10 DC Casting Choices That Saved Their Movies From Being Completely Forgettable

Summary

• DC has an uneven history when it comes to casting its superheroes and villains in movies
• But even in otherwise forgettable DC movies, some actors shine
• The likes of Jim Carrey, Margot Robbie, and Halle Berry have put in performances better than the films they starred in

Throughout the DC Universe’s history of film adaptations, there have been several instances of excellent casting choices that were perhaps the only good decisions in otherwise poor films. Given the cultural impact and visually spectacular nature of the genre, it is no surprise that DC’s various properties lend themselves well to film, with theatrical movies and film serials bringing the comic source material to the realm of live-action for decades. While many of DC’s films have had a winning combination of compelling storytelling and actors, others may only be remembered for the latter.

The superhero genre was a risky curiosity for decades before films like 1978’s Superman and 1989’s Batman proved that the genre has far-reaching appeal and the potential to be an A-list movie category. Once superhero films became a dominant force in pop culture, DC saw massive successes in films like 2017’s Wonder Woman and 2018’s Aquaman, with both films succeeding thanks to flawless casting, as well as storylines and character journeys that resonated with viewers. Unfortunately, some DC film adaptations over the decades are considered, divisive, forgettable, or simply bad films, save for one memorable casting decision.

10 Christopher Reeve As Clark Kent/Superman

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

Superman has been portrayed by a multitude of actors in live-action properties, and Christopher Reeve is still considered by many to be the best. 1978’s Superman did more than make people believe a man can fly, it also made people experience the joy, optimism, and large-scale epic of the Superman mythos, owed in large part to Reeve’s performance as the titular hero. Reeve’s acting talents also proved the believability of Superman’s dual identity, with Reeve crafting two distinct performances for Clark Kent and Superman, convincingly portraying the two as separate people.

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, despite attempting to cover more serious subject matter with a story pitched by Christopher Reeve himself, is considered the worst in the franchise.

Sadly, the Richard Donner and Christopher Reeve Superman film franchise saw a steep decline after its two widely successful outings. Superman III was considered by many to have leaned too hard on the franchise’s comedic elements and Supergirl failed to impress viewers. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, despite attempting to cover more serious subject matter with a story pitched by Christopher Reeve himself, is considered the worst in the franchise.

Despite this, Christopher Reeve himself continued to be one of the film’s few successful elements, continuing to play the role of Superman excellently, even if the film itself failed.

9 Jim Carrey As The Riddler/Edward Nygma

Batman Forever (1995)

After the success of 1989’s Batman, its sequel, Batman Returns, gave director Tim Burton more creative control, resulting in a movie that – while popular today – was controversial in 1992.Returns was a far darker and more frightening film than its predecessor, leading to backlash from parents who felt the film was unsuitable for children and Warner Bros continuing the series with a new director.

Joel Schumacher, who was far more familiar with the Batman comics than Burton (and initially pitched a Batman: Year One adaptation) was tasked with making Batman Forever a more family-friendly and marketable film than Returns.

Forever was commercially successful, and although it gave Batman a far better character arc than either of Burton’s films, its intentionally prominent camp and more prominent comedy resulted in a film whose critical reception was far worse than the Burton films. Some viewers took issue with Tommy Lee Jones’s Two-Face, who lacked the seriousness and tragedy of his comic counterpart.

Jim Carrey’s Riddler, however, had quite a memorable performance as an over-the-top version of the classic Batman foe, with Carrey’s version being compared to Frank Gorshin’s Riddler from the classic 1960s Batman TV show.

8 Arnold Schwarzenegger As Mr Freeze

Batman & Robin (1997)

While Batman Forever had many redeeming qualities, Schumacher’s second Batman film, Batman & Robin, doubled down on the qualities that annoyed some viewers in Forever. Batman & Robin was a campier, more lighthearted, romp that doled out far more puns than its predecessor and put a far stronger focus on marketability than any previous Batman film. While hardly the worst superhero film by today’s standards, Batman & Robin’s toyetic camp resulted in significant backlash from viewers, leading cast members, and even Joel Schumacher himself to apologize for the movie, though their apologies were wholly unnecessary.

The Batman comics have gone through incredibly lighthearted eras over the decades, so Batman & Robin was not disrespectful to the source material. One of the film’s villains – Mr. Freeze – was certainly memorable, whether viewers loved or hated him. Arnold Schwarzenegger turned in perhaps the campiest performance in the film, serving as the source of most of the film’s many puns and chewing the scenery in all his scenes.

7 Shaquille O’Neal As John Henry Irons/Steel

Steel (1997)

Along with Batman & Robin, 1997 also saw the release of another unsuccessful DC film adaptation: Steel. In the comics, John Henry Irons quickly became a beloved member of the DC pantheon, serving as a potential successor to Superman himself, following his death in the infamous Death of Superman storyline.A film adaptation of the Death of Superman was planned at one point, as was a Steel spinoff film, but Steel would, ultimately, be made with no attachment to any Superman film franchise. Starring Shaquille O’Neal as John Henry Irons, Steel reimagined the character’s mythos severing his ties with Superman.

Steel was, sadly, both a critical and commercial failure, with critics dismissing the movie as forgettable and cliché. Shaquille O’Neal himself was also criticized for his performance as Steel, yet his casting in and of itself was not necessarily a bad decision. Shaquille O’Neal has proven to be a talented actor in other films and TV shows, and would likely have been praised if he was given better material.

