The DC Extended Universe, or DCEU, began with Man of Steel in 2013. Spanning over a dozen movies, the DCEU was DC Comics' attempt at creating a cohesive universe of interconnected films with different protagonists. DC Comics had just rebooted their continuity two years prior with the new 52, and The DCEU tried balancing the modern versions of their characters with their most iconic stories.

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Superman was given a solo movie to start things off, but the DCEU fast-tracked the creation of the Justice League by way of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Warner Brothers rushed characters to the big screen and quickly blew through stories from the source material. By attempting so many adaptations at once, the DCEU failed to give a number of stories the focus they deserved.

10 Superman Killing Zod Was A Pale Imitation Of The Execution Of The Phantom Zone Prisoners

Superman uses kryptonite on Zod and DCEU Superman kills Zod

Superman snapped Zod's neck at the end of Man of Steel to prevent him from killing an innocent family. Usually, Superman is the type to stop the villain without killing them, but he did execute Zod and two other Phantom Zone criminals in the comics.

Superman's execution of the Phantom Zone criminals weighed heavily on his conscience, as he is against killing and felt like he lost a part of Krypton itself. Man of Steel did put Superman in a position to question whether his loyalties were to Earth or Krypton, but after a cry of anguish upon killing Zod, Superman doesn't give it much thought afterwards.

9 The Dark Knight Returns Doesn't Make Sense With A Young Superman

Batman fights Superman in The Dark Knight Returns and in Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice brought together Batman and Superman and used elements from Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. The original graphic novel had an old Batman coming out of retirement and going head-to-head with a still-active and powerful, but older, Superman.

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While the Batman of Dawn of Justice had a lengthy career, Superman was still new to superheroics. There was no history between the two heroes, and the fight was prompted by Batman's paranoia of having a powerful alien around rather than a clash of ideals. The Dark Knight Returns fight was about Batman's survival, and the fact that the Batman of Dawn of Justice changed his stance so quickly lessened the impact of the conflict.

8 The DCEU Death Of Superman Didn't Make Nearly The Impact The Comic Version Did

Death of Superman fight against Doomsday and DCEU Doomsday

In the comics, Superman spent years winning the hearts of Metropolis' citizens, the respect of other heroes, and the love of an entire planet. When he gave his life standing between Doomsday and the city of Metropolis, the entire world mourned for him.

Superman was introduced as a controversial figure in the world in Man of Steel, and the people still didn't entirely trust him by Dawn of Justice. His death during the fight with Doomsday wasn't an epic battle where the world held its breath hoping that their hero would pull through. The aftermath of a world post-Superman's death was alluded to in Suicide Squad but rang hollow.

7 Batman Epics A Death In The Family And Mad Love Were Reduced To Visual References

Alex Ross Mad Love Cover and Suicide Squad Joker and Harley

The DCEU Batman never had a solo movie to develop his relationship with the Joker and Harley Quinn. The movies hint at their history by alluding to iconic moments from the comics, but they are never elaborated on.

In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a defaced Robin costume was shown in the Batcave, and Robin was confirmed as dead. This refers to A Death in the Family but doesn't explain the effect it had on Batman. And while the comics fully explored Harley Quinn's painful and complicated history with the Joker, 2016's Suicide Squad showed a visual from Mad Love but didn't provide any context. Without digging into these classic tales, these moments in the movies fail to carry any weight.

6 The DCEU Failed To Live Up To The New 52 Justice League

Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Green Lantern, Batman, Flash, and Cyborg together

The classic Justice League origin had the team go up against Starro, but the New 52 comic brought DC's greatest heroes together to fight Darkseid. The Justice League movie used this version of the team's origin but missed the mark.

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The six-issue arc that reintroduced the Justice League to readers acknowledged each hero as formidable in their own right and explained what skill they brought to the team. The movie mostly had Batman and Wonder Woman drive the investigation while putting the team together. Superman spent a large part of the movie dead, and The Flash was so inexperienced that he didn't even have a codename. Instead of focusing on why the Justice League is so special, the movie was used to tie up loose ends from Dawn of Justice and set up future movies.

