Summary
- Both the MCU and DCEU have struggled to portray superspeed powers in a visually appealing way, with characters like Quicksilver and The Flash receiving criticism.
- The MCU’s portrayal of superspeed in Avengers: Age of Ultron was disappointing, and Makkari’s powers in Eternals were underutilized, despite being visually impressive.
- Grant Gustin’s portrayal of The Flash in the Arrowverse series and Makkari’s presentation in Eternals have successfully captured the true potential of superspeed, highlighting the difficulty of getting it right in movies.
Both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DCEU have not managed to get one superpower quite right. The MCU timeline started all the way back in 2008 with Robert Downey Jr. leading Iron Man and setting up the universe that would follow the film nicely. The DCEU then debuted five years later, with the first of director Zack Snyder’s DC movies — 2013’s Man of Steel. With the DCEU now making way for James Gunn’s DC Universe and the MCU undergoing its Multiverse Saga, a chapter that has introduced many new heroes to the universe, both cinematic universes have had the chance to adapt many superpowers from the comics.
DC and Marvel both got the chance to play with major superpowers from the comics, with super-strength being represented well onscreen by characters like Captain America and Wonder Woman, aquatic prowess showing up through Aquaman and the recent MCU debut of Namor, as well as Superman with his whole set of abilities — with Eternals‘ Ikaris matching the DC hero — and many more. While several superpowers have looked great in MCU and DCEU movies, there is one that both franchises have struggled with.
The MCU & DCEU Superspeed Complaints Show It’s Almost Impossible To Do Right
The MCU and the DCEU have been criticized due to their portrayal of superspeed. Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron saw his powers’ visual manifestation be that of the character leaving a smoke-like blue streak behind him as he sped through the movie, and it was not the most exciting look for superspeed. The character was ultimately killed due to not being fast enough to save Hawkeye and avoid getting shot multiple times, which MCU fans were not at all happy with. Makkari’s superspeed powers looked great in Eternals, but the movie failed the character by sidelining her, which cut short the potential the speedster could have unlocked.
In the DCEU, the superspeed problem rests with Ezra Miller’s Flash. Miller’s running style as Barry Allen looks extremely weird, and it has led to the comics’ most iconic speedster getting made fun of constantly. The Flash even acknowledged this with a hilarious scene where Barry tries to run without his powers, highlighting just how weird the run is. The Flash also featured poor CGI throughout Barry’s superspeed scenes, which led to everything looking uncanny when Barry was running – which was not the most exciting visual – as well as the use of a green screen around Miller looking obvious, distracting from the awe that should come from The Flash’s powers.
Why So Few Superhero Shows & Movies Get Superspeed Right
Marvel’s Eternals did get Makkari’s powers right, making her feel like a freight train whenever she was on the move. However, that ultimately led to Makkari upstaging the other heroes despite having a minor role. Grant Gustin’s The Flash series is another project that gets superspeed right, with the Arrowverse show unlocking The Flash’s true potential through several variations of his signature power. Getting superspeed right ends up being a problem, as it either takes movies having particularly well-done visual effects — unlike the DCEU‘s The Flash — or requires taking the time to properly flesh out all the possibilities that superspeed presents, which the Marvel Cinematic Universe has still to do.
