Top 10 DC Extended Universe Moments
When iconic comic book characters appear on the big screen, the spectacle is guaranteed. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 DC Extended Universe Moments.
For this list, we're looking at the biggest and best scenes and moments from the first three movies of the DCEU, including the extended editions.
#10: First Flight “Man of Steel” (2013)
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Leaping tall buildings in a single bound is all well and good. But as the 1978 Superman film hammered home with its tagline “you’ll believe a man can fly”, flight has been central to the Last Son of Krypton since Action Comics #65, when he first went from leaping to soaring. In Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, Clark Kent remains grounded for roughly the first 45 minutes of the film. When we finally see him take off, we’re treated to a wonderfully humanizing scene, which shows Kal-El struggling to learn the skill he will eventually make look easy. When he finally earns his wings… it’s a triumphant and inspiring moment.
#9: Bruce Wayne to the Rescue in Metropolis “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016)
Like Man of Steel before it, Zack Snyder’s second DCEU offering proved seriously divisive. Critically panned, it has since gone on to become one of the top 50 best-selling Blu-Rays of all time, proving yet again that fans and critics don’t always agree. Regardless of where you land on it, there’s no denying that this scene was a true standout - in terms of universe building, setting up character motivations, and pure cinematic spectacle. In this flashback to the battle of Metropolis from Man of Steel, which perfectly syncs with shots from that film, we see that Bruce Wayne was in fact on the ground, doing his best to save his employees and strangers alike.
#8: Superman vs. Faora “Man of Steel” (2013)
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Though Michael Shannon and Henry Cavill respectively turned in strong performances as General Zod and the titular Superman, many fans left the theater talking about neither the central villain nor the hero, but rather Antje Traue’s Kryptonian Sub-Commander, Faora. Ever Zod’s dedicated lieutenant, Faora goes toe to toe with Kal-El in his adoptive hometown of Smallville, challenging earth’s newly revealed protector. Throughout the fight, the military-minded, unflinchingly focused Faora undermines Clark’s self-confidence, belittling him at every turn. It would’ve been a thrilling sequence even without the banter, but thanks to Antje Traue’s truly magnetic performance, this scene was made even more captivating.
#7: Superman Destroys the World Engine “Man of Steel” (2013)
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Supes is really lucky he figured out how to fly before having to face his fellow Kryptonians in combat. Had he not… it’d be more than Metropolis that got destroyed - we’d be looking at a fully terraformed New Krypton. After being brutally thrown around by the World Engine’s liquid geo tentacle defenses, the Man of Steel finally takes down the colossal machine by taking the path of greatest resistance - flying directly into the high-powered gravity beam. Despite the incredible force pushing against him, Superman manages to fly upstream with enough power to smash right through the world engine, saving humanity through the will and determination the character is known for.
#6: The Birth of Harley Quinn “Suicide Squad” (2016)
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Nothing says true love like exposing yourself to the same toxic chemical bath that transformed your man into the deranged psychopathic killer he is today. Despite the fact that this particular dive could have killed her, Dr. Harleen Quinzel willingly takes the plunge, effectively erasing the woman she once was, to become Joker’s other half - his equally damaged female counterpart. But hey, as they say, love makes people do crazy things. A beautifully and highly stylized shot, the scene is a definite highlight from the film. With pink and blue dye swirling around them as they emerge, it’s the perfect start to one seriously twisted new chapter in both their lives.
#5: Superman vs. Zod “Man of Steel” (2013)
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While Antje Traue’s Faora may have been a scene-stealer, her Smallville fight scene is edged out by the sheer scale of Zod and Kal-El’s Metropolis throwdown. Though some detractors took issue with the level of destruction and Superman’s failure to move the fight to a less populated area, looking beyond such criticisms… one has to appreciate the attention to detail that went into this carefully planned, dynamic fight. It answered the question… what would it look like for two godlike characters to give it their all on the big screen? The end result was a deeply personal, highly choreographed hand-to-hand combat sequence on a truly massive scale. In other words… it was jaw dropping.
#4: Batman Fights Superman “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016)
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Let’s be honest, as comic book fans, most of us didn’t dare dream of seeing these two cultural monoliths share the big screen in a live action adaptation, let alone go head to head. Before the Superhero movie revolution, an adaptation of the gritty, mature Dark Knight Returns didn’t seem possible. But despite the odds, and much to the delight of fans everywhere, in 2016 we got to see arguably the two most iconic superheroes in history throw down as they did in Frank Miller’s 1986 opus, Batman battle armor and all. The fight proved a brutal one... but its conclusion left some fans scratching their heads.
#3: The Final Days of Krypton “Man of Steel” (2013)
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From the very opening scene of his first DCEU film, Zack Snyder made one thing clear - this a serious universe. Though Superman’s story has always been about hope, as the last son of a doomed planet, his history has always been tragic one. And so, before showing us Clark’s personal journey to become the Man of Steel, Snyder kicked off the narrative with an exciting and stylish depiction of Kryptonian society. Fully fleshed out on-screen in all its otherworldly wonder, the planet of Krypton was not only breathtaking, it also helped us to understand this distinct culture of self-importance and denial, and how their hubris ultimately resulted in their demise.
#2: Batman’s Warehouse Takedown “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016)
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When Ben Affleck’s Batman assaulted the warehouse to save Martha Kent… many fans were quick to point out the similarities between his fighting style and that of Rockstar’s critically acclaimed Arkham games. It’s a brutal, physical fight sequence that sees Batman combining stealth, gadgets and bone crunching hand to hand combat to stunning effect. The way he moved from enemy to enemy with a combination of grace and ferocity demonstrated why the criminals of Gotham are so afraid of him. Fans had never seen live-action combat like this from Batman before, but it left us hungry for more.
#1: The Trinity Unites “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016)
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Now… we know that not everyone appreciated the CGI-heavy battle against Doomsday, or the interpretation of the villain that the filmmakers went with. But even taking such criticisms into account... this moment was a massive landmark. Seeing Superman and Batman duke it out on-screen already felt like a treat, but witnessing DC’s Trinity come together on for the first time on the big screen was a bona fide historic moment - not just in comic book movie history, but movie history, period. The fact that Wonder Woman managed to steal the show only made this momentous occasion all the more satisfying. We’re in the golden age of comic book movies, and seeing these three share the screen is the proof.
