Every DCEU Film, Ranked
I have a hot take, and it’s that the DC Extended Universe, Warner Bros. and DC Comics’s answer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is better than the MCU. Even if you disagree, it’s undeniable that the DCEU is prettier, has better music, and is simply more interesting than the output from Marvel Studios (watching this video made me love the DCEU all over again). I’d argue the DCEU has an equal, if not better, batting average in its 11 films than the MCU’s 25 when it comes to above-average or greater quality superhero films. Sure, the critical and box office responses may say otherwise, but the DCEU has its own charms.
Over the last year I rewatched all of the DCEU films and, to my surprise, certain films held up better than I remembered, while others I initially loved fared worse. It’s unfortunate the DCEU started so heavily under Zack Snyder’s dark and gritty realism approach, a filmmaker who’s known more for films that look good than are actually good. But once the films started moving away from Snyder’s established tone, they really started to take off and become special. After weeks of contemplation, I’ve finally solidified my rankings of the films. Below is the definitive ranking of all eleven installments in the DC Extended Universe so far:
11. Justice League (2017)
I’m not gonna lie, when I first saw Justice League I actually really liked it. Or at least, I was trying to convince myself that I did. Maybe I was over-praising it because my expectations were so low, considering all of the production troubles, including Joss Whedon (The Avengers) coming in at the last minute to shoot new material and rework what director Zack Snyder had already been working on. Or maybe it was my excitement seeing the Justice League on screen in live-action for the first time. Either way, I was just grateful to finally see a Justice League movie! But upon my rewatch it was just… fine. As an Avengers-level cinematic event it was a huge disappointment, with a lackluster story and terrible villain. But it was lighter and more colorful than all of the films we had up until that point thanks to Snyder’s signature dark and moody style.
Unfortunately, Justice League seemed doomed to fail from almost the beginning. With the back-to-back negative reception of Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman, and the financial disappointment of the latter, the entire production became reactionary. Critics called Batman v Superman too dark, so Justice League’s tone became much lighter. Some blamed Batman v Superman’s underperformance on its nearly three hour running time, so Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara mandated the film be no more than two hours, a huge detriment to a film that’s supposed to introduce three new heroes in addition to a team-up. And when Zack Snyder left due to a family tragedy and Joss Whedon was brought in, the company didn’t push back the release date! Instead, they opted to keep the film’s original release date in order for executives to receive their cash bonuses before the company’s merger with AT&T. Despicable.
Back to the film itself: it’s noticeably inconsistent in tone, awkwardly going back and forth between Whedonistic snark and Snyder’s dark seriousness. The jokes were hit and miss. The action scenes on Themyscira were great but all the others are forgettable. The digitally-removed mustache from Henry Cavill’s face was goofy (the reshoots conflicted with his schedule for Mission: Impossible—Fallout, a film in which he was contractually obligated to keep his mustache). Ezra Miller’s The Flash was a fun addition to the franchise, but Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) only played minor roles. Ultimately, it was a mistake to rush into Justice League without introducing each hero in their own respective films, like what Marvel did leading up to The Avengers. The Justice League deserved better. Hopefully one day we will get a proper—and great—Justice League film.
10. Suicide Squad (2016)
David Ayer’s Suicide Squad was just the third film in the DCEU but it already offered something new and refreshing compared to the MCU: a film in which the villains were the stars. However, the film suffered a similar fate as Justice League in its rushed and troubled production. Again, in response to Batman v Superman’s negative reception, Suicide Squad underwent massive reshoots to have a lighter and comedic tone. After the universal praise for the film’s first “Bohemian Rhapsody”-scored trailer, the film was also re-edited to feel more like that trailer, hence all the film’s countless needle drops (Ayer even claims the final cut of the film was taken away from him and literally edited by a trailer production company). Also, Ayer (Training Day & End of Watch) was only given six weeks to write the screenplay! The end result was yet another critical failure in the DCEU, but it at least made a ton of money ($746 million).
I enjoyed Suicide Squad and thought it was a fun and entertaining film, but it’s undeniably a hot mess. The villains, Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) and Incubus (Alain Chanoine), were awful. The third act battle was a boring and ugly CGI mess. Most of the Suicide Squad itself were forgettable and had no personality. I didn’t hate Jared Leto’s Joker as much as most people did, but it’s also hilarious remembering all the hype leading up to the film and all the infamous stories about his method acting and staying in character even when cameras weren’t rolling… only to have just a few minutes of screen time in the film. Ayer said if he could do it over again he would’ve made The Joker the main villain. Ahead of James Gunn’s 2021 standalone sequel The Suicide Squad, Ayer publicly disavowed his 2016 film. You can read more about what he had to say here.