6 Halle Berry As Patience Phillips/Catwoman

Catwoman (2004)

After the release of Batman Returns, a Michelle Pfeiffer-led spinoff began development. The film entered development hell, however, after the release of the more family-friendly Batman Forever. The film would finally be released in 2004, however, taking the place of a planned yet ultimately canceled Batman vs Superman movie.

2004’s Catwoman had little to do with Tim Burton’s Batman universe and the Batman comics themselves starring Halle Berry as an original version of Catwoman named Patience Phillips, though the film does include an easter egg implying that it may have been set in the same continuity as Returns.

Halle Berry should have starred in a proper
Catwoman
movie that adapts the comics with better writing.

2004’s Catwoman is considered one of the worst superhero films of all time, with critics and viewers alike criticizing its lack of proper characterization for Catwoman and for its nonsensical story. Despite this, Berry’s casting was the only element of Catwoman that received praise. Ultimately, Halle Berry should have starred in a proper Catwoman movie that adapts the comics with better writing.

5 Keanu Reeves As John Constantine

Constantine (2005)

2005 saw the release of the widely successful Batman reboot Batman Begins, as well as the far less successful Constantine. Due to its many differences from its comic source material and inconsistent writing, Constantine had a mixed but ultimately negative reception, with many critics finding its premise laughable and creative choices questionable. Yet most critics nevertheless praised Keanu Reeves’s performance as the titular John Constantine.

Constantine may have been a critical failure in 2005, but over the years it has become somewhat of a cult classic, which can be at least partially attributed to Reeves’s performance. As of 2023, a sequel to Constantine has been in development, with Keanu Reeves expected to return as John Constantine. The sequel is currently expected to be an Elseworlds property, allowing it to coexist alongside the forthcoming DC Universe film franchise without being set in its continuity.

4 Brandon Routh As Clark Kent/Superman

Superman Returns (2006)

Set in a branching timeline that acknowledges the events of Richard Donner’s Superman and Superman II but ignores Superman III and The Quest for Peace, 2006’s Superman Returns is clearly meant to be a full-length homage and love letter to the original Christopher Reeve films. Returns goes to great lengths to replicate the look and feel of Donner’s Superman and slightly update it for more modern audiences, but the film, ultimately, lacks the originality and earnestness of the Donner films, resulting in a boring and lifeless replica of better Superman movies.

While Superman Returns is a rather forgettable movie overall, it is incredibly well cast, with Brandon Routh in particular being a phenomenal live-action Superman. Routh conveys most of the same endearing qualities of Christopher Reeve’s Superman but simply lacked material worthy of his performance. Routh would get another chance at playing the role, however, in the Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths event.

3 Ryan Reynolds As Hal Jordan/Green Lantern

Green Lantern (2011)

2011’s Green Lantern was intended to initiate a DC shared movie universe to compete with the successful Marvel Cinematic Universe It was, unfortunately, a massive critical and commercial failure. Green Lantern was an undercooked film that failed to capture the compelling drama and epic space opera-like qualities of the Green Lantern comic mythos, and its failure even led to the cancelation of Green Lantern: The Animated Series, a phenomenal Green Lantern adaptation meant to promote the live-action film.

Green Lantern starred Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, with Reynolds doing the best he could with sub-par material. This, combined with his controversial iteration of Deadpool in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, left him with a poor track record in superhero adaptations, yet he would finally see success in the genre in 2016’s Deadpool. While Hal Jordan will not reappear in a live-action property until the release of the DCU’s Lanterns, Reynolds’ performances as the post-2016 Deadpool are beloved, with Reynolds even mocking Green Lantern in two of the Deadpool movies.

2 Margot Robbie As Harley Quinn

Suicide Squad (2016)

2016’s Suicide Squad is considered by many viewers to be one of the worst films in the DC Extended Universe. Based on the popular team of supervillains and anti-heroes of the same name, Suicide Squad attempted to bring a chaotic, lighthearted, energy to the DCEU as it built toward its Justice League film, but it became a critical failure due to its underdeveloped characters and disjointed plot. One of the film’s casting choices, however, would prove to be incredibly popular.

Robbie’s iteration of Harley Quinn co-starred in two more DCEU films and some viewers predict that she might even continue to portray Quinn in the DCU.

Margot Robbie brought the iconic supervillain Harley Quinn to life in Suicide Squad, with her performance being one of the few elements of the film that was consistently praised. Naturally, this led her to be one of the few Suicide Squad characters whose role was expanded in the DCEU. Robbie’s iteration of Harley Quinn co-starred in two more DCEU films and some viewers predict that she might even continue to portray Quinn in the DCU, though Robbie herself has suggested that she will not reprise the role.

1 Jurnee Smollett As

Birds of Prey

Although Birds of Prey is one of the better-received installments in the DCEU, the film was a commercial failure. The film adapted another popular DC superhero team and saw the return of Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, but its failure might have been due to its connection to the unpopular Suicide Squad, its underwhelming marketing campaign, and possibly general audiences’ unfamiliarity with the titular team. In any case, the film not only saw the welcome return of Robbie’s Harley Quinn but also the DCEU debut of Black Canary, played by Jurnee Smollett.

Black Canary’s character arc in Birds of Prey sees her grow from a singer in Roman Sionis’s nightclub to the popular hero viewers are familiar with from DC’s comics. Smollett’s endearing performance resulted in the development of a Black Canary spin-off movie, which was still in development as of August 2022. With the DC Universe set to partially reboot the DCEU in late 2024, it seems unlikely that a Jurnee Smollett-led Black Canary film will be released, however.