaving an apocalyptic path of destruction.
01:15 Superman didn't seem to think about protecting civilians.
01:18 He still won a poorly timed kiss from Lois Lane
01:21 after the carnage.
01:23 You know they say it's all downhill after the first kiss.
01:27 I-- I'm pretty sure the only cat that
01:30 can kiss an inhuman.
01:33 The suggestion that everything worked out afterward
01:35 was a disturbing departure from the rest
01:37 of the movie's relative realism.
01:39 The controversy surrounding this reckless spectacle
01:42 was answered in Batman v Superman,
01:44 which focused on the complicated aftermath
01:46 of this Black Zero event.
01:48 Considering every time your hero saves a cat out of a tree,
01:51 you read a puff piece editorial about an alien who,
01:55 if he wanted to, could burn the whole place down.
01:59 It wouldn't be a damn thing we could do to stop it.
02:01 Nonetheless, such horrific collateral damage
02:04 set an unsettling tone for a less idolized Superman.
02:08 Number two, the two Marthas, Batman
02:11 versus Superman, Dawn of Justice.
02:12 Martha.
02:18 It's been said that the DCEU's so-called Snyderverse takes
02:22 itself way too seriously and often clumsily.
02:26 Even canonical coincidences are treated as sweeping opera.
02:32 You're letting him kill Martha.
02:37 When Batman versus Superman finally gets to its namesake,
02:40 the showdown abruptly ends when Superman begs Batman to rescue
02:44 his kidnapped mother, Martha.
02:46 This triggers Bruce Wayne's guilt
02:48 over the murder of his own mother, also named Martha,
02:52 and humanizes his enemy.
02:54 Why did you say that name?
02:57 Martha, why did you say that name?
02:59 Clark, stop.
03:00 Please, stop.
03:01 Why did you say that name?
03:03 It's his mother's name.
03:06 It's his mother's name.
03:07 This revelation is effective in theory,
03:10 but contrary to Batman's philosophy,
03:13 not everything makes sense if you force it to.
03:15 Superman actually referring to his mom by name
03:18 in the cheesy montage of Bruce's childhood trauma
03:21 emphasizes the cop-out.
03:23 This moment may be the summation of everything
03:26 wrong with the Snyderverse.
03:27 It's clearly as memorable as any DCEU misfire.
03:32 I failed him in life.
03:36 I won't fail him in death.
03:38 Number three, Jared Leto's Joker's Suicide Squad.
03:42 Zack Snyder's isn't the only divisive director's
03:45 signature in the DCEU.
03:47 Urban crime auteur David Ayer had the daunting task
03:50 of introducing everyone's favorite Gotham villain
03:53 in 2016's Suicide Squad.
03:56 What do we have here?
03:59 I did everything you said.
04:01 I helped you.
04:04 You helped me.
04:05 By erasing my mind, what inflated memories I have.
04:12 A nightclub scene debuts the Joker as an unhinged game
04:15 banger with slicked back hair, a silver grill,
04:18 and lots of tattoos.
04:20 Sure, the clown's mythos is frequently subject to reboot,
04:23 but this was considered one of the most misguided overreaches
04:27 in the DCEU's brand experimentation.
04:30 Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
04:35 All of that chit-chat's going to get you hurt.
04:38 Oh, my God.
04:39 It even became a blight on Jared Leto's distinguished acting
04:43 career.
04:44 He got a chance at redemption with a dream
04:46 sequence in Zack Snyder's Justice League,
04:48 albeit as a more pretentious Joker.
04:51 Maybe in a way that smelly old flounder is right.
04:56 Because how many can die in your arms
04:59 before you've grown them to death?
05:00 It's still considered better than the inked up
05:03 and weary version that the DCEU still struggles to walk back.
05:07 Number four, Wonder Woman versus Ares.
05:09 Wonder Woman.
05:10 You were right, Diana.
05:12 They don't deserve our help.
05:16 They only deserve destruction.
05:19 The DCEU practically popularized the term villain problem.
05:23 Even the largely acclaimed Wonder Woman
05:25 was criticized for its bland baddies.
05:27 Fans were particularly disappointed in Ares,
05:30 the Greek god of war supposedly responsible for World War I.
05:34 My dear, I don't want to fight you, but if I must.
05:39 British diplomat Sir Patrick is revealed
05:45 to actually be Ares in a generic villain speech
05:47 before being killed off in a flashy action sequence.
05:51 Viewers felt this was an uninspired climax
05:53 and a frustratingly brief tenure for one of Wonder Woman's
05:56 biggest nemesis.
