10 DC Movie Decisions That Aged Way Better Than Any Of Us Expected
In the history of the DC Universe of movies, there have been many occasions where a decision has aged much better than anyone expected. Even long before the beginning of the DCEU’s movie timeline, there was a universe of DC movies. The likes of Batman and Superman especially have long proved themselves a staple of the big screen, thanks in part to their reputation as two of the most iconic heroes ever created.
However, that isn’t to say that the long history of DC movies hasn’t had its issues. The movies of the DCEU, for example, were plagued by a wealth of problems, many of which turned out to be as severe as they initially seemed. Other DC movie decisions fare much better though, with creative choices made that actually turned out surprisingly well. With that in mind, here are 10 DC movie decisions that aged way better than any of us expected.
10 Casting Michael Keaton As Batman Keaton's Controversial Casting Turned Out To Be A Great Choice Close When it was announced that Michael Keaton would play Batman in Tim Burton’s 1989 DC adaptation, there was considerable backlash to the casting. Keaton was seen as too small, too comedic, and nowhere near physical enough to adequately portray the hero. As Keaton had never undertaken a role that appeared to qualify him to take over as Batman on the big screen, audiences didn"t yet have evidence he could definitely pull off the role.
However, the decision to cast Keaton aged better than anyone expected. After making two cinematic appearances as the hero, Keaton’s Batman won over both critics and audiences, and his turn as the Dark Knight came to be considered far superior to his two immediate successors. The lasting popularity of Keaton’s quirky yet brooding take on the hero eventually led to him reprising the role in 2023’s The Flash, once again impressing with his ability to bring Batman to life.
9 Making Multiple Animated Movie Universes The Risk Of Confusing The Timeline Paid Off Perfectly Close One of the more confusing elements of the wider DC Universe of movies involves the DCAU, or the DC Animated Universe. The broad range of DC stories brought to life in feature-length animation is impressive, though it explores many different timelines and realities. Initially, it seemed an odd decision to do so, as it was harder to keep track of which continuity each story took place in, and how they may fit together into a bigger picture.
It’s a DC decision that aged surprisingly well, however, as it lent itself perfectly to one of the DCAU’s later developments. An adaptation of the Crisis on Infinite Earths story brought those disconnected plot threads together organically, with its ending simplifying the DCAU the way the comic book arc did for the comics. Adding the extra dimension to the DC Universe was a nice touch, especially as it was paid off in the best possible way.
8 Making Batman Begins An Origin Story Nolan's First Batman Movie Was Once Thought A Bad Idea Close Long before it was heralded as some of the best filmmaking in the superhero genre, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy was labeled an odd prospect. When Batman Begins was announced as the origin story of Batman, many felt the movie was pointless, and that its gritty tone wouldn"t work for the character - with Christian Bale mentioning in an interview with The Washington Post that "I had tons of people laugh at me and just say, ‘Well, that’s just not going to work at all."". Nolan himself voiced his desire to reimagine the hero, starting from the beginning and telling his own version of Batman’s story.
The result spawned one of the most beloved franchises in the entire superhero genre. Nolan’s unique vision for his Batman origin story lent itself perfectly to modern cinema, and cemented his three-film Batman arc as one of the most well-respected chapters in the character’s history. As the notion of rebooting franchises was not well-known at the time, Nolan’s controversial decision to make Batman Begins an origin story turned out far better than anyone thought it would.
7 Making The Suicide Squad's Spin-Off About Peacemaker Peacemaker Was Not The Spin-Off Many Fans Wanted To Be Announced Close Of all the characters in the cast of The Suicide Squad, it’s not easy to pick a single figure that stands out as especially interesting. Upon the film’s release, audiences’ imaginations were captured by the likes of Ratcatcher 2, King Shark, and Polka-Dot Man, and so when a DCEU spin-off to The Suicide Squad was announced, it was highly anticipated. The reveal that the show would focus on Peacemaker was more contentious, as many had hoped that it might follow a different character from the movie.
However, the show that followed was perfect, and turned out far better than anyone expected. Peacemaker’s dark satire and complex emotional grounding played to its star’s strengths, with John Cena’s comedic talent shining through. Upon airing, it was clear exactly why Peacemaker was the chosen spin-off, as Cena’s performance and James Gunn’s writing helped make the show an excellent follow-up to the 2021 movie.
