10 DCEU Changes That Make Zero Sense if You Know Anything About Comics

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On the heels of the MCU’s success was the DCEU, seeking to turn the world of DC Comics into a cinematic universe. The concept is a slam dunk on paper, but in execution, it left fans with a mixed bag of movies and shows. Some were slam dunks, some were forgettable, and some were considered the worst comic book films ever.

Some decisions within the DCEU are more baffling than others, especially to those who have any familiarity with the comic side of things. The universe definitely adapted the source material strangely, with some of its choices leaving fans deeply confused. Many hope the upcoming DCU will be a better creative endeavor for all involved.

10

Darkseid Was The Main Nemesis Of The Justice League

As someone who had only faced the League a few times, fans were confused by Darkseid’s role in the DCEU

Darkseid is an extremely iconic character from DC’s infamous roster of villains. It makes sense why he would be hyped up as an endgame threat for heroes to face, considering his role as the living epitome of fascism and evil. However, he’s not a villain who should be introduced to the DCU right off the cuff, making his presence in Zack Snyder’s Justice League confusing. While the rogues gallery of the Justice League is not as large and mighty as, say, Batman or Spider-Man, many of their villains are still top-tier: The Crime Syndicate, Starro, Despero, Prometheus, Amazo, Vandal Savage, and more.

A fantastic selection of opponents could’ve been utilized as driving forces in a Justice League film. Instead, the forces of Apokolips were used, all without introducing the audience to the wider realm of the New Gods and Fourth World. As such, Darkseid lacks a lot of his typical dominating presence, instead coming off as a knockoff of Thanos—with their biggest similarity being how both Thanos and Darkseid were stripped of their mythos when adapted to film.

9

Jimmy Olsen Was Killed Very Early On

For a character as iconic and influential to the Superman mythos, it’s a shame to have seen Jimmy dispatched so soon

Every superhero has to have a strong supporting cast. Not only is it a convention of the genre, but also competent storytelling in general, with some of the most iconic characters in comics being regular civilians. Love interests like Mary Jane Watson and Lois Lane come to mind, but there are also characters like Jimmy Olsen.

Jimmy is notable in DC history, even having several of his solo series over the years—one of which lasted for 163 issues! He’s a pillar of DC, which makes his DCU treatment all the more baffling. Jimmy was no longer Superman’s pal or a plucky cub reporter, but instead, a CIA agent placed deep undercover alongside Lois Lane in the Middle East. He wasn’t even introduced in Man of Steel, only appearing in Batman v. Superman before being promptly killed.

8

Joker Killed Robin, But It Wasn’t Jason Todd

In an odd twist on an iconic story, it was revealed Joker killed Dick Grayson in the DCEU

The death of Jason Todd as Robin is a famous point in DC’s history. While not the first time a child sidekick horrifically died in action, circling back to Bucky Barnes from Marvel, it’s the most famous and brutal example of such a case. Robin’s demise in Death in the Family was a blow to Batman’s character, his supporting cast, and their fans, plunging them all into a darker spot at the end of the Bronze Age of comics. The DCEU was aware of this and did confirm a dead Robin in this universe.

What’s contentious about this is that the DCEU likely got the wrong Robin. Batman v. Superman had Bruce Wayne staring forlornly at his sidekick’s old gear, defaced by the Joker. Robin also had a tombstone visible in the Wayne Cemetery. However, eagle-eyed fans noticed that the name on the tombstone was not Jason Todd but rather Dick Grayson. Zack Snyder confirmed this was the case, but it was never explicitly said in any films, causing fans to question the canonicity of Robin’s murder. Whatever the case, the decision that Dick Grayson should be killed—taking a significant chunk of DC’s universe with him—was a silly and thoughtless one.

7

Kara Zor-El Never Became Supergirl

Supergirl, Superman’s cousin and Last Daughter of Krypton, never donned her red cape and boots

Supergirl hasn’t gotten a theatrical film adaptation in over forty years since her painfully boring 1984 movie. 2026’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow will hopefully treat both diehard fans and the general audience. But the DCEU had some simmerings of a plan to introduce Kara Zor-El into their universe in a manner as convoluted and confusing as one could come to expect from the DCEU.

Instead of being Superman’s cousin sent to Earth in stasis, the DCEU had Kara predate him by countless years—18,000, specifically. She was an explorer and pilot from Krypton and had crash-landed on Earth due to sabotages inflicted on her ship and crew by her murderous former companion. It’s implied she was the one survivor, which might explain why one pod in the Scout Ship Superman found in Man of Steel was missing a body. Unused DCEU plans also had Kara establish the Amazons as a society, implying an odd connection between the Greek gods and Krypton.

6

Shazam’s Two Personalities Seemed Identical

Despite the “S” in the acronym remaining, the DCEU’s Shazam seemed to lack Solomon’s wisdom.

The basic pitch of Captain Marvel—better known as Shazam in the current day—is the ultimate wish-fulfillment fantasy for a child, allowing the young, unfortunate Billy Batson to transform into an adult to save the day. But the transformation isn’t just physical; it’s mental, with Billy taking on the role of a proper adult hero, although he keeps his childish charm and wonder intact.

The DCEU’s approach to Shazam was confusing. Billy himself was a no-nonsense child who was mentally years beyond his peers, having endured a life of hardships. He was weary and cynical, and that’s not the worst approach to take the character. Still, his transformation into Shazam was incredibly jarring when the superhero behaved like a manchild. He acted far more immaturely than Billy ever did, and while this could be explained as a healthy outlet for teenagers to act like children, the DCEU took it to a laughable extent. This interpretation was tolerable in the character’s first solo film, but the sequel Shazam: Fury of the Gods made it intolerable and over the top.

