It’s been nearly a decade since Zack Snyder showcased his take on the world’s most famous superhero, Superman, in his 2013 film Man of Steel, kick-starting what we now refer to as the DCEU. But it hasn’t been all smooth sailing, as many of these films just didn’t land with audiences.
The DCEU’s twelfth installment, Black Adam, is about to hit the big screen, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson playing the titular character. Fans will get to see him take on the Justice Society, with Doctor Fate, Hawkman, Atom Smasher, and Cyclone suiting up to take on this immensely powerful force. So, it only made sense that we take a moment before the release to revisit the DCEU, celebrating the highs, and remembering the lows (even if fans don’t particularly want to).
A movie about a bunch of DC villains fighting other DC villains? How could you go wrong. Well, David Ayer‘s Suicide Squad managed to find a way. This movie introduced characters like Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Deadshot (Will Smith), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), and even Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and saw them band together to take on Enchantress (Cara Delevingne), a character who, in the comics at least, is one of the most powerful beings in the DC universe. Also, there was a side story about the Joker (Jared Leto) and his relationship with Harley, which didn’t get nearly the amount of attention it deserved.
While it sounded good on paper, and even looked good from the trailers, this film failed to land with most viewers, even though the potential for a hit was extremely high. A simpler story would have served this film better, compared to the world-ending battle they find themselves in. A tighter focus on Joker as the main villain would have grounded the film and allowed it, and these characters, to flourish.
