The last decade of DC movies has been nothing short of exciting. Beginning with Man of Steel 2013 to next Aquaman and the Lost Realm, the landscape of nearly related films became known as the DC Extended Universe. While the saga has helped many viewers get to know some of DC’s iconic characters, it has also been peppered with disappointing or confusing moments.
With a new era on the horizon under the leadership of the co-CEOs of DC Studios James Gunn AND Peter Safran, which is expected to “reboot” much of the franchise’s continuity, there are still a few DCEU storylines that need to be resolved. From Man of Steel to this year’s The Flash, here are ten sneak peeks at the franchise that never materialized.
Carol Ferris
Man of Steel introduced viewers to Carrie Farris (Christina Wren), an Air Force officer who becomes Clavin Swanwick’s (Henry Lennix) right-hand man. Die-hard fans immediately noticed that Carrie’s name is a pun on comic book heroine Carol Ferris. In DC history, Carol is a businesswoman associated with the Ferris Aircraft Corporation, Hal Jordan/Green Lantern’s occasional love interest, and the occasional anti-hero in Star Sapphire.
Despite appearing or being mentioned in three DCEU projects, Farris has never come close to her comic book namesake, not least because the franchise has rarely touched on the history of the Green Lantern Corps.
Robin’s fate
To this day, no DCEU plot point is as discussed as the fate of Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) Robin, which is alluded to in Batman v Batman. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Aside from the Joker costume behind the window and the details of Harley Quinn’s criminal record in Suicide Squad, we haven’t received any indication of how Robin died at the hands of Harley and the Joker, although we were originally supposed to see him in a deleted scene.
Which Robin was killed by the duo? Was it Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, or someone else? And how exactly did this Robin die? After so many years, we still don’t have a definitive answer, and Snyder himself gave different answers at some points.
Complete Knightmare timeline
Since Batman v. Superman, Snyder introduced viewers to a possible dark future for his young Justice League. Called the Knightmare timeline, this world would see Clark Kent/Superman (Henry Cavill) corrupted by Darkseid who decides to remake the world in his image. Although Snyder’s version of Justice League briefly showed Batman leading the resistance in this timeline, it was revealed that it was nothing more than a dream episode, but one that could have come true.
Of course, we now know that Knightmare’s timeline will be further explored in subsequent sequels to Snyder’s Justice League, who has since shared sketches and even concept art of what that would entail.
injustice league
Another big gag from both versions of Justice League comes near the end when Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) arranges a meeting with Slade Wilson/Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello) to break up the newly formed alliance of heroes. Regardless of which version of the movie is considered canon, the idea of their union – and Deathstroke targeting Batman – never came to fruition. It could have been shown in Affleck’s Batman or even Deathstroke, but alas.
Mister Mind
Perhaps one of the most disappointing teasers for the DCEU is the post-credits scene of Shazam! 2019 saw the first appearance of Mister Mind, a super-intelligent, bite-sized insect who wants to team up with Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong) to take on the Shazam family!
After authorities decided not to make Mister Mind the villain of this year’s sequel to Shazam! This year’s Wrath of the Gods featured a post-credits scene teasing the long wait for him to work with Sivana. And now with the uncertainty of whether there will be a story with Shazam! will carry over to the new DCU or not, it is unknown if we will ever see this storyline.
Flash of two worlds
While it didn’t technically take place within the DCEU, the Flash’s cameo in The CW’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover is itself a deal breaker. The moment that saw Miller’s Barry finally cross over with Grant Gustin’s TV’s Barry was undeniably epic and essentially went viral on the internet when it happened. But the very short scene also seems to have influenced Barry Miller, not only because he first met his doppelgänger, but also because Barry Gustin apparently gave him his superhero name and taught him a little bit of how the system worked. multiverse.
Although The Flash screenwriter Christina Hodson indicated at the time that she included a Crisis cameo in her script, the final result contained absolutely no confirmation of the scene, let alone any cameo from him, Gustin.
Predator birds
Also in early 2020, DCEU viewers were introduced to one of DC’s most formidable groups: the Birds of Prey. After a wild adventure alongside Harley Quinn and Cassandra Kane in Birds of Prey (and The Fantastic Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), the film concludes with the formation of the titular group. Dinah Lance / Black Canary (Jurnie Smollett), Helena Bertinelli / The Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) have agreed to team up in Gotham and fight crime together, donning new costumes in a brief fight scene.
Since then, we still have not seen birds of prey and did not recognize the existence of Dina, Elena or Rene. Of course, there have been attempts to do so: the now-cancelled Batgirl solo film appears to contain references to Dinah, and a Black Canary Max solo film is also in development prior to that. Warner Bros. moving away from streaming movies. There is a possibility that the Birds will fly again in the new DCU, but we don’t know if it will be the same iterations.
Asteria
Later that year, the post-credits scene of Wonder Woman 1984 paid a unique tribute to Wonder Woman’s legacy by revealing that Linda Carter had been cast as Asteria. Borrowing her name from Greek mythology and an obscure DC heroine, Asteria has been reimagined as a previously forgotten Amazonian warrior who has found a home in the world of men.
After years of development tied to Wonder Woman 3, it looked like Carter would reprise her role as Asteria in this movie, but now we know that’s not the case.
Black Adam vs Superman
After years of speculation, the Man of Steel did indeed play a role in the 2022 Black Adam movie. In that movie’s post-credits scene, Cavill finally returned as Clark Kent/Superman, stepping out of the shadows to give Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) a strict warning.
Although the cast and crew of Black Adam hinted at plans for the two to fight on screen, the reality turned out to be quite different: Gunn and Safran’s new work was announced just a few days before the film’s release. Shortly thereafter, both Cavill and Johnson confirmed that they would not appear in the new DCU anytime soon.
Clooney
Finally, The Flash, released this summer, ended part of the DCEU story on a whimsical and exciting note. After traversing the film’s multiverses, Barry returned to his core reality to find that nothing was still what it seemed. Instead of Affleck or Michael Keaton, George Clooney became Bruce Wayne in Barry’s life in the infamous 1997 film Batman & Robin.
The scene immediately sparked a wave of speculation about the DCEU and DCU crossing over, with some wondering if Clooney would return full-time as Batman. Gunn quickly took to social media to confirm that this was not the case, and after The Flash slumped at the box office, it is unknown if this film will continue and how.
Which unresolved DCEU storyline upsets you the most? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!