The film’s biggest success was in the casting department, including Will Smith as Deadshot, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, and Viola Davis as the wicked Amanda Waller (genius casting!). But best of all was the introduction of Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, a pairing so perfect that it’s hard to imagine anyone else embodying the role.
9. Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
I didn’t think it’d actually happen but here we are. Thanks to a vocal #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign and Warner Bros.’s need to boost HBO Max subscribers, Zack Snyder was able to release his fully-realized Justice League film. Don’t be mistaken, this is not the fabled “Snyder Cut” (i.e. the film that would’ve been released in theatres in 2017 had Snyder stayed on). No, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a new beast that removes anything Joss Whedon shot, keeping only Snyder’s original footage, in addition to new scenes written and shot in 2020-2021. The result is a four hour epic that still maintains the narrative skeleton from the 2017 version, just more, more, more.
The main villain Steppenwolf still sucked, but at least he looked cooler. Darkseid got his first appearance here looking big and bad. The film looked great with Snyder’s dark, moody, and cinematic color grading compared to the ugly and flat 2017 version. We got more screen time with each hero, especially the newer ones (Aquaman, Cyborg, The Flash). More importantly, Cyborg’s story was given more importance and he became the heart of the film. Superman came back to life, this time with in his iconic black suit from the comics! Though, the reason for it was nonexistent.
But not everything was better in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. For one, Snyder’s signature slow-mo action sequences felt overindulgent, and they actually ended up making the action sequences worse than the theatrical version. At 242 minutes, the film is unnecessarily long, becoming a drag at times. The film was also split into six chapters, which made no sense since the chapters didn’t have any defining themes. The film also established characters and storylines that were meant to set up future films that will never actually pay off (because Zack Snyder’s Justice League is non-canon).
Still, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a better film than the theatrical cut. It’s not a great film, but it is an entertaining one.
Read my original review of ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ here.
8. Man of Steel (2013)
Man of Steel was the introduction to the DCEU before it was even called the DCEU. And, for better or worse, the film defined the majority of the cinematic universe thanks to Zack Snyder’s dark and gritty vision. Yes, I did love the film when it first came out (look, I was 20 at the time). But in 2021, as a much older adult and having seen many more films, I had a different experience rewatching the film. It’s still gorgeous as fuck (shot by Amir Mokri, probably the most beautifully photographed film in the DCEU), the opening scenes set on Krypton are great, Hans Zimmer gives us one of the best scores in his career, Michael Shannon is perfectly hammy as General Zod, and Papa Kent pretty much says “Fuck them kids,” but it still has the same flaws in most Snyder films. It’s too long for a film with such a thin plot (literally half the film is the face-off between Superman and General Zod). They overdid it by making the film so action-heavy in response to the lack of action in Bryan Singer’s legacyquel Superman Returns. Henry Cavill is wooden as Clark Kent and Superman, which shouldn’t happen. Clark Kent should have a distinct personality from Superman! And the character’s relationship with Lois Lane (Amy Adams) lacked chemistry. The decision to have Superman kill Zod turned off a lot of Superman purists. And Superman was an idiot for not trying to move the battle away from Metropolis (yes, Snyder defended this by saying he’s a “new” Superman who’s still trying to learn to become a superhero, but he’s like in his late 30s in this movie! He’s not a child!).
The best moments were the ones with the Kent family (Kevin Costner was particularly memorable as the family patriarch) and Clark’s upbringing. And Superman’s first flight sequence is awesome. It’s really disappointing Henry Cavill’s Superman never got a proper sequel, instead diving right into a film that sets up Justice League. We need a Man of Steel 2!
Also, this teaser trailer is so fucking good!
Read my original review of ‘Man of Steel’ here. Remember, this was written when I was much younger, so I don’t necessarily agree with everything I wrote back then!
7. Wonder Woman (2017)
There was a lot riding on Wonder Woman’s success upon its release in 2017. Just the fourth installment in the DCEU, it came out right after two poorly-received films and one box office disappointment (Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman), and just a few months before Justice League. With a huge sigh of relief, Wonder Woman was a success, earning over $822 million worldwide, the second most in the DCEU at that point behind Batman v Superman, and the best critical reception thus far (76/100 on Metacritic and 93% positive on Rotten Tomatoes).
