Man of Steel, DC’s first official go at a shared cinematic universe, kicked off with a mixed reception, which it then held most of its lifetime. The franchise’s divisiveness with critics and tepid reaction from audiences is truly a disappointment, given the amount of talent the DCEU recruited to bring their shared universe to life. With Oscar nominees and winners playing these iconic heroes and villains, people felt nothing but pain watching them perform in films that were either bad, not given enough credit, or just disappointing.
Nobody likes it when an actor with absurd talent is put into a role that wastes their abilities, and the DCEU has its fair share. Whether it’s someone like Karen Fukuhara, who has recently found worldwide fame in The Boys on Prime Video, or an Oscar winner like Ben Affleck, who has always struggled to find the right role for his abilities, the DCEU had a lot of potential in the acting department but could never use it to its fullest.
10Will Smith as Floyd Lawton/Deadshot
‘Suicide Squad’ (2016)
Aside from the controversies of recent years, Will Smith has actually had a pretty darn good acting career and is quite talented. He helped birth the incredibly successful Bad Boys and Men in Black franchises, so when word got out that he would portray DC’s sharpest shooter, Deadshot, hopes were sky-high.
What truly sucks is that, given an actually decent script, Smith could have truly excelled as Deadshot, and, by the sounds of it, the David Ayer cut of Suicide Squad had Deadshot doing much more. Smith’s performance in Suicide Squad isn’t terrible, either. When he’s given the chance, he has some great moments that give audiences a look at what could have been.
Suicide Squad
PG-13
Superhero
Action
Adventure
Crime
Fantasy
Sci-Fi
Where to Watch
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Release DateAugust 5, 2016
DirectorDavid Ayer
CastWill Smith , Jaime Fitzsimons , Ike Barinholtz , Margot Robbie , Christopher Dyson , Bambadjan Bamba
Runtime123 minutes
WritersDavid Ayer , John Ostrander
9Harry Lennix as Calvin Swanwick/Martian Manhunter
‘Man of Steel’ (2013), ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ (2016) & ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ (2021)
Martian Manhunter has been a core member of the Justice League for decades, most notable in the media for his role in the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited animated series. Established throughout Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as “General Swanwick,” there were clear plans for Martian Manhunter in the future of the DCEU that were scrapped. These plans were only somewhat revealed when Zack Snyder’s Justice League finally found a release, and he revealed himself to Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) at the end of the film.
To find out there were big plans for Harry Lennix as Martian Manhunter that fans will never get to see is disappointing. Lennix is an astounding actor, most recognizable for his role in The Blacklist, and would’ve dominated the role if actually given a shot at it.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League
R
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Release DateMay 18, 2021
DirectorZack Snyder
CastBen Affleck , Henry Cavill , Amy Adams , Gal Gadot , Ray Fisher , Jason Momoa , Willem Dafoe , Jesse Eisenberg , Jeremy Irons , Diane Lane , Connie Nielsen , J.K. Simmons
Runtime242
8Karen Fukuhara as Katana
‘Suicide Squad’ (2016)
Known today for her role as Kimiko in The Boys, Karen Fukuhara was actually unknown to most, kicking butt in Suicide Squad before she went to Prime Video. She joined the squad of villains as the silent but deadly Katana. Fukuhara, as most know now, is a phenomenal physical and facial performer, being able to say so much by doing so little.
Katana is actually a really cool character in the DC canon, and Fukuhara was genuinely the perfect cast. What ruins things is the fact that she got stuck in an awful film like Suicide Squad. Thankfully, she got to come in and really prove herself in The Boys, as Kimiko is similar to Katana in some ways. James Gunn, there’s still a chance to bring Fukuhara back into the fold with the announcement that The Boys will be ending in Season 5…
7Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman
‘The Flash’ (2023)
Leave it to the DCEU creatives to make a Flashpoint film but simply not do anything like the Flashpoint story, instead making Michael Keaton‘s Batman one of the main focuses. Rather than using Thomas Wayne’s Batman, Warner Bros. decided to skip all of the depth that comes with the iconic story and just throw in Keaton’s Batman because why the heck not?
Decades after his debut as Batman, Keaton is still just as good an actor as ever — some would say even better. His performance in Spider-Man: Homecoming proved that he still had the superhero film blood in his veins and could tackle new roles in those universes. Keaton had massive potential to join the DCEU as a new character that could challenge him as an actor and expand the universe in new ways rather than just rehashing a character the audience has already seen him play.
The Flash
PG-13
Superhero
Action
Adventure
Fantasy
Sci-Fi
Where to Watch
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*Availability in US
Release DateJune 16, 2023
DirectorAndres Muschietti
CastEzra Miller , Michael Keaton , Sasha Calle
WritersGardner Fox , Joby Harold , Harry Lampert
6Laurence Fishburne as Perry White
‘Man of Steel’ (2013) & ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ (2016)
One would think that if a studio were to lock down the man who played Morpheus in The Matrix and the Bowery King in the John Wick franchise, it would utilize that actor to the best of their ability to bring the complexity and drama they’re so good at. That was not the case with Laurence Fishburne in the DCEU, which is especially disappointing since he played the editor-in-chief at the Daily Planet, Perry White.