5 The Enchantress' Magic Didn't Fit With Suicide Squad

DC Comics Enchantress and DCEU Enchantress

Even when comic books bring together superheroes, aliens, and magical beings, it often works. Movies need to be more careful when taking that approach, and 2016's Suicide Squad proved how a film can fall apart if it isn't well-grounded. Its main characters were humans with weapons, but its ultimate villain was a powerful demigod.

June Moone was part of the 1987 Suicide Squad series and struggled to keep The Enchantress at bay. Enchantress took over during a mission to extract a prisoner from Russia. The movie dropped its sense of realism when the climax became a battle against the Enchantress and her brother with the rest of the team serving little purpose in the fight.

4 Birds of Prey Treated Huntress' Origin Like A Joke

DC Comics Huntress and DCEU Huntress firing crossbow

Batman-related comic books tend to be on the grittier side, especially when dealing with organized crime. Helena Bertinelli became the Huntress when her family was on the losing side of a mob war, and her 1989 series by Joe Cavalieri and Joe Staton gave her origin the proper gravitas.

Birds of Prey brought Huntress into the DCEU, but the movie was seen through the eyes of the lighthearted Harley Quinn. Huntress' origin wasn't changed much for the movie, but it was narrated by Harley, and Helena looked less like a grim warrior avenging her family and more like a joke character whose name became a punchline.

3 Wonder Woman 1984 Had Nothing To Do With Maxwell Lord's Villainy In The Comics

DCEU and DC Comics maxwell lord

Maxwell Lord was originally the businessman ally of the Justice League, connecting the team to the United Nations and creating Justice League International. Maxwell Lord was always looking out for himself, but he didn't turn to villainy until Countdown when he killed Blue Beetle and used his mind control powers on Superman. Wonder Woman had to kill Lord to free Superman, and that moment became so big for Wonder Woman that Maxwell Lord was made the villain of the Wonder Woman sequel.

Maxwell Lord gained reality warping powers in Wonder Woman 1984 and didn't have much in common with his comic book version. Wonder Woman's confrontation with him wasn't an intense standoff that lead to his death, and her reputation didn't suffer from it much like it did in the comic book story.

2 The Knightmare Future Was Set Up But Never Paid Off

Superman from Injustice and DCEU Knightmare Superman

DC is no stranger to post-apocalyptic futures, particularly ones where Superman is disillusioned evil. Injustice: Gods Among Us in particular explained that after the death of Lois Lane, Superman killed the Joker and set up a fascist regime under his control on Earth.

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An alternate future in Justice League: Dawn of Justice teased Batman having to deal with an out-of-control Superman. This alternate future is revisited in the Snyder Cut of Justice League. There are loads of storytelling potential in this future, but the movies never gave audiences a look at a friendly relationship between Superman and the other heroes before setting up the dark timeline, making this possible future feel less worrisome and more inevitable.

1 Jack Kirby's Fourth World Is Constantly Referenced But Nothing Comes Of It

Jack Kirby Darkseid and DCEU Darkseid

Jack Kirby's Fourth World comics of the 1970's were a game changer for DC Comics in that it introduced Darkseid, the greatest evil the universe would know. Initially a failure when it came to sales, the Fourth World became such a fixture in the DC Universe that it was only natural to have it appear in the DCEU.

Very little of what made the Fourth World saga compelling showed up in the movies. Cyborg's bonding with Apokoliptian technology was reduced to a plot device, and Intergang was name-dropped in Black Adam without explaining its significance. Darkseid's son Orion and the world of New Genesis, the opposing forces against Apokolips, were nowhere to be seen. The power of Darkseid failed to impress audiences because, without knowing the history in the comics, most viewers only saw him as a Thanos knock-off.

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