Patty Jenkins’s (Monster) take on the iconic superhero wasn’t groundbreaking on a storytelling level, but it was a solid superhero flick. Gal Gadot was good as an optimistic hero; Chris Pine was great as Steve Trevor, her sidekick slash love interest; I loved the scenes on Themyscira, the Amazons fighting the soldiers is some of the best action in the entire DCEU; Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright were excellent as Hippolyta and Antiope, respectively; and the No Man’s Land sequence was really great. I liked how the film fooled us by having the true villain (Ares) working behind the scenes, yet in front of our eyes, the entire time. It’s too bad all of the villains were one-dimensional and instantly forgettable. And, my god, the terrible CGI-infested final battle really brought down the quality of the film for me.
The film was also a big deal in terms of representation (even the MCU hadn’t yet had a solo film headlined or directed by a woman). Much was discussed about the film’s impact as a feminist work—some saying it’s a positive influence on feminism while others disagreed. Famed filmmaker James Cameron, director of two of the biggest films of all time (Titanic and Avatar), had a stupid-ass response to the film, basically saying the film wasn’t feminist because Wonder Woman was depicted as sexy. He contrasted Wonder Woman to Sarah Connor from his Terminator films, saying she “was not a beauty icon. She was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit.” FYI, women can be hot and still be feminist. Thankfully, Patty Jenkins put Cameron in his place.
It’s surprising it took this long to bring Wonder Woman to the big screen, but I’m relieved her debut was a resounding success!
6. Shazam! (2019)
Shazam! was one of the first post-Justice League films that helped steer the DCEU in the right direction by focusing less on connective-tissue and more on director-driven narratives. This film doesn’t look or feel like anything else offered by DC Films or the MCU. While the filmmakers at Marvel like to say each of their films are different genres (Captain America: The Winter Soldier was apparently their take on a 70s paranoid political thriller, and Ant-Man was a heist thriller), they’re really not different in genre. Every single MCU film feels the same, no matter how strong a director’s voice it has (even Taika Waititi and James Gunn). Shazam! is actually true to its homage, mostly Tom Hanks’s Big, as it’s a family film that just so happens to star a superhero. It’s so light-hearted and joyful you’d be surprised to learn it still takes place in the DCEU started by Zack Snyder. It’s a refreshing take on the superhero genre by not taking itself so seriously.
That scene when Billy Batson reunited with his mom who abandoned him was heartbreaking. But I loved that this film showcased positive representation for foster families. The filmmakers could’ve gone the cynical route and made Billy’s foster parents abusive but they’re so kind and loving, and so was the rest of the foster children (Darla was a scene-stealer). I was so giddy in the third act when Billy’s foster siblings also received powers and they all became adults (starring some familiar faces), embodying the Marvel Family. It’s so great!
One of the biggest issues with the film was its villain, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong), who was so paper-thin he almost felt like an afterthought. Why is Mark Strong always so underutilized in movies? Green Lantern, John Carter, Cruella, etc. Director David F. Sandberg (Lights Out) showcased some of his horror roots in the Seven Deadly Sins monsters sequences, but they’re never as scary as they could’ve been. And, despite how great Zachary Levi was as the titular hero, his personality did not match with his child form. Asher Angel’s Billy Batson was less emotive whereas Shazam was so caffeinated and wacky.
It’s unfortunate the film wasn’t a major box office success ($365 million worldwide, the lowest grossing DCEU film pre-Covid), but thankfully they’re still moving forward with a sequel (set for release June 2023). And I look forward to the eventual showdown between Shazam and Dwayne Johnson’s antihero Black Adam, who’s set to have his own film in July 2022.
Also Shazam! is a Christmas movie!
5. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
A lot of dudebros hated Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) but they can go kick rocks. I really enjoyed Cathy Yan’s Harley Quinn-starring vehicle, which offered yet another unique spin on the superhero genre (DC is so much better at pumping out different films than the MCU is). I mean, just look at that title! Margot Robbie is deliciously wild as Harley Quinn, who gets to have a lot more fun this time around after her introduction in Suicide Squad (she powers up after accidentally snorting cocaine in the film!).
This is part Harley Quinn solo film and part team-up movie, featuring four new faces—three women and one pre-teen girl—who all make their way into Harley’s orbit one way or another. These new characters are all great and played by excellent actors, including Jurnee Smollett, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and newcomer Ella Jay Basco. I loved every scene Winstead’s super-serious Huntress was in (that slide kill is a standout). Also excellent was Ewan McGregor as the villainous Black Mask, an eccentric mob boss who has a tendency to cut people’s faces off. He broke the long streak of terrible villains in the DCEU. The vague relationship between Black Mask and his henchman Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina) was also interesting (is it queer bait?!). And that scene with Roman / Black Mask humiliating a woman at his club was so disturbing and suspenseful, and so, so good!
