As a huge movie fan, I watched with a bit of frustration as the Marvel Cinematic Universe just soared, breaking record after record. Meanwhile, DC films felt really inconsistent – some were great, others just didn’t land. It was especially disappointing considering DC actually *got* Hollywood right before Marvel did, with those classic Superman movies from the eighties and the amazing Batman films Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan made. I think where DC often stumbled was trying too hard to please the hardcore comic book fans. They’d have a good idea, but the execution just wasn’t always there. Sometimes it felt like the story wasn’t strong enough, and other times, it seemed like the studio was meddling too much.
DC has often come close to satisfying fans with its adaptations, but unfortunately, it hasn’t quite delivered on its promises – whether it’s in accurately portraying beloved characters or meeting expectations overall. Here’s a look at some instances where they almost got it right, but ultimately fell short.
7) Ra’s al Ghul
After the disappointing *Batman & Robin*, *Batman Begins* successfully rebooted the film series. Christopher Nolan provided a compelling origin story for Batman, which previous movies had largely ignored. The film smartly dedicated a significant portion to Bruce Wayne’s training, making his transformation into Batman more believable. While a strong start, Nolan’s true cinematic achievement came with *The Dark Knight*.
While casting Ra’s al Ghul as the villain was a good idea, the movie didn’t quite satisfy fans’ expectations for the character. The film included a surprising twist: Ken Watanabe, who played Ra’s, wasn’t the true leader of the League of Assassins – Liam Neeson was. Though similar to a twist in *Iron Man 3*, this reveal wasn’t as negatively received. However, Ra’s al Ghul ultimately felt underutilized, which diminished the impact of his daughter’s appearance in a later film.
6) Birds Of Prey
The DC Extended Universe finally gave fans a team-up movie starring female superheroes, something many had been requesting for a long time. *Wonder Woman* was a huge success, and *Birds of Prey* was a good start. While *Birds of Prey* was enjoyable and Margot Robbie was fantastic as Harley Quinn, it didn’t quite live up to expectations for some fans. This was largely due to changes made to the team’s dynamic that disappointed them.
The movie’s versions of Cassandra Cain and Black Canary didn’t match their comic book counterparts, despite strong acting from Jurnee Smollett-Bell. Huntress also felt quite different from the character in the comics. Luckily, Rosie Perez’s Renee Montoya and Harley Quinn were well-received. A major issue was leaving Oracle out of the team, making it feel like this *Birds of Prey* movie was only the name, not the spirit, of the team fans know and love.
5) Black Adam
Dwayne Johnson often spoke about Black Adam as a dream role, and it appeared he had a clear vision for how to introduce the character into the DC Universe. Unfortunately, the resulting film, while full of action, didn’t quite launch Black Adam into the major DC franchise star Johnson hoped for. The character’s history has evolved over time, but Johnson seemed particularly inspired by the version of Black Adam featured in the 2007 comic series *52*.
The movie’s biggest flaw was its overly simplistic approach to a complex character. To truly succeed, Black Adam’s story needed more depth – showing him as a ruler, experiencing love, and grappling with the perception of being a villain. He needed a significant loss to motivate him. Instead, the film offered a standard superhero narrative, leaving audiences with little desire to see the character return. This is particularly disappointing because the source material had the potential for something truly great. Had the filmmakers stayed truer to the comics, *Black Adam* could have been an incredible movie.
4) Batman V. Superman
The main issue with Zack Snyder’s *Batman V. Superman* was that it didn’t properly establish this version of Batman before the story began. Another major problem was that the movie tried to accomplish too much, resulting in a film that felt overly long and ultimately disappointing. What fans really wanted—and what the movie should have focused on—was a spectacular fight between Batman and Superman.
The movie’s plot was confusing. Batman suddenly tried to kill Superman, claiming it was to save the world, which felt more like something Lex Luthor would do. The story was already crowded with Lex Luthor himself, and then they added Doomsday and tried to retell the classic “Death of Superman” story. Trying to fit two huge storylines into one film meant neither one could develop properly, and both ended up feeling weak. Both Batman and Superman deserved a better movie.
3) No Man’s Land
The Dark Knight Rises felt too long and had a needlessly complex plot, essentially trying to tell two separate stories at once. The portrayal of Bane was strong – his arrival in Gotham and the breaking of Batman’s back were visually faithful to the comic books, which was a highlight. However, the film also attempted a No Man’s Land storyline, isolating Gotham from the outside world, which added to the convoluted nature of the narrative.
Talia al Ghul appeared seeking vengeance for her father and hoping to fulfill his goals, but she wasn’t very successful. Catwoman felt forced into a plot already crowded with characters. Surprisingly, the storyline was actually handled better in the often-debated TV show *Gotham*, and the movie, even with Christopher Nolan directing, never quite captured the essence of the comic book arc.
2) Darkseid
Zack Snyder envisioned a large, interconnected universe for DC films, and the ending of *Justice League* set the stage for future stories. Unfortunately, due to circumstances outside of his control, he lost creative control of the franchise. After stepping away from *Justice League* following a personal tragedy – the loss of his daughter – Snyder found that Warner Bros. had decided to restart the series by the time he could return.
It’s a real shame that we never got a full Darkseid story. He popped up briefly in *Justice League*, but never actually landed on Earth to kick off the epic storyline teased in that post-credit scene – the one where Superman was corrupted by the Anti-Life Equation. It felt like it could have been huge, finally delivering a proper Darkseid arc on the big screen. Ultimately, Warner Bros. didn’t give fans the payoff they were hoping for with one of DC’s most iconic villains. It’s frustrating to think about what could have been.
1) Flashpoint
Before James Gunn took over and relaunched the DC Universe, *The Flash* was the final DC Extended Universe film released in cinemas. While *The Flash* was intended as a soft reboot, it ultimately doesn’t matter much because Gunn’s upcoming movies largely ignore the previous films, with *The Suicide Squad* (and potentially *Blue Beetle*) being the exceptions. Ultimately, even fans of the *Flashpoint* storyline weren’t satisfied with how the movie adapted it.
Like the earlier Crisis on Infinite Earths, Flashpoint dramatically reshaped the DC Comics universe. The story centers around the Flash altering the past, leading to a drastically different future – one where Bruce Wayne died and his parents became twisted versions of Batman and the Joker, and Aquaman and Wonder Woman waged war. The film adaptation used time travel to bring in a new Supergirl instead of Superman and to welcome back Michael Keaton as Batman. While enjoyable, the movie didn’t quite live up to its full potential.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Read More
- Gold Rate Forecast
- ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Writer, Star Revisit the Show’s ‘Seinfeld’ Reunion
- You Need to Hear the Advice Rhea Raj Gave KATSEYE’s Lara
- 10 Best Completed Manga of the Last 10 Years, Ranked
- Stalker: Rusted Dawn may be the best Stalker 2 modpack yet that aims to make the game closer to GAMMA
- Football Manager 26 Gets New Trailer Showcasing New Possession Tactics and Formations
- Hell Let Loose: Vietnam announced for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC
- 🚀 BNB: Super Cycle or Super Silly? Analysts in a Tizzy! 🌕
- 13 Years Ago, EA Killed a Series That Should’ve Gone Toe to Toe With Battlefield and CoD
- Top gainers and losers
2025-10-14 00:14