05:58 Never mind that it affirmed her problematic theory
06:01 that one of the great tragedies of human history
06:03 was a super villain conspiracy.
06:06 They do not deserve your protection.
06:11 It's not about deserve.
06:12 It's about what you believe.
06:20 This just goes to show that even when a DC movie does
06:23 mostly everything else right, it tends
06:26 to fumble on its villains.
06:28 Number five, the invisible mustache, Justice League.
06:31 After director Zack Snyder left Justice League
06:34 over a family tragedy, Joss Whedon
06:36 came on to head up post-production.
06:38 This infamous debacle is displayed in the finished
06:41 product's new prologue.
06:43 A man I knew used to say that hope is like your car keys.
06:46 Easy to lose, but if you dig around, it's usually close by.
06:50 Did you ever fight a hippo?
06:52 Because Henry Cavill had grown a mustache for another role
06:55 when he was called in for reshoots,
06:57 Superman's clean shave had to be restored with CG.
07:00 Limited editing time and an extreme close up
07:03 made the effect glaringly obvious.
07:06 Any blowback?
07:07 Big time, but I think we can take it.
07:10 Good.
07:12 Because I really like being alive.
07:14 So do I.
07:15 Superman's fuzzy lip became a massive meme,
07:18 symbolizing the folly of Whedon's Justice League
07:21 from its very first shot.
07:23 Several years later, Snyder answered the outrage
07:26 with an extensive re-edit of the film,
07:28 now widely considered the definitive cut.
07:31 Now, impressed.
07:33 His footage may not have had facial hair to work around,
07:44 but Superman's lip still haunts the DCEU.
07:47 Number six, the CGI tsunami, Aquaman.
07:55 The first Aquaman movie obliterated the box office,
07:58 grossing over $1.1 billion worldwide.
08:02 But even this crowd pleaser has a scene
08:04 that's as cheesy as they come.
08:06 The villainous Orm sends a tsunami to the surface
08:09 as part of his plan to become ocean master.
08:11 While that sounds promising, the execution of the scene
08:15 leaves a lot to be desired.
08:16 We see Arthur searching for his father under the water.
08:24 But instead of being tense and chaotic,
08:26 the scene seems messy and overloaded with CGI.
08:29 The scene also introduces Mera and her power,
08:32 but feels too conveniently placed for her to save the day.
08:35 Superhero movies require a suspension of disbelief,
08:45 but this might have been pushing it too far.
08:48 Number seven, Superman at school, Shazam.
08:51 This guy taught me everything I know
08:54 about being a dope superhero.
08:56 True story.
08:57 Heroes like Batman and Superman took something
08:59 of a backseat in the DCEU after 2017's Justice League
09:03 came up short at the box office.
09:05 The Shazam solo movie was generally
09:07 well-received by audiences.
09:09 Still, there was a significant flub that disappointed many.
09:12 The film's final scene sees Billy at school
09:14 in his superhero form with another surprising story.
09:17 I invited another friend.
09:18 I hope that's okay.
09:20 He has befriended the Man of Steel,
09:22 who arrives to have lunch with the kids.
09:24 Ah!
09:25 It wouldn't have been so bad if Henry Cavill had appeared,
09:28 but with just a stand-in viewed only from the neck down,
09:31 the scene was more of an insult to audiences.
09:35 Number eight, the team-up, Birds of Prey.
09:37 You're kidding.
09:38 Why?
09:39 I have to take care of the girls.
09:40 Isn't this fun?
09:41 It's just like a sleep hook.
09:42 A group fight tends to be the most enjoyable
09:44 when it features characters with a genuine connection.
09:47 In Birds of Prey, though, the squad seems like
09:49 they're mostly just thrown together.
09:51 Up until the climactic encounter
09:53 with Black Mask and his goons,
09:54 the characters don't spend a lot of time together.
09:57 They don't have a ton of chemistry,
09:59 and their personalities don't gel together.
10:01 (gasps)
10:02 We should order pizza.
10:03 Hey, Cosmos.
10:04 Harley.
10:05 (beep)
10:06 Yeah.
10:07 Add in some awkward quips,
10:08 and the tone of the scene is all off,
10:10 despite it still having some fun action moments.
10:12 Black Mask doesn't really seem like the kind of antagonist
10:15 that warrants an entire team to band against him anyway.
10:18 It's probably best that the final confrontation
10:21 focuses just on him, Cassandra, and Harley.
10:23 (screams)
10:26 Number nine, Romantic Possession, Wonder Woman 1984.
10:32 The loss of Steve Trevor in the first Wonder Woman
10:34 was tragic, about as tragic, however,
10:37 was how he returned in 1984.
10:40 He's got 'em.
