TheDCEUcelebrated its tenth birthday this year, and with over a dozen movies under its belt, it had the time to bring both iconic and lesser-known superheroes, villains, and other characters to the big screen. Most of the movies follow a similar pattern: a hero or a group of heroes has to face a certain villain, and more often than not overcome their own shortcomings in the process if they are to win.
Despite the differences between individual movies — some are darker, others more comedic — one thing is for certain. There can only be one strongest hero and a villain, and some of the characters in theDCEUare surprisingly weak in comparison.
5Ares
One of the most glaring examples of the DCEU under-powering its villains is Ares fromWonder Woman(2017). Ares is the literal Greek God of War, a being who is thousands of years old. Yet Wonder Woman manages to defeat him in a relatively short time, even though Ares has greater experience when it comes to fighting as well as better control of his powers.
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In the comics, such as theWonder Womanseries written by Brian Azzarello, Wonder Woman often rubs elbows with the Greek Gods… and it usually takes the combined forces of her and her friends and alliesto take on her godly enemies. As such, it’s difficult to believe she would be able to dispose of the God of War with relative ease, with only the human Steve Trevor at her side (who dies).
4Batman
Batman can more than hold his own in a fight against most criminals in Gotham City. He has experience, combat training, and special equipment at his side. Yet when compared to the other DCEU superheroes, especially Justice League members, Batman draws the short straw. Not only has he been in the superhero business longer than them and suffered more than one injury throughout the years, but he’s still a non-powered human,unlike his Justice League colleagues.
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As such, Batman would have a hard time taking on the powerhouses such as Wonder Woman, Superman, or Martian Manhunter if only physical strength is considered. Of course, as Batman proved multiple times in the comics, he can win over stronger superheroes — but only if he tricks them, uses their weaknesses against him, or has help (such as when he and Green Arrow faced Superman). Most of the time, Batman just isn’t on the same level as other DCEU superheroes, at least where physical strength is concerned.
3Lex Luthor
Physically, Lex Luthor, Superman’s arch-nemesis, is no match for Superman or any of the major DCEU superheroes. In the comics, Luthor was always presented as a villain who could make Superman’s life more difficult thanks to the power of his intellect, not his body. The DCEU, specificallyBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice(2016) sees him manipulating both Batman and Superman and sending them against each other to fight it out. His plan works, and Batman very nearly ends up killing Superman before the infamous’Save Martha!' moment that inspired multiple memessnaps him out of it.
The problem with the DCEU characterization of Lex Luthor is that his plan relies significantly on Batman and Superman behaving in an irrational fashion, not like two experienced superheroes. As such, the plan might seem solid at first glance, but it doesn’t work under careful scrutiny, making this version of Luthor a mere shadow of his comic book persona.
2Rick Flag
Rick Flag was by no means weak in comparison to most people. Unfortunately, he was surrounded by people with special powers, and all that Flag had at his side was his experience with handling guns and his combat training. That would be enough for dealing with most foes, but ultimately, Rick Flag lost his life when fighting Peacemaker, who was ultimately more ruthless, stronger, and faster than him.
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It also proved that Amanda Waller made a mistake when she trusted someone who had no powers with the task of leading the Suicide Squad. Had she chosen a different leader, the fight could have turned out very differently. As a result, the audience wouldn’t havethe TV showPeacemakerright now as the show takes place after the events of the movieThe Suicide Squad(2021) and Rick Flag’s passing.
1All The Supporting Human Characters
In the end, the weakest characters in the DCEU are a majority of the human supporting characters, friends, relatives, and sometimes partners of the main characters, who are neither heroes nor villains. That includes names such as Jonathan Kent who dies early on in theMan of Steel(2013),Batman’s loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth(even though he at least can take of Wayne Manor), Lois Lane whom Superman has to save multiple times, Jimmy Olsen who once again dies in the movies, and countless others who don’t play a central role in the story.
In a world full of powered heroes and villains, it’s characters like these that usually are overwhelmed by the odds, and it’s often up to the superheroes to save them or fail whilst trying.
