While James Gunn’s DC Universe is highly anticipated, there are 10 things from the old DC Extended Universe that will be missed when it ends.

SUMMARY

•  Henry Cavill’s iteration of Superman in the DCEU was highly regarded, exploring new territory for the character and staying true to Modern Age DC stories.
•  The DCEU had fantastic superhero costumes, creating cinematic variations of classic outfits that were visually stunning and realistic.
•  The DCEU delivered memorable fight scenes that were visually stunning, characterized by unique abilities and distinguishable within the superhero film genre.

The DC Extended Universe will soon be replaced by James Gunn’s DC Universe, but 10 elements of the old DCEU will be missed after it is rebooted. The DCEU began in 2013 with Man of Steel and gradually grew to encompass the other two members of DC’s “Big Three” superheroes, with Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) joining the pantheon. Despite having a loyal following among many viewers, the DCEU was never nearly as financially or critically successful as its competitor franchise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Unfortunately, the DCEU was plagued by studio interference, which had the franchise chasing trends in an attempt to match the success of the MCU. This led to films like the critically-panned Suicide Squad (which tried to imitate the stylings of James Gunn’s own Guardians of the Galaxy) and the notoriously underwhelming theatrical iteration of Justice League. Unfortunately, the DCU soft reboot will do away with much of what viewers loved about the old DCEU along with what did not work. While James Gunn’s DCU may keep many elements of the old DCEU, here are 10 things from the original continuity that will not be carried over and will be missed.

10Henry Cavill Was A Great Superman

While Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice are divisive movies, Henry Cavill’s iteration of Superman is still a highly-regarded one. The DCEU charted new territory for Superman movies by not only exploring the political and societal effects of Superman existing, but also giving Superman a scenario where he is forced to take a life (which the DCEU uses to explain his rule against 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing afterward). Despite the DCEU’s darker storylines and subject matter, Henry Cavill’s Superman is an altruistic paragon of justice while still a shy farmer from Kansas, and he is quite accurate to Modern Age DC stories, particularly Mark Waid’s Superman: Birthright.

9The DCEU Had Fantastic Superhero Costumes

Even the DCEU’s detractors would be hard-pressed to belittle the franchise’s costumes. While Superman and Wonder Woman’s outfits are slight departures from the comics, they are spectacular cinematic variations of the classic costumes, with the latter quickly being adopted by DC’s comics. Characters like Aquaman and Shazam received costumes that look as though they leaped off the pages of DC’s comics while retaining a degree of realism. Batman typically wears black, armored, suits in his various film appearances, but the DCEU gave him a comic-accurate gray costume with a cowl that allows him to turn his head. To date, Batman’s best cinematic costume is his standard Dawn of Justice suit.

8Man Of Steel Has An Incredible Soundtrack

John Williams’s score for 1978’s Superman is one of cinema’s most iconic soundtracks, so it was no easy feat for Man of Steel to attempt to equal it. As it turns out, Hans Zimmer crafted an epic and heartfelt score for the DCEU’s Superman that indeed matched the work of John Williams. From the ethereal Kryptonian themes to the grandiosity of Superman’s first flight and the Man of Steel’s new leitmotif, Hans Zimmer crafted a wholly unique score for Superman that differentiated itself from John Williams’s work while embodying Superman and his mythos just as perfectly.

7Michael Shannon’s General Zod Is Phenomenal

While forgettable supervillains are a common criticism that plagues both the MCU and the DCEU, the latter franchise opens with one of the superhero genre’s best antagonists. General Zod, played by Michael Shannon, is as complex as he is sinister, changing his goal of overthrowing Krypton’s government with ensuring the survival of its people once the planet is destroyed. While General Zod’s ultimate mission is understandable, he is a vicious threat to Superman and the rest of Earth, and Zod’s death results in Superman establishing his rule against 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing. Zod’s return in 2023’s The Flash was more than welcome, with Shannon providing the DCEU with yet another phenomenal performance.

6The DCEU Had Memorable Fight Scenes

The DCEU delivered fights that made full use of its heroes’ unique abilities, making them not only feel straight out of the comics but also distinguish themselves within the superhero film genre. Superman’s fights with General Zod and the other Kryptonians in Man of Steel finally delivered the Superman action scenes viewers have always wanted to see. Wonder Woman’s battle with Ares and Aquaman’s final duel with Orm are visually stunning and character-driven. The Batman fight scenes in Dawn of Justice and The Flash appear to be patterned after the Arkham video games as much as the comics themselves.

5Ben Affleck’s Comic-Accurate Batman

Just as Henry Cavill’s Superman will be replaced by David Corenswet’s iteration in Superman: Legacy, Ben Affleck’s Batman will be recast in the upcoming DCU film The Brave and the Bold. Affleck’s Batman was quite controversial due to his character arc in Dawn of Justice involving him 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing criminals, but his take on the character is equaled only by Adam West’s iteration as far as comic accuracy goes. Affleck depicts a Modern Age comic Batman, using the aesthetics of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns and the more hopeful and team-oriented demeanor of the mainstream DC universe’s Batman.

4The DCEU’s Growing Darkseid Conflict

The main storyline of the DCEU gradually built toward an ultimate confrontation between the protectors of Earth and the Apokoliptian forces of Darkseid. The growing conflict would have also included an alternate timeline in which a brainwashed Superman (whose free will was claimed by Darkseid via the Anti-Life Equation) subjugated Earth, necessitating that Batman and The Flash undo his corruption through time travel. Zack Snyder’s outlines for his sequels to Zack Snyder’s Justice League would have concluded this narrative, but sadly, the imminent reboot of the DCEU means that it will remain unresolved.

3DC’s “Big Three” Were Perfect

For the first time in live-action DC’s “Big Three” stood together in Dawn of Justice to face Doomsday. Individually, the DCEU’s three heroes were crowd-pleasers, but they also worked excellently together. Batman and Wonder Woman’s growing ally dynamic was a high point of Dawn of Justice, and their chemistry continued as they formed the Justice League. Superman’s dynamics with Batman and Wonder Woman were also handled well, with his relationship with the latter growing from a bitter rivalry to a friendship. Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman may be joining the DCU, and while she will likely get along well with the new Superman and Batman, the DCEU’s Big Three will be missed.

2Shazam! Gave Us A Great Start For Billy Batson

For a character whose comics once outsold Superman’s own adventures, Billy Batson (also known as Captain Marvel and now Shazam) has had far fewer adaptations, and the character’s lighthearted and whimsical nature is a challenge to properly adapt. Thankfully, the DCEU gave viewers a heartfelt and exciting start to Batson’s story in his 2019 debut, Shazam! Although the film’s sequel was unsuccessful, both critically and commercially, 2019’s Shazam! proved that the character’s comic book whimsy and earnest character drama could coexist. Zachary Levi’s Shazam will be fondly remembered by viewers if he is absent from James Gunn’s DCU.

1Wonder Woman Will Be Remembered As DC’s Best Movie

Some superhero films stand above the rest by not only being good movies, but also culturally significant events that transcend the superhero genre. DC’s original examples of such films are 1978’s Superman and 1989’s Batman, but they struck gold a third time with 2017’s Wonder Woman. While the film is well-integrated into the DCEU continuity, it stands on its own, introducing newcomers to Wonder Woman and pleasing those familiar with her comics and previous adaptations. Although Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman appears to be joining the DC Universe, her original solo movie will likely be rendered non-canon by the soft reboot, leaving it as the high point of the DCEU.