6 Creating A Constantine Movie Basing A Movie On A Lesser-Known DC Character Could Have Backfired Close Another DC movie decision that aged surprisingly well is not just the finer point of a story or character, but the concept of an entire movie. 2005 saw the release of Constantine, with Keanu Reeves cast as the titular DC Comics exorcist. The decision to base a big-budget cinematic outing on a lesser-known character could have backfired spectacularly – as it later did with Jonah Hex, for example – making it seem a risky choice.
Luckily, the resulting movie was something of a hit. Though it earned only mixed reviews upon release, it has since been reappraised far more favorably, and has gained a significant cult following. In fact, Constantine’s consistent popularity ultimately led to the announcement of a sequel, cementing the once-questionable choice to make the movie at all as the correct decision, as well as one that has aged far better than anyone would ever have expected.
5 Bringing In James Gunn To Make The Suicide Squad Gunn's Comedic Approach Was A Concern For The DCEU Close When it was announced that James Gunn would be joining the DCEU by making The Suicide Squad, reactions were mixed. As much as Gunn’s talent as a filmmaker was evident, it wasn’t easy to see how his comedic style would gel with the DCEU. Considering The Suicide Squad was a direct sequel to 2016’s much-criticized Suicide Squad, there were also concerns over how Gunn’s approach to the movie would fare.
The decision to bring James Gunn into the DCEU turned out far better than anyone could have expected. Not only was The Suicide Squad a major DCEU hit, but its popularity later saw Gunn being named as co-head of DC Studios and tasked with rebooting the franchise into the DCU. From a creative standpoint, the decision to hire James Gunn was a great move for DC, as it helped create a path to the franchise’s future.
4 Casting Robert Pattinson As Batman Pattinson Brought A Surprising Gothic Darkness To The Role Close Of all the many actors to play Batman in live-action, there have been several whose casting prompted backlash. This was especially true of Robert Pattinson, whose casting in the role for 2022’s The Batman was met with disbelief from many, especially those who only knew him from his role in the Twilight franchise. Many felt that Pattinson lacked the ability to adequately bring the hero to life, making the decision seem an odd one.
Upon The Batman’s release, these doubts were dispelled. Casting the actor proved to have been the right decision, as Pattinson brought an unexpected physical presence to the role, as well as projected the brooding darkness Batman fans have come to expect. The Batman’s success stemmed in no small part from Pattinson’s performance, proving that the decision was a far better one than anyone had predicted.
3 Making The Batman Lego Movie Lego Batman Worked Much Better Than Anyone Expected Close After the success of The Lego Movie in 2014, it seemed an inevitability that a franchise would follow. However, the announcement of a Batman spin-off, simply titled The Lego Batman Movie, was met with concern. Some felt that the character introduced in The Lego Movie would not support an entire movie as a protagonist, and that the spin-off would feel forced and uninteresting.
This was not the case, however, and The Lego Batman Movie proved successful in both critical and commercial senses. The movie’s sense of humor and lightly satirical tone were cited as major positive aspects, and it was able to draw a wide audience from various demographics as a result. Looking back on The Lego Batman Movie, it not only holds up when rewatched, but the decision to make it at all is one that has actually aged remarkably well.
2 Focusing More On Harley Quinn Than The Joker Harley Quinn Was One Of The DCEU's Most Popular Characters Close Leading up to Suicide Squad’s release, there were many feelings about the apparent creative direction of the movie. The decision to introduce Jared Leto as the DCEU’s Joker was divisive, as was the way the movie was confirmed to focus more on Harley Quinn than the iconic villain. It seemed an odd decision, considering that the Joker has long been one of the most recognizable villains in pop culture, and Harley Quinn was often seen as nothing more than a supporting character.
Though Suicide Squad did not impress on many levels, Margot Robbie’s performance as Harley Quinn was a marked high point. Conversely, Leto’s turn as the Joker left much to be desired, and suddenly, the once controversial decision regarding their roles in the movie seemed fortuitous. Considering Robbie was perfectly suited to bring Harley to life, the DCEU’s decision to give her a bigger role aged brilliantly.
1 Casting Heath Ledger As The Joker Ledger's Joker Turned Out To Be Legendary Close Though it may seem a strange notion looking back, the announcement of Heath Ledger as the Joker of the Dark Knight trilogy was actually met with major backlash. Ledger was considered far too handsome and charming to play a villain as deranged as the Joker, and many expressed concerns over how exactly the actor would bring the villain to life. These concerns proved to be entirely unfounded, however.
Ledger’s turn as the Joker cemented his take on the villain as one of the greatest movie antagonists of all time. His now-iconic look and unsettling charisma helped make The Dark Knight one of the best superhero movies ever made, and proved those who doubted Ledger’s ability wrong. Considering the initial concerns over how Ledger would bring the Joker to life, the decision to cast him in the role is perhaps the one which aged the best in the history of the DC Universe of movies.