Clark Kent is just as important as Superman, and his supporting cast helps sell that idea. Characters like Perry White, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen ground Superman to the people of Earth, which is what helps the DC titan feel less like a god and more like a man. An actor like Fishburne could have brought a plethora of complexity to Clark’s life professional life in Man of Steel and especially Batman v. Superman. Unfortunately, he was not utilized as such.
5Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Thomas Wayne
‘Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice’ (2016)
Very few actors have a presence like Jeffrey Dean Morgan, with titanous roles in major projects like The Walking Dead, Watchmen and The Boys. Thus, Morgan’s cameo as Thomas Wayne in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice felt like a wasted opportunity to utilize the character in a more important role. Fans were a tad disappointed until… The Flash was announced, and the idea of Flashpoint was introduced to the DCEU.
In the Flashpoint story, when Barry changes the timeline, he ends up in a world where Thomas Wayne is a radically different Batman. He serves as a reflection of what Bruce could have become had he let darkness consume him. It also gives Barry the opportunity to give Bruce closure about his father’s death by writing him a powerful letter. Jeffrey Dean Morgan would have made the perfect Flashpoint Batman. Fans were so excited that fan edits started circling the internet, and hype began to grow. The DCEU’s failure to do a proper Flashpoint storyline will forever haunt the disgraced franchise.
4Sasha Calle as Supergirl
‘The Flash’ (2023)
It’s no secret that 2023’s The Flash was an abhorrent film with very little to enjoy about it. But there are a few shining lights of hope that help carry it to the finish line, including Sasha Calle as Supergirl. Despite receiving very little to do, she absolutely killed the role and was one of the few engaging characters in the story for the limited time she was given.
There’s a lot of talk about DCEU actors not coming back for James Gunn’s DCU and fans being disappointed about some. Calle is one of those actors who truly deserve a second shot at the character she came in to play. Being a positive light in a film like The Flash is no easy task, and she genuinely would be great alongside David Corenswet in Superman. While there’s no doubt that Milly Alcock is going to be an incredible Supergirl, it’s hard to deny that Calle was a great choice and deserves redemption.
3Henry Cavill as Superman
5 Appearances Across the DCEU
From his debut in Man of Steel, Henry Cavill cemented himself as a fan-favorite iteration of the Superman character for millions across the globe. Cavill understood the essence of Superman and brought far more than was asked of him in every appearance he had in the DCEU. Unfortunately for Cavill and his fans, he was handed the short end of the writing stick, with the powers-that-be opting for a stoic, humorless, near-robotic version of Superman rather than the beacon of hope Cavill very obviously wanted to portray.
Alas, things were never meant to work out for this divisive take on the Last Son of Krypton. Warner Bros. never knew what to do with him, especially after the Justice League debacle. The studio brought him back for an underwhelming cameo in the even more underwhelming Black Adam, only to take the role from him for Gunn’s new DCU. David Corenswet is going to kill it as Superman, but to see Cavill get treated so poorly has fans still campaigning for his comeback. What’s worse is that the British actor has proven how charming he can be in films like The Man from UNCLE and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. The fact he never got to actually play the version of Superman everyone loves is frustrating, to say the least.
Black Adam
PG-13
Action
Sci-Fi
Where to Watch
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*Availability in US
Release DateJuly 27, 2022
DirectorJaume Collet-Serra
CastDwayne Johnson , Sarah Shahi , Pierce Brosnan , Aldis Hodge , Noah Centineo , Marwan Kenzari
Runtime125 minutes
WritersC.C. Beck , Otto Binder , Rory Haines , Sohrab Noshirvani , Adam Sztykiel
2Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman
6 Appearances Across the DCEU
While many disagree with the direction Zack Snyder took with the Batman character from a writing perspective, it’s hard to say that Ben Affleck didn’t come in and kill the role that he was given. This Batman might not be what many would like to see from the Caped Crusader, but Affleck still gave a great performance in the character’s context.
It’s even more depressing that Affleck was never given the chance to play a more likable Batman because he could do it incredibly well. Affleck is easily one of the most wasted DCEU actors because of everything that could have been. The man is an Oscar winner, for crying out loud! Affleck’s unrealized solo Batman movie still haunts the dreams of many fans, who will always wonder how it would’ve turned out. Given the chance to play another role, he could have done something even better than what audiences saw in the DCEU.
1Ray Fisher as Victor Stone/Cyborg
‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ (2016), ‘Justice League’ (2017) & ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ (2021)
The now-infamous story of Ray Fisher‘s treatment during his short tenure as Cyborg is one of the most disappointing and heartbreaking things to come out of the DCEU. Fisher gave everything to his performance and was easily one of the major highlights of the original cut of Justice League, and, especially, Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Even after everything Fisher did to make the character great, he was treated with immense disrespect. His performance was good enough to turn Cyborg into a household name, giving the DCEU an incredibly complex and compelling character for audiences to fall in love with. Fisher serves as a prime example of a wasted actor, as he could have brought something great to a usually misrepresented character.
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