10 Biggest Missed Opportunities In The DCEU

Before it began its rebranding to become the DCU, DC’s shared universe was known as the DCEU, and it was a franchise plagued by a number of missed opportunities. From as early as 2013’s Man of Steel and the beginning of the DCEU, the franchise was considered divisive. Zack Snyder’s vision for a shared DC cinematic universe included a somewhat unorthodox approach to many of its characters, with a much grittier and darker world than was typically expected. The likes of Wonder Woman, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Aquaman, Justice League, and more fleshed out the DCEU’s slate of movies, establishing the parameters of the franchise.

However, negative and mixed receptions to many DCEU films saw the franchise shelved and the reins of DC Studios handed over to James Gunn and Peter Safran. This ultimately led to the DCEU being rebooted into the DCU, a new shared universe featuring new iterations of DC’s biggest heroes. The failure of the DCEU was the result of a number of failings, many of them amounting to little more than misfortune. However, from the very start of the DCEU’s timeline of movies, a number of missed opportunities saw the franchise lessen in popularity. Though some were entirely unavoidable, here are the 10 biggest missed opportunities in the DCEU.

10 The Flash Could Have Been A Much Better Movie

One of the DCEU’s most turbulent productions, The Flash was unable to make the impact it was hoped to for the franchise. After repeated delays, the film was finally released after Gunn and Safran’s appointment as co-heads of DC Studios, with the planned reboot already announced. The behind-the-scenes issues of the DCEU clearly affected the finished film, with the film’s narrative suffering as a result of the franchise’s wider issues. The Flash‘s ending was criticized heavily as being largely incoherent in comparison to the rest of the film, and if the franchise had been more stable, the film would likely have achieved much greater success.

9 A Nightwing Movie Would Have Set The DCEU Apart

Across the entirety of the DCEU’s existence, rumors of a Nightwing movie ran rampant. Ben Affleck’s older Batman hinted that Nightwing could feasibly exist within the DCEU, and many of the hero’s stories would have fit perfectly within the grittier world in which the franchise was set. Though it ultimately never came to fruition in the DCEU, a Nightwing movie would have been perfect, as it would have introduced a new generation of heroes to the franchise outside the more traditional members of the Justice League. As it would have worked on both a narrative and conceptual level, Nightwing’s absence from the DCEU felt like a huge missed opportunity.

8 Never Paying Off Black Adam’s Final Superman Tease

At the time of Black Adam‘s release, the status of Henry Cavill’s Superman within the DCEU was the cause of much speculation. Black Adam‘s cast of characters included a cameo from Cavill’s Superman, teasing that he would return to face off against Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam. Ultimately, the tease was doomed never to be paid off, as Cavill was promptly released from the role ahead of the franchise’s reboot. After years of speculation as to whether Cavill would return, having his final appearance in the role be a cameo teasing a future that would never come to pass was one of the DCEU’s cruelest missed opportunities.

7 BvS’s Lex Luthor Was A Wasted Opportunity

One of the more daring elements of the DCEU was its willingness to depart from complete comic accuracy to deliver new takes on classic characters. Though putting a new spin on Lex Luthor isn’t a bad idea, the execution in Batman v Superman left a great deal to be desired. Jesse Eisenberg’s Luthor was hyperactive and erratic and came nowhere close to being the calculating and menacing villain he deserved to be. By failing to deliver on the promise of an interesting core villain, the DCEU wasted not just an iconic character, but a golden opportunity to reinvent countless Superman stories.

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6 Shazam Never Got To Join The Justice League

Though he may not be DC’s most iconic hero, Shazam proved to be one of the DCEU’s most well-received, thanks in part to his light-hearted nature and sense of humor. Sadly, Billy Batson’s superhero alter-ego never made it into the Justice League within the DCEU, and it was clearly a missed opportunity. Shazam would have brought greater levity to the team, offsetting the more serious natures of Batman, Superman, Cyborg, and Wonder Woman. His magical powers also could have added a slightly different dynamic to the team, even though it ultimately never came to be in the DCEU.

5 Man Of Steel 2 Could Have Fixed Multiple Superman Complaints

The DCEU’s first movie remains one of its most divisive, with a number of harsh realities plaguing Man of Steel and its depiction of Superman. Many of the issues with Snyder’s version of the iconic hero would undoubtedly have been resolved by a sequel, as exploring his growth as a hero and leader would have helped to move away from the more brooding and doubt-ridden character of the first movie. Though Man of Steel 2 was teased repeatedly, the DCEU sequel never came to pass, and Henry Cavill was never truly given the chance to shine in the DCEU’s most important role.

4 Cyborg Should Have Been Given More Attention

As one of the founding members of the DCEU’s Justice League, it’s fair to say that Cyborg is an important hero in the franchise. However, his only real DCEU appearance was in Justice League, which explained the nature of his technological powers being linked to the Apokaliptian Mother Boxes. Justice League sets Cyborg up as one of its most interesting and powerful characters, but the character was ultimately never expanded upon. Having the hero’s only significant appearance being in a team-up movie in which he was only featured in more of a supporting role was an obvious missed opportunity for the DCEU.

3 Snyder’s Planned Justice League Sequels Could Have Saved The DCEU

Though Zack Snyder’s plans for the DCEU have always been divisive, it’s clear that he had a distinct vision for the franchise’s future. After he departed the franchise during the production of Justice League, the film was revised significantly to move away from some of Snyder’s ideas, making the film feel somewhat jumbled and inconsistent. Had Snyder remained, his vision for the DCEU would have continued in his planned Justice League sequels, and despite his potentially controversial approach, the DCEU’s story would have remained coherent. Moving away from Snyder’s planned story was ultimately what sealed the DCEU’s fate as a failed franchise.

2 A DCEU Green Lantern Would Have Been A Perfect Fit

The earliest theme of the DCEU was humanity attempting to deal with extraterrestrial threats. Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Justice League all focused on that idea, and by failing to introduce Green Lantern into the franchise, the DCEU missed an excellent opportunity. Monitoring and combating alien and cosmic threats is at the core of any Green Lantern story, and the hero clearly would have been a perfect fit for the themes explored in the early stages of the DCEU. Introducing some iteration of Green Lantern ahead of Justice League would have been perfect, but it was yet another missed opportunity in the DCEU.

1 Ben Affleck’s Batman Movie Would Have Been Great

The trio of DC’s most iconic heroes were all featured in the DCEU, but one of them never got his own movie. Though a Ben Affleck-led Batman movie was rumored for the DCEU, it never came to pass. A greater exploration of the character could have been a fascinating insight into his past, looking at an older and darker iteration of the Dark Knight than previous Batman movies. That Ben Affleck’s Batman movie was never made remains one of the DCEU’s biggest missed opportunities, but the franchise being rebooted into the DCU means it will never come to fruition.