5

Countless Heroes Strangely Stood Alongside Amanda Waller

A character typically deemed antagonistic, Amanda Waller was the driving force between many heroes

Morally grey and entirely pragmatic, Amanda Waller is one of DC Comics’ most compelling characters. She’s a chessmaster out to protect her country by any means necessary, and, as a result, her standing as a government agent doesn’t make her too popular among the superheroes of DC. Her shady dealings with teams like the Suicide Squad don’t help things, but this makes the moments she and actual heroes do cross paths compelling, especially if they are allies in any way.

This dichotomy was completely thrown out the window in the DCEU. This universe had multiple heroes just fine working alongside Waller—the post-credit scenes of Suicide Squad and Black Adam had Batman and Superman happily working alongside Amanda Waller. The former sought her out for information so he could assemble the Justice League and the latter was fine being summoned by her to speak as an intermediary to Teth-Adam. Speaking of Black Adam, the film completely maligned the JSA by having them operate as agents of Waller and the US government. It’s a silly choice to try and make her the Nick Fury equivalent of the DCEU, forgoing much of the conflict Waller had with DC’s heroes that makes her so interesting.

4

Joker’s Entire Deal Was Infamously Changed

It doesn’t take much to get the Joker right, yet somehow, the DCEU missed the mark

One of the most laughably awful changes made in the DCEU, Jared Leto’s version of Joker was lambasted by fans and critics alike when a first look at the character was offered. His design was over-the-top, but not in the fun, clownish way a Joker look ought to be. He looked like a caricature of a modern-day gangster, with try-hard possibly being the best way to describe his appearance—tattoos, grills, and a surprisingly forgettable fashion sense littered his ugly design.

But the writing for this iteration of Joker was just as weak as his appearance. His relationship with Harley Quinn was poorly defined—inexplicably jumping from abusive and uncaring to legitimately in love with her—as was every aspect of his personality. No longer was the Joker an entertaining force of chaos, but instead a generic gangster interested in pain and torture. He felt more like a Black Mask variant than anything. The one time he met this universe’s Batman face-to-face was incredibly cringeworthy, a scene full of fan service and a grating performance.

3

Cassandra Cain Didn’t Even Know Batman

One of Batman’s greatest sidekicks and current holder of the Batgirl mantle was torn apart by the DCEU

Birds of Prey is a contentious movie among fans. Some hold it up highly for its stylistic visuals that burst with color, its unique structure, and high-octane action scenes. Others may acknowledge these points while focusing on how badly the film represents every character within it aside from Harley Quinn. The titular Birds of Prey had very little to do within the film, a shame, but none got quite as shortchanged as Cassandra Cain.

Original plans had the character be more comic-accurate before an overhaul was demanded from WB superiors. The final result was Birds of Prey’s version of Cassandra Cain, no longer a martial arts prodigy with heavy trauma and a death wish—instead, she was turned into an unfortunate child from a bad family who stole things to survive. She was more or less an original character unrecognizable from her comic counterpart and would’ve likely been better off if replaced by Stephanie Brown or Harper Row.

2

Batman’s One Major Rule Was Taken Away

While set up for a good character arc regarding Batman’s morality was there, the execution was lackluster

Batman’s no-kill rule is famous. While not a component of his character from day one, it was introduced early enough to stick around as a core trait of his, and ever since then, it has been established as a core tenet of how the Dark Knight operates. The few times it has been broken are considered extreme exceptions or controversial moments—and the DCEU was no different.

Batman takes a less empathic approach to life in this universe with his debut in Batman v. Superman. He’s fine branding criminals, running them over, blowing them up, and even using firearms against them, something that feels strange with the character’s childhood trauma stemming from the weapon. What’s doubly off about it all is the rationale: after the death of Robin, Batman has become so unstable that he’s willing to kill and use guns. Both seem to conflict with the comic that inspired BvS, The Dark Knight Returns. There, Batman wasn’t a killer after Robin’s death, nor was he fond of guns, going so far as to snap one in half with his knee and declare it the enemy’s weapon. Instead, the old, grizzled Batman retired until he knew Gotham needed his help again.

1

Wonder Woman Has Too Much Wrong To List

Fans of Wonder Woman know the DCEU destroyed the symbol of truth and practically replaced her with a female Kratos

Fans widely anticipated Wonder Woman’s first film. The face of female superheroes everywhere finally got her theatrical debut after decades of getting paid dust. It was an exciting time, but unfortunately, much of the enthusiasm held by her dedicated fans faded with the release of 2017’s Wonder Woman. It’d be an understatement to say that the DCEU fumbled every aspect of Wonder Woman.

It was clear that most of her characterization was borrowed from the character’s New 52 iteration, a famously controversial and poorly written take on the heroine, so her writing in the movies was just as dull. She wasn’t the ambassador of peace. Instead, Diana was a warrior open to the idea of killing who hid in shame for decades after the death of Steve Trevor—and was even fine with giving up her powers so he could live on in the stolen body of another man. This doesn’t even say anything about how her world was treated. The Greek gods were killed off, Diana was cut off entirely from her homeland, all her human supporting cast died in action or of old age, and she was Zeus’ daughter instead of a clay baby sculpted by Hippolyta.

“}]] The DC Extended Universe took a few creative liberties when bringing iconic DC Comics characters like Wonder Woman and Shazam to the big screen.  Read More