10:41 No, I like 'em.
10:43 (laughs)
10:46 He's great, but all I see is you.
10:50 Through the power of the Dream Stone,
10:52 Diana conjures her lover's spirit
10:54 in the body of a total stranger.
10:56 The man is then depicted as Steve,
10:58 but Diana is actually passionately kissing a man
11:01 who had no say.
11:03 She then pulls him into a dangerous mission
11:05 to save the world.
11:07 I forgot to tell you.
11:08 What?
11:09 Radar.
11:10 I can't explain now, but they'll see us anywhere,
11:11 even in the dark.
11:12 Will they shoot at us?
11:15 With this possession being way off
11:17 from Steve's arc in the comics,
11:18 it feels like a lazy way to keep the character around.
11:22 Maintaining Wonder Woman's love story
11:24 also reflects the decline in the series' feminism.
11:27 Steve's avatar may be all right in the end,
11:29 but his predicament shows how ill-conceived this sequel was.
11:33 I can't say goodbye.
11:35 I can't say goodbye.
11:38 You don't have to.
11:41 (dramatic music)
11:44 I'm already gone.
11:47 Number 10, Martian Manhunter is Martha,
11:50 Zack Snyder's Justice League.
11:51 There is something you can do for me, honey.
11:54 Come back to the living.
11:58 It's not every day your potential mother-in-law
12:00 turns out to be a Martian in disguise,
12:02 but that's how it is when Lois Lane
12:04 receives a visit from Martha Kent.
12:06 The moment of truth is almost comical.
12:09 It turns out that Calvin Swanwick,
12:11 the military guy first seen in Man of Steel,
12:13 is masquerading as Martha.
12:14 The world needs you too, Lois.
12:16 The scene confirms his real identity
12:18 as the Martian Manhunter,
12:20 but it also robs Martha's character
12:22 from her investment in the story.
12:24 There's no impact on the plot either,
12:26 since the Martian waits until the end of the movie
12:29 to reappear.
12:30 Can I help you?
12:31 I'm sure you know Darkseid is not finished with Earth.
12:36 It's as if Snyder had no idea how to introduce the character
12:39 and randomly decided to shoehorn him in as Martha.
12:43 Number 11, Birdies Ablaze, The Suicide Squad.
12:46 Make no mistake, The Suicide Squad
12:48 is one of the strongest films in the DCEU,
12:51 propelled by its quirky ensemble
12:53 and over-the-top action sequences.
12:55 Even so, the film's unrelenting violence
13:03 reaches the point of overkill
13:04 thanks to the villainous Mateo Suarez.
13:07 After Harley Quinn kills his predecessor,
13:09 Suarez assumes the role of General Presidente
13:12 of Corto Maltese.
13:13 (speaking in foreign language)
13:16 His brutality is introduced to the audience
13:19 in an awful way.
13:20 Suarez swears to show off the might of his country
13:23 as his cronies set fire to Luna's aviary,
13:26 the mark of a wicked villain, we suppose,
13:28 but this act has no bearing on his plan or the film.
13:32 Worst of all, it's just downright cruel.
13:35 (speaking in foreign language)
13:40 Number 12, Post-Credits Stinger, Black Adam.
13:43 - Okay, Black Adam.
13:45 My name is Amanda Waller.
13:48 Congratulations, you have my attention.
13:50 - The DCEU has always struggled to find direction.
13:54 Many saw Black Adam as a step away
13:56 in quality and creativity,
13:58 with a post-credits stinger
13:59 that took a misguided step forward.
14:02 - There's no one on this planet that can stop me.
14:04 - I can call in a favor and send people
14:06 who aren't from this planet.
14:07 (dramatic music)
14:09 - Send them all.
14:10 - As you wish.
14:14 - With Amanda Waller concerned about
14:15 the dangerous super anti-hero Black Adam,
14:18 she sends the ultimate muscle to keep him in line.
14:21 - Black Adam, we should talk.
14:24 - Henry Cavill's surprise cameo
14:27 ostensibly declared Superman's comeback to the franchise.
14:30 Unfortunately, fans have been burnt too many times
14:34 to get excited about a sequel that may never come.
14:37 Sure enough, Cavill quickly announced
14:39 that he had been let go from the DCEU,
14:41 which plans to reboot Superman's arc.
14:44 Whether Black Adam will ever face someone's man of steel,
14:47 this overzealous stinger found DC
14:50 once again jumping the gun.
14:52 Hopefully, James Gunn will do better.
14:55 Number 13, Wonder Woman saves the day.
14:57 Shazam, Fury of the Gods.