However, that isn’t to say that the long history of DC movies hasn’t had its issues. The movies of the DCEU, for example, were plagued by a wealth of problems, many of which turned out to be as severe as they initially seemed. Other DC movie decisions fare much better though, with creative choices made that actually turned out surprisingly well. With that in mind, here are 10 DC movie decisions that aged way better than any of us expected.
10 Casting Michael Keaton As Batman Keaton's Controversial Casting Turned Out To Be A Great Choice Close When it was announced that Michael Keaton would play Batman in Tim Burton’s 1989 DC adaptation, there was considerable backlash to the casting. Keaton was seen as too small, too comedic, and nowhere near physical enough to adequately portray the hero. As Keaton had never undertaken a role that appeared to qualify him to take over as Batman on the big screen, audiences didn"t yet have evidence he could definitely pull off the role.
However, the decision to cast Keaton aged better than anyone expected. After making two cinematic appearances as the hero, Keaton’s Batman won over both critics and audiences, and his turn as the Dark Knight came to be considered far superior to his two immediate successors. The lasting popularity of Keaton’s quirky yet brooding take on the hero eventually led to him reprising the role in 2023’s The Flash, once again impressing with his ability to bring Batman to life.
9 Making Multiple Animated Movie Universes The Risk Of Confusing The Timeline Paid Off Perfectly Close One of the more confusing elements of the wider DC Universe of movies involves the DCAU, or the DC Animated Universe. The broad range of DC stories brought to life in feature-length animation is impressive, though it explores many different timelines and realities. Initially, it seemed an odd decision to do so, as it was harder to keep track of which continuity each story took place in, and how they may fit together into a bigger picture.
It’s a DC decision that aged surprisingly well, however, as it lent itself perfectly to one of the DCAU’s later developments. An adaptation of the Crisis on Infinite Earths story brought those disconnected plot threads together organically, with its ending simplifying the DCAU the way the comic book arc did for the comics. Adding the extra dimension to the DC Universe was a nice touch, especially as it was paid off in the best possible way.
8 Making Batman Begins An Origin Story Nolan's First Batman Movie Was Once Thought A Bad Idea Close Long before it was heralded as some of the best filmmaking in the superhero genre, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy was labeled an odd prospect. When Batman Begins was announced as the origin story of Batman, many felt the movie was pointless, and that its gritty tone wouldn"t work for the character - with Christian Bale mentioning in an interview with The Washington Post that "I had tons of people laugh at me and just say, ‘Well, that’s just not going to work at all."". Nolan himself voiced his desire to reimagine the hero, starting from the beginning and telling his own version of Batman’s story.
The result spawned one of the most beloved franchises in the entire superhero genre. Nolan’s unique vision for his Batman origin story lent itself perfectly to modern cinema, and cemented his three-film Batman arc as one of the most well-respected chapters in the character’s history. As the notion of rebooting franchises was not well-known at the time, Nolan’s controversial decision to make Batman Begins an origin story turned out far better than anyone thought it would.
7 Making The Suicide Squad's Spin-Off About Peacemaker Peacemaker Was Not The Spin-Off Many Fans Wanted To Be Announced Close Of all the characters in the cast of The Suicide Squad, it’s not easy to pick a single figure that stands out as especially interesting. Upon the film’s release, audiences’ imaginations were captured by the likes of Ratcatcher 2, King Shark, and Polka-Dot Man, and so when a DCEU spin-off to The Suicide Squad was announced, it was highly anticipated. The reveal that the show would focus on Peacemaker was more contentious, as many had hoped that it might follow a different character from the movie.
However, the show that followed was perfect, and turned out far better than anyone expected. Peacemaker’s dark satire and complex emotional grounding played to its star’s strengths, with John Cena’s comedic talent shining through. Upon airing, it was clear exactly why Peacemaker was the chosen spin-off, as Cena’s performance and James Gunn’s writing helped make the show an excellent follow-up to the 2021 movie.
6 Creating A Constantine Movie Basing A Movie On A Lesser-Known DC Character Could Have Backfired Close Another DC movie decision that aged surprisingly well is not just the finer point of a story or character, but the concept of an entire movie. 2005 saw the release of Constantine, with Keanu Reeves cast as the titular DC Comics exorcist. The decision to base a big-budget cinematic outing on a lesser-known character could have backfired spectacularly – as it later did with Jonah Hex, for example – making it seem a risky choice.
