It’s probably time I started ranking the DC Extended Universe, now also known as the DC Universe.
The franchise is nearly 10-years old and consists of 12 movies and a TV show, so obviously I have an opinion. After Black Adam premiered and James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios I’m more optimistic about the franchise’s future.
Now I’m not going to rank non-DCEU movies and shows. So please don’t ask me about The Batman or The Dark Knight or Joker or the Arrowverse. Maybe I’ll do a full DC ranking someday and include all the movies released by the studio. So let’s get started.
13. Wonder Woman 1984
I love superhero movies, but there’s not a single part I loved about this movie, except Pedro Pascal’s performance. I feel like this movie almost killed the entire DCEU. I had such high hopes and I was massively disappointed.
12. Suicide Squad (2016)
There’s was so much hype for this movie and it turned out to be a disappointment. Will Smith and Margot Robbie brought two amazing characters to life, but not even that was enough to save this dumpster fire. Thankfully Harley Quinn survived, but sadly we don’t know what Deadshot’s status is yet.
11. Justice League
Okay, I actually expected this one to suck and it had nothing to do with the behind-the-scenes drama. I just don’t think the story was good enough to justify bringing the Justice League together and Steppenwolf, what a joke. The movie tried to capture the magic of the MCU, but they weren’t willing to go the lengths that Marvel went to.
10. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
This movie had so much potential, but then it turned out that all conflicts can be resolved if your mums have similar names. The movie had some great action and Wonder Woman’s introduction was awesome, but that wasn’t enough to save it.
9. Aquaman
The one DCEU movie that gave me hope and don’t get me wrong, I still didn’t love it. I did really like it though. I don’t remember much of the plot but I remember Jason Momoa being awesome. It also changed the way the world viewed Aquaman.
8. Wonder Woman
This movie was amazing and a great origin story for Wonder Woman. The humour wasn’t forced and the characters didn’t feel forced. It could’ve been higher on my list if it wasn’t for the lackluster villain and some other minor issue.
7. Zack Snyder’s Justice League
This movie actually fixed so many DCEU broken parts. It was fun, had a great story, Steppenwolf was better and we got to have more Superman. It also did justice to the team’s introduction, pun intended. It was just a little too long and it somehow still missed the mark. I still love it, though.
6. Black Adam
The hierarchy of the DC Universe is forever changed because of this movie. The Rock is Black Adam, unfortunately the movies villain is probably the most flat out of all the DCEU villains. The Justice Society introduction waas awesome, hopefully we’ll get more of them soon. And there’s also that Black Adam vs Superman thing to look forward to.
5. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
It sucks that the pandemic ruined the release of this movie, because it was freaking awesome. This is the live-action Harley Quinn movie we needed. It was perfectly done, and the only reason it’s at number five is because most people don’t even know about it.
4. Shazam
Okay, hear me out this movie is fire. Sure the villain sucks, but that happens in 9 out of 10 superhero movies. This movie works because of the characters. You are actually invested in their story and it’s just light-hearted wholesome fun. It was a breath of fresh DC air when it came out.
3. Man of Steel
The movie that started it all, I now see that Henry Cavill is Superman. This movie was great and it really holds up. When it came out I wasn’t so excited, because it wasn’t the Superman I wanted, but I now see it’s just an origin story. And now I’m excited for the Man of Steel’s future.
2. The Suicide Squad
This is where I knew the DCEU was saved. James Gunn understands these characters, he’s not just a filmmaker, he is a fan and this movie proved it. I had so much fun watching this that I wish I could experience again for the first time.
1. Peacemaker
My number one pick isn’t a movie, but the only DCEU show so far. James Gunn hit it out of the ballpark with this. This was a grounded story, but yet larger than life. Everything fit together perfectly and I think it was the best show of 2022 or at least top 5. This is a realistic superhero story and the saviour the DCEU needed.
