Top 10 DC Characters Warner Brothers Killed

#10: Green Lantern

The only pre-DCEU mistake on our list, Green Lanterns failure cast a long, painful shadow over the next decade of filmmaking from Warner Bros. Its negative influence is so strong that were including it, since if this Ryan Reynolds vehicle had been successful, it would have been the foundation of a new, interconnected DC film franchise. It was so bad, even, that the Green Lanterns didnt appear in the DCEU at all, with various potential films based on them canceled before going into production. Thankfully, in the new DCU, the Lanterns are back, with Guy Gardner appearing in 2025s Superman, and a TV series based on the Lantern Corps in the works.

#9: Black Manta

He stole the show as the secondary villain in the first Aquaman movie, so much so that he had his own movie greenlit. We didnt know that this was going to be a Black Manta movie at the time, however; originally announced as The Trench, it was set to be a scarier look at the dark, deep ocean trenches briefly visited by Aquaman in the first movie. Only after cancellation was it revealed to have actually been a secret Black Manta movie. James Wan did go on to make Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom for DC as well, and Black Manta did return, but this potential antihero never got a movie all to himself like Black Adam did.

#8: The Joker

Not once, but twice in recent memory have Warner Bros. ruthlessly mishandled the Joker. From the moment the first pictures of Jared Letos Joker in Suicide Squad were revealed, people were making fun of him, and that continued when bizarre stories about his on-set behavior and method acting circulated. The silver grills he wears in all of his DCEU appearances also made it impossible to take him seriously, since Leto can barely talk. Years on, and it looked like Todd Phillips had made a more successful version of the character in 2019s Joker, only to ruin all the goodwill hed built up with one of the worst movie sequels of all time: a musical with a main character who cant sing.

#7: Shazam

The superhero formerly known as Captain Marvel surprised audiences in 2019 when his debut movie turned out to be a solid superhero flick. It was an origin story wed never seen on the big screen  unless a 1941 serial counts  and as such, DC brought fresh concepts to theater-goers. Unfortunately, that same momentum couldnt carry Shazam through to a successful sequel. Both the direct sequel and the Black Adam spin-off were practically dead on arrival, with minimal interest from the public in seeing more movies about relatively obscure characters  though, Black Adam was actually solid. Add to that Zachary Levis personal controversies, and youve got a recipe for failure.

#6: The Justice League

Were specifically here talking about the versions of the Justice League seen in the infamous Joss Whedon cut of Justice League in 2017. Only when the Snyder Cut really did appear four years later did we see just how bad Whedons additions to the movie were. The characters all seemed to hate each other while making non-stop, lewd jokes and quips, and even in one scene bickering so much that innocent bystanders were killed. Even Henry Cavills stoic Superman became a quip machine during the final battle, while Aquaman accuses Cyborg of not actually wanting to help them stop Darkseid. He then puts the moves on Wonder Woman while sitting on the lasso of truth. Even the cast spoke out against Whedon.

#5: Batgirl

Just how bad was the cancelled Batgirl movie? We dont know, because nobodys ever seen it. Initially also helmed by Joss Whedon, though he thankfully left and the final script was written by Christina Hodson, the movie was set to star Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon. J.K. Simmons was also going to return as Jim Gordon, after first appearing in the role for Justice League. The movie was finished and went into post-production before executives decided to cancel it and take the tax write-off. It was even going to have Michael Keaton in it as another grand return for his version of Batman to the DCEU! Will we ever get the Batgirl movie of our dreams? Who knows now.

#4: Batman

This one may be a controversial pick, but fans remain divided about Ben Afflecks Caped Crusader. Hes just as violent as Christian Bales previous iteration, but might be the most ruthless version of Batman to date. And who can forget the infamous plot point in Batman v Superman where he brands criminals so that they can be murdered in prison, and blows up cars with the guns mounted on his Batmobile? Just because the guns are on a car doesnt mean he gets a free pass for using them! Thankfully, we now have an outstanding version of the Dark Knight in Matt Reeves new Elseworlds trilogy; Battinson doesnt kill even one person in all of The Batman.

#3: Superman

Most of the missteps with Henry Cavills Superman come not in the Snyder Cut, which was an improvement, but in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman. It makes sense that Warner Bros. wanted a more serious, mature version of DCs heroes after the failure of Green Lantern, and Man of Steel does fulfill that wish. But Clark Kent just doesnt behave in the way comic fans expect; he steals clothes, he destroys someones truck out of revenge, and he hardly even saves anybody. In Batman v Superman, he seems to feel no remorse for the destruction of Metropolis at his own hands, and also flies away from the court house after Lex detonates his bomb rather than staying to help.

#2: The Flash

How do you solve a problem like The Flash? By throwing more money than makes sense at it, hiring dozens of screenwriters and nearly as many directors, and eventually pushing it through the door after its star has been well and truly canceled for far more criminal offences than we can list here. The final movie was actually less muddled than its fraught production would have you believe despite its disturbingly uncanny CGI with Michael Keaton getting his triumphant return as Batman and Sasha Calle debuting a dark, frightening version of Kara Zor-El who stole all the scenes she appeared in. But its never a good sign when Batman and Supergirl are the best characters in your movie all about the Flash.

#1: Wonder Woman

She stole the show in Batman v Superman, and then her standalone movie turned out to be the first huge success for the DCEU  who can forget that iconic No Mans Land scene? But alas, the future was not bright for Diana Prince. Gal Gadots subsequent movies have shown that Wonder Woman was clearly a fluke being largely carried by Chris Pines charisma. And then we got Wonder Woman 1984, which had some great trailers and nothing else. Despite Patty Jenkins returning to write and direct, 1984 was a huge failure. And it wasnt even bad in a fun way, like the original Suicide Squad; it was just boring. We cant wait for the new DCUs inevitable Wonder Woman redo.

Let us know in the comments what your favorite DCEU movie was and whether youre going to miss any of those characters.