Birds of Prey was a win for representation in front of and behind the camera. Journalist-turned-filmmaker Cathy Yan (Dead Pigs) was the first Asian woman to ever director a superhero film. It’s also written by Christina Hodson (Bumblebee), an Asian English woman, shot by DP Matthew Libatique (A Star Is Born), who is Filipino, and stars a diverse cast filled with Asian actors, Black actors, and Afro-Latina actors. And the fact it was directed by, written by, and starred so many women matters. You can see it in the little moments, like when the girls toss hair ties to one another during the third-act battle.
I’m really sad the film didn’t become a box office success it deserved ($201 million worldwide), partly due to the onset of the pandemic, partly due to its restrictive R-rating, partly due to “Harley Quinn” not being its main title, partly due to how much everyone hated Suicide Squad, but also partly due to blatant sexism. Yan has expressed interest in directing a sequel to explore Harley’s relationship with Poison Ivy, which would be so great! But it’s highly unlikely we’ll get to see this anytime soon, if ever :(
Read my original review of ‘Birds of Prey’ here.
4. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
I was one of the few who actually liked Wonder Woman 1984 (I saw it twice in the span of 24 hours!), and I have no regrets. This is a brighter, more optimistic, and, yes, cornier installment in the DCEU and I loved all of it. The opening athletic competition sequence set on Themyscira was exciting. I enjoyed the 80s aesthetics (though I wished there were more of it). Hans Zimmer returned with another great DCEU score (one of my favs is the opening “Themyscira” track, but I was also fanboying the crap out of the unexpected use of “Beautiful Lie” from Batman v Superman). I didn’t expect such a supernatural plot device in the Dreamstone, which grants wishes Monkey’s Paw style, but I welcomed the return of Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor, who’s such a delight! And it was a nice inverse of the first Wonder Woman film when Diana was the fish out of water in a new world, but this time it’s Steve. Pedro Pascal was excellent and made his Maxwell Lord a sympathetic villain. Kristen Wiig was fun as Barbara Minerva, but, unfortunately, her Cheetah came too soon after the disastrous Cats movie to avoid comparisons.
I know there’s a certain ick factor to Steve Trevor taking over someone else’s body (and Wonder Woman having implied sex with him), but ignoring this problematic aspect, their final goodbye did get me a little choked up.
I just really, really, really loved this movie. Sorry, haters! I liked that this film got to have a lot of fun with Wonder Woman after spending time establishing her in the more self-serious first film. Wonder Woman freaking swings from lightning! And many will point out to her running or flying scenes as examples of bad CGI or for being too corny, but I personally felt it was intentional. I mean, the DCEU has proven itself to show great flight sequences before (see Man of Steel), so it’s not like they don’t know what they’re doing. I saw these scenes, especially her closing flight sequence, as intended to invoke the hope and optimism of the Richard Donner 1978 Superman film, which is one of the most influential superhero films in history.
3. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has the best opening sequence of probably any superhero film I’ve ever seen. The haunting “Beautiful Lie” track from Hans Zimmer, combined with a stylized and moving depiction of Batman’s origins, leading into the final battle from Man of Steel but from Bruce Wayne’s POV—it’s amazing! And for pretty much 2/3rds of the film, it maintains this greatness.
Despite all odds, Ben Affleck made a great Batman, one who’s worn and weary, greying with age and experience. But also one who’s paranoid! I’m in the minority here, but I also liked Jesse Eisenberg’s eccentric Lex Luthor, skillfully manipulating both heroes without them even suspecting. The idea of having Superman and Batman face off against each other was interesting, but I did agree with critics that the film suffered from trying too hard to set up Justice League instead of being its own thing. Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman was a great addition, but not necessary. And The Flash’s out-of-the-blue warning, and the Knightmare Sequence, was distracting and didn’t even pay off until this year’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League, if you can even say that. And Doomsday was yet another awful CGI baddie. The death of Superman was well-depicted, and his funeral was moving. However, it would’ve packed a stronger emotional punch had we had a proper Man of Steel sequel. We barely knew Henry Cavill’s Clark Kent / Superman by the time he died in Batman v Superman.
Out all of Zack Snyder’s DCEU films, this is the only one that truly holds up. It’s the best of his trilogy that started with Man of Steel and ended with Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Despite its flaws, I always leave rewatches with renewed adoration for the film. It’s an absolutely gorgeous superhero film (shot by Larry Fong), and it feels epic and cinematic in every way—Zack Snyder’s biggest strength.
