Summary
- Talia al Ghul’s death in The Dark Knight Rises is surprisingly awkward and abrupt, making it hard to take seriously.
- Val Kilmer’s Batman smile in Batman Forever is unintentionally funny as it looks hilariously out of place behind his tight mask.
- Mr. Freeze’s ice puns in Batman & Robin, delivered with a chilling tone, are so cheesy that they become impossible not to laugh at.
DC movies have historically excelled at mixing humorous and serious moments, but unfortunately for the storied brand, sometimes scenes end up funnier than they were supposed to be. Whether it be overly dramatic acting or lines that don’t sound as natural spoken as they look written in a script, it can be borderline confusing who some DC scenes have made it to the final cut. Regardless, from classic DC films to modern superhero epics, there are plenty of scenes that weren’t supposed to elicit laughs.
These films can be hard to watch, but they are also hard to forget. Many of the most memorable moments in superhero movies have come from DC’s worst films, although it’s usually not for the right reason. Even in their most successful movies, there are still some awkward or mishandled moments that come across as unintentionally hilarious. Here are 10 of the most unintentionally funny moments from DC movies.
10 Talia al Ghul’s Death – The Dark Knight Rises
Talia al Ghul was the surprise villain at the end of The Dark Knight Rises who was the true mastermind behind Bane’s plan. After crashing the truck containing the bomb, Talia is mortally wounded and dies. However, her death is very abrupt, and it looks like she quickly went to sleep rather than dying. It’s surprising that an actor as talented as Marion Cotillard would have a death scene this awkward, but it’s equally surprising that director Christopher Nolan decided this was the take he wanted to leave in the film.
9 Val Kilmer’s Batman Smile – Batman Forever
Val Kilmer does a surprising amount right with his portrayal of Batman and Bruce Wayne. Unfortunately, he only appeared in Batman Forever, one of the lesser films in the Batman franchise. However, there is one moment where Kilmer succumbs to the goofiness of Joel Schumacher’s Batman universe. After speaking with his love interest, Dr. Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman), Batman turns around and gives a hilarious smile right to the camera. It’s meant to be humorous, but Kilmer’s smile looks so much funnier while behind the tight mask of the caped crusader.
8 Mr. Freeze’s Ice Puns – Batman & Robin
There are dozens of unintentionally hilarious moments from Batman & Robin. There’s the bat credit card, Batman and Robin ice skating, and over-the-top shots of the suits, fully equipped with bat-nipples. However, the most iconic part of Batman & Robin is all of Mr. Freeze’s ice puns, delivered remarkably well by Arnold Schwarzenegger. One could make the argument that these were intended to be funny, but a few of them are exclaimed in a serious, chilling tone. The movie tries to make them work, but it’s impossible not to laugh at “What killed the dinosaurs? The ice age!“
7 Basketball and Flirting – Catwoman
Catwoman is another failed flick that gets so many things wrong. For instance, Halle Berry is playing a character named Patience Phillips, not Selina Kyle, even though the movie is called Catwoman. The CGI is laughable, her suit is terrible, and the filmmaking is all over the place. One scene where the poor filmmaking is most obvious is during a flirtatious basketball game between Berry and Benjamin Bratt. It’s horribly edited and features some incredibly awkward acting between the two actors. Both actors are talented, but even they can’t save this remarkably weird scene.
6 The Riddler Sings Ave Maria – The Batman
Paul Dano as The Riddler in The Batman is one of the scariest adaptations of a Batman villain. The way he operated as a twisted serial killer made him a threatening foe for Robert Pattinson’s Batman. While his unhinged performance often worked, Dano’s decision to start singing Ave Maria while talking to prison in Batman is more funny than scary. Yes, the track is a recurring motif for his character, but his singing style contradicts Michael Giacchino’s sinister score and Pattinson’s brooding performance.
5 ‘I Will Find Him’ – Man of Steel
Michael Shannon as General Zod in Man of Steel is one of the better villains in the DCEU. He delivers a haunting performance as an all-powerful villain who is determined to save his people and keep Krypton alive. However, he did over-deliver a few times as director Zack Snyder often demands powerful, dramatic performances from his actors. One moment is at the beginning of the film when he is about to be sent to eternal prison and delivers the line “I will find him,” referencing Kal-El. It’s an over-the-top delivery that is more corny than menacing. It also doesn’t help that he is then frozen and sent off in a rather phallic imprisoning device.
4 Superman’s Rebuilding Vision – Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is undoubtedly the worst of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies. It has one of the funniest villains ever with Nuclear Man, an antagonist who is powered by the sun and has the ability to grow his fingernails. However, the most hilarious scene comes when Superman and Nuclear Man’s battle causes damage to the Great Wall of China. To fix the damage, Superman uses his vision to rebuild the landmark paired with very dated CGI. It’s unclear when Superman got the ability to fix buildings with his mind, but this movie has many other logical errors.
3 Cheetah & Wonder Woman’s Fight – Wonder Woman 1984
Cheetah is one of Wonder Woman’s archenemies from the comics, but translating that character into live-action presented a challenge. Kristen Wiig did an admirable job in the role, but she couldn’t save the role once she turned into an “apex predator.” Not only does Cheetah’s design make her look like she should be singing about Jellicle Cats, but the fight is poorly lit to hide the uncanny CGI. The fight between her and Wonder Woman is cartoonish as the two characters swing around and Cheetah jumps off the side of buildings. She is then electrocuted underwater but somehow still survives.
2 Katana’s Introduction – Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad struggled to introduce audiences to all of its characters. Every character had a noisy montage filled with poor editing and lousy exposition. However, the character who received the worst intro was Katana. She jumps onto a helicopter featuring all of Task Force X and is given the laziest intro from Colonel Rick Flag. He introduces her name, what she does, and why her sword is so dangerous. It’s lousy exposition and quickly became an example of what not to do in screenwriting when introducing a character.
1 Martha – Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice
The epic confrontation between Ben Affleck’s Batman and Henry Cavill’s Superman was highly anticipated. While the fight itself is entertaining, it’s stifled by an anticlimactic ending. After subduing Superman, Batman comes close to killing him with a kryptonite spear. In a last-ditch effort, Superman begs Batman to save his mother who is named Martha. When he hears that name, he remembers his own mother, also named Martha, and spares Superman. This scene is an important part of Batman’s character as he recognizes the humanity in Kal-El since he has a mother just like everyone else. However, it comes across as bizarre since Batman’s determination to defeat Superman ends simply because the two DC heroes have moms’ with the same name.
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