14:59 The DCEU's cameo troubles continue with the second Shazam,
15:03 this time with Wonder Woman.
15:04 She shows up near the end of the movie
15:06 while Billy's family mourns his sacrifice.
15:09 Deanna repairs the wizard's staff
15:11 and uses it to bring Billy back.
15:12 (explosion)
15:13 (screaming)
15:14 - It's a zombie!
15:15 (thunder)
15:17 - Hey!
15:18 What the hell?
15:20 - But it feels like an unearned twist
15:23 since Wonder Woman had no role in the story
15:24 before this scene.
15:25 Not only did this act as a mishandled piece of fan service,
15:29 but the film uses a potentially great character
15:31 in Wonder Woman as basically a plot device.
15:34 - So you, uh, you got my bird letter?
15:37 - Oh, I, uh, I think you've got something.
15:43 - I'm wearing a, oh.
15:47 - Billy's immediate attempts to flirt with Deanna
15:50 further deprives this moment of any emotional weight
15:52 as his corny jokes fail to land.
15:55 - Be well, Billy Batson.
15:56 - Hey, you know, just 'cause your father's power
16:01 is surging through me,
16:02 that doesn't technically make us related, you know?
16:05 - Number 14, multiverse cameos, The Flash.
16:08 - I could've almost figured it out.
16:10 - How long have you been doing this?
16:12 - When a story is about the fate of the multiverse,
16:15 it might make sense to add some cameos.
16:17 Unfortunately, The Flash has no idea
16:20 how to incorporate them in a gratifying way.
16:23 In the final act of the film,
16:24 various versions of DC heroes appear as CGI recreations.
16:28 It's entirely obvious that the actors
16:30 aren't actually present,
16:32 essentially making it cheap fan service.
16:34 It also seeps some of the tension
16:36 from a pivotal moment in the film
16:37 as the main characters pause just to look around
16:40 the visually unappealing multiverse.
16:41 - We're destroying the fabric of everything.
16:44 You have to stop.
16:47 - The use of CGI to reanimate deceased performers
16:50 stirred additional controversy.
16:52 Nicolas Cage and Tim Burton also expressed some hesitation
16:55 about the final scene.
16:56 After watching it, can you really blame them?
17:00 - Colliding and collapsing.
17:01 We did this.
17:05 - Number 15, A Father-Son Talk, Blue Beetle.
17:08 Unlike many entries on this list,
17:10 there's nothing abhorrent about this particular scene.
17:13 It's a tender exchange between Jaime Reyes
17:15 and his father, Alberto.
17:17 Not to mention, it fits right in
17:19 with the family-centric themes of the film.
17:21 - I planted those nopales with a banana
17:23 when you were a baby.
17:24 Look at them now, like you and La Millie.
17:30 Grown and beautiful.
17:31 - However, you could say that it fits in a little too well.
17:35 Rather than allow the viewer to organically witness
17:38 Jaime's emotional progression,
17:40 the scene spells out all the lessons he'll learn
17:42 as Blue Beetle in one fell swoop.
17:44 - We're on a journey, Jaime.
17:45 This house, the nopales, the auto shop, everything.
17:52 They're just a stop in the journey.
17:56 - Oh, how we love that time-honored technique
17:58 of tell, don't show.
18:00 A harmless scene, to be sure,
18:02 but let's just agree that Uncle Ben did it better.
18:04 - Remember, with great power comes great responsibility.
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18:25 Number 16, Orm Eats a Cockroach,
18:28 Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
18:29 - Bet you never had one of these.
18:32 - What is it?
18:33 - Cockroach.
18:33 - Staying true to Arthur's knack
18:35 for mocking his half-brother
18:37 and the latter's ignorance of human customs,
18:39 this scene features Orm trying out a cockroach.
18:42 Arthur convinces Orm that cockroaches
18:44 are a delicacy for surface dwellers,
18:46 so the younger sibling gobbles it up.
18:48 It's not an offensive scene,
18:53 but it seems a bit lazily put together.
18:56 It destroys the last traces of seriousness
18:58 the film might have had.
19:00 The credits scene calls back to this moment
19:02 going for another cheap laugh.
19:04 As the last DCEU film,
19:06 you think it might conclude with a heartfelt send-off.
19:09 Instead, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
19:11 spares time for this weak joke.
19:13 (water splashing)
19:16 - Well, I gave you the first.
19:19 - Which DCEU scene made you roll your eyes?
19:22 Let us know in the comments down below
19:23 and don't forget to like and subscribe
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19:41 (upbeat music)
19:44 (upbeat music)
19:46 (upbeat music)
19:49 (upbeat music)
19:52 [MUSIC]