Luckily, the resulting movie was something of a hit. Though it earned only mixed reviews upon release, it has since been reappraised far more favorably, and has gained a significant cult following. In fact, Constantine’s consistent popularity ultimately led to the announcement of a sequel, cementing the once-questionable choice to make the movie at all as the correct decision, as well as one that has aged far better than anyone would ever have expected.
5 Bringing In James Gunn To Make The Suicide Squad Gunn's Comedic Approach Was A Concern For The DCEU Close When it was announced that James Gunn would be joining the DCEU by making The Suicide Squad, reactions were mixed. As much as Gunn’s talent as a filmmaker was evident, it wasn’t easy to see how his comedic style would gel with the DCEU. Considering The Suicide Squad was a direct sequel to 2016’s much-criticized Suicide Squad, there were also concerns over how Gunn’s approach to the movie would fare.
The decision to bring James Gunn into the DCEU turned out far better than anyone could have expected. Not only was The Suicide Squad a major DCEU hit, but its popularity later saw Gunn being named as co-head of DC Studios and tasked with rebooting the franchise into the DCU. From a creative standpoint, the decision to hire James Gunn was a great move for DC, as it helped create a path to the franchise’s future.
4 Casting Robert Pattinson As Batman Pattinson Brought A Surprising Gothic Darkness To The Role Close Of all the many actors to play Batman in live-action, there have been several whose casting prompted backlash. This was especially true of Robert Pattinson, whose casting in the role for 2022’s The Batman was met with disbelief from many, especially those who only knew him from his role in the Twilight franchise. Many felt that Pattinson lacked the ability to adequately bring the hero to life, making the decision seem an odd one.
Upon The Batman’s release, these doubts were dispelled. Casting the actor proved to have been the right decision, as Pattinson brought an unexpected physical presence to the role, as well as projected the brooding darkness Batman fans have come to expect. The Batman’s success stemmed in no small part from Pattinson’s performance, proving that the decision was a far better one than anyone had predicted.
3 Making The Batman Lego Movie Lego Batman Worked Much Better Than Anyone Expected Close After the success of The Lego Movie in 2014, it seemed an inevitability that a franchise would follow. However, the announcement of a Batman spin-off, simply titled The Lego Batman Movie, was met with concern. Some felt that the character introduced in The Lego Movie would not support an entire movie as a protagonist, and that the spin-off would feel forced and uninteresting.
This was not the case, however, and The Lego Batman Movie proved successful in both critical and commercial senses. The movie’s sense of humor and lightly satirical tone were cited as major positive aspects, and it was able to draw a wide audience from various demographics as a result. Looking back on The Lego Batman Movie, it not only holds up when rewatched, but the decision to make it at all is one that has actually aged remarkably well.
2 Focusing More On Harley Quinn Than The Joker Harley Quinn Was One Of The DCEU's Most Popular Characters Close Leading up to Suicide Squad’s release, there were many feelings about the apparent creative direction of the movie. The decision to introduce Jared Leto as the DCEU’s Joker was divisive, as was the way the movie was confirmed to focus more on Harley Quinn than the iconic villain. It seemed an odd decision, considering that the Joker has long been one of the most recognizable villains in pop culture, and Harley Quinn was often seen as nothing more than a supporting character.
Though Suicide Squad did not impress on many levels, Margot Robbie’s performance as Harley Quinn was a marked high point. Conversely, Leto’s turn as the Joker left much to be desired, and suddenly, the once controversial decision regarding their roles in the movie seemed fortuitous. Considering Robbie was perfectly suited to bring Harley to life, the DCEU’s decision to give her a bigger role aged brilliantly.
1 Casting Heath Ledger As The Joker Ledger's Joker Turned Out To Be Legendary Close Though it may seem a strange notion looking back, the announcement of Heath Ledger as the Joker of the Dark Knight trilogy was actually met with major backlash. Ledger was considered far too handsome and charming to play a villain as deranged as the Joker, and many expressed concerns over how exactly the actor would bring the villain to life. These concerns proved to be entirely unfounded, however.
Ledger’s turn as the Joker cemented his take on the villain as one of the greatest movie antagonists of all time. His now-iconic look and unsettling charisma helped make The Dark Knight one of the best superhero movies ever made, and proved those who doubted Ledger’s ability wrong. Considering the initial concerns over how Ledger would bring the Joker to life, the decision to cast him in the role is perhaps the one which aged the best in the history of the DC Universe of movies.