2. Aquaman (2018)
This is another DCEU film that most people seem to dislike, but, again, I love! The film is also the most financially successful DCEU film so far ($1.148 billion worldwide), so who’s laughing now?
It’s intentionally cheesy (that random Pitbull song in the middle of the movie was terrible and they know it) and, sometimes, campy, but taken seriously enough to still be epic. James Wan’s Aquaman was the first solo DCEU film to move away from the super-serious Zack Snyder era and into a lighter and breezier affair. Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry / Aquaman was underutilized in the big team-up movie but, thankfully, he wasn’t a one-dimensional dude-bro type here. Instead, he’s charismatic and likable as the reluctant heir to the Atlantean Kingdom. The plot is part Shakespearean, and part Indiana Jones, but also with an octopus playing the drums.
I really appreciated that Wan didn’t care to make this grounded and realistic. Aquaman has always been the butt of jokes throughout the years, and the film just went with that. Black Manta and Ocean Master’s costumes were comic book-y in the best way possible. And by the end of the film, Aquaman ditched the muted costume from Snyder’s films and donned the comics-accurate orange and green scaly suit (a brilliant decision). This film was not afraid to look like a comic book! The depiction of Atlantis in all its bioluminescence was beautiful, and it’s fun diving into a whole new world here.
I also appreciated how clean and clear Wan’s action sequences were. And that tracking shot in the battle in Sicily is one of my favorite action sequences in a superhero flick. While the film did feature yet another big CGI third act battle, it’s more fun (and more interesting), featuring dozens of underwater creatures fighting it out in glorious mayhem. That final heroic shot of Aquaman was so perfect!
1. The Suicide Squad (2021)
There’s a chance The Suicide Squad’s high ranking on this list may be due to recency bias, but it’s also not hard to see why it’s so high on this list. Writer/director James Gunn’s standalone sequel to the 2016 Suicide Squad is everything the original should’ve been—bloody, wicked fun!
Warner Bros. is known as a director-driven studio and a lot of the DCEU films felt that way, but Gunn’s The Suicide Squad was the first in the DCEU to feel like a single vision, unaffected by any studio mandates or intentional connection to the wider universe. I was worried Gunn’s version of the Suicide Squad would feel too similar to his Guardians of the Galaxy films, but I should have known he wouldn’t rehash anything (I mean, just look at how different Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 was from the first!). He once again took a bunch of characters that shouldn’t work—an anthropomorphic shark, a giant alien starfish, someone named Polka Dot Man—and turned them into memorable, if not fan favorite, characters.
That opening misdirect sequence was brilliant. Idris Elba’s Bloodsport and John Cena’s Peacemaker were hilarious in their dick-measuring contest (that kill contest sequence was both hilarious and horrifying). Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag was better utilized this time around (I actually gave a damn about his character this time). Viola Davis was even juicier as the amoral Amanda Waller. And Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn was fantastic as always. That helmet fight shot is a standout. True to his word, no one was safe in Gunn’s film—anyone felt like they could die at any moment, and some characters we cared for did. And the film had an anti-American imperialism bent! Despite all the violence, bloodshed, and humor, this was also a film with a huge heart, mostly in the form of Bloodsport and Ratcatcher 2’s unexpected father-daughter relationship.
It’s such a bummer this film wasn’t a box office hit (it’s the second-lowest earning DCEU film at $167 million worldwide, just slightly ahead of Wonder Woman 1984, which was also released during the pandemic). Yes, there’s still a pandemic, but other blockbusters have been able to succeed during this time (Black Widow, Shang-Chi, Godzilla vs. Kong). The main culprit to the film’s lackluster performance was likely general audiences’s perception that this was another Suicide Squad that’s just like the poorly-received 2016 version. Giving the standalone sequel the same name but with an article probably didn’t help.
In any case, The Suicide Squad is a near-perfect film from start to finish. Marvel Studios would never make a film like this!
Upcoming Confirmed DCEU Films:
Black Adam (June 29, 2022)
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Noah Centineo, Aldis Hodge, Sarah Shahi, Quintessa Swindell, Pierce Brosnan
The Flash (November 4, 2022)
Starring Ezra Miller, Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle, Kiersey Clemons
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 16, 2022)
Starring Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison
Batgirl (2022)
Starring Leslie Grace
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (June 2, 2023)
Starring Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Adam Brody, Djimon Hounsou, Rachel Zegler, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, Faithe Herman, Meagan Good, Grace Fulton, Ian Chen, Ross Butler, Jovan Armand, D. J. Cotrona, Marta Milans, Cooper Andrews
