10 DC Characters Way Weaker in the Movies 

The history of DC movies has seen many standalone films, as well as the rise and fall of the DCEU, the first attempt at a live-action shared cinematic universe based on DC properties. Throughout these many adaptations have generally proven to be financially successful, they haven’t always hit the mark with fans or critics, prompting mixed reactions from audiences. One of the common criticisms of DC movies is that they regularly fail to do their characters justice in live-action adaptations. One major way that this occurs is that occasionally, when translating a DC character from the page to the big screen, DC movies make them seem considerably weaker.

While many of the weakest DC characters don’t even make it into the movies, the heroes and villains that do aren’t always their best selves. For whatever reason, they are depicted as being markedly less powerful than they are in other media such as comics, TV shows, or even other movies, creating an unfair perception of weakness.

Whether intentional or an unfortunate byproduct of the movie’s narrative, the following DC characters just seem much weaker in the movies.

1) Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Wonder Woman is one of DC’s most iconic heroes, and has been for several decades. As such, her live-action appearance in the DCEU was cause for much excitement, as she was finally set to appear in the flesh alongside the likes of Superman and Batman. However, her DCEU debut subtly rendered her much weaker than she typically is in other stories, and even, as proven by later movies in the franchise, weaker than in her own solo movies.

In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman appears as a supporting hero to the two titular DC icons. Her main role in the movie comes in its final battle, where she assists in fighting Doomsday. However, both of her prequel solo movies establish Wonder Woman as significantly more powerful — and even as possessing additional abilities — that aren’t put to use in Batman v Superman, creating DC movie plot holes and making Wonder Woman seem much weaker in her DCEU debut.

2) The Joker in Suicide Squad

Another DCEU character who subtly seemed much weaker than other iterations was the Joker. Introduced in 2016’s Suicide Squad, Jared Leto’s Joker was the subject of much debate. Some considered him to be the worst live-action iteration of the character, and many questioned the creative ideas behind the character’s design. He only served as a relatively minor supporting character in the movie, and that was where the franchise’s handling of the Joker made him seem much weaker.

Jared Leto’s Joker may not have been as popular as other versions, but the decision to make him more of a background villain was the real issue. By relegating him to the background, the DCEU made Leto’s Joker seem inconsequential, rather than giving him a role befitting of DC’s most popular villain. Leto’s Joker was given nothing to do in the DCEU’s story, making him seem significantly less important — and, therefore, less powerful — than almost every other iteration of the character.

3) Martian Manhunter in Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Although he has not yet been given the major role in live-action DC universes that he has enjoyed in other DC media, the Martian Manhunter is one of the most powerful heroes in DC’s continuity. He made his full live-action debut in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, with the director’s cut of the movie featuring the Martian Manhunter in a scene designed to tease Snyder’s planned sequels. It’s only a minor appearance in a great DC movie, but the subtext of the scene makes the Martian Manhunter seem weaker in the movies than in other adaptations.

In the comics and the DC Animated Universe, the hero is one of the most prominent members of the Justice League. While the movie features him, he is not specifically an ally of the team, despite being aware of the threat to Earth’s safety that they face. Having a hero as powerful as the Martian Manhunter standing by and watching others save the day makes him seem much less powerful than he should be, especially as his live-action movie appearance did not feature the use of his variety of impressive powers at all.

4) Batman in The Batman

When Robert Pattinson was first announced as Batman, it was a controversial casting decision. However, Matt Reeves’s 2022 movie The Batman proved that Pattinson was right for the role, serving up a gritty noir take on the hero and his mythos that pitted the Dark Knight against the Riddler in a tense race against the clock. While the movie earned widespread acclaim, The Batman did subtly paint its central hero as one of the weakest iterations of the character.

The Batman‘s focus was on the detective skills of the hero, as it saw him attempting to unravel the mystery surrounding the Riddler’s brutal murders and his plans for Gotham. Despite Batman being the World’s Greatest Detective, the movie saw him remain a step behind the Riddler at every turn, and he ultimately failed to thwart the villain’s plan. It’s a depiction that paints Batman as far less effective than the majority of other adaptations, making him seem significantly weaker as a result.

5) Atom Smasher in Black Adam

Although Atom Smasher is hardly DC’s most well-known hero, he’s a relatively powerful figure within the DC Universe. He made his live-action movie debut in 2022’s Black Adam, where he was drafted as a member of the Justice Society and brought in to help battle the titular anti-hero. While his power set seemed to be consistent with other iterations of the character, Black Adam‘s version was still somewhat weaker than he should have been.

The DCEU’s version of Atom Smasher, played by Noah Centineo, was a far less effective hero than he deserved to be. Written as a clumsy and largely unintelligent character, Atom Smasher lacked many of the heroic qualities that the character commonly possesses, making him seem far less powerful as a result. His lack of control over his powers only added to this, creating the perception that the live-action iteration of the character was much weaker than his comic book counterpart.

6) Cheetah in Wonder Woman 1984

There are many DC characters that need a reboot, and Cheetah is one of them. One of Wonder Woman’s most prolific nemeses, Cheetah made her live-action movie debut in the DCEU’s Wonder Woman 1984, played by Kristen Wiig. Though the movie attempted to make Cheetah look relatively comic-accurate, its depiction of the villain fell short in multiple ways, making her seem much weaker than she ultimately deserved.

In the comics and most other DC media, Cheetah is Wonder Woman’s arch-nemesis. Her consistency stems from her array of abilities, making her a match for Diana Prince in many ways. However, the movie sees Cheetah overcome with relative ease, even with Diana losing her powers. Reading between the lines, this indicates that the DCEU’s version of Cheetah was nowhere near as powerful as she should have been, especially as she was definitively defeated and returned to her human self by the end of the movie.

7) Bane in Batman & Robin

There are so many Batman villains who have been poorly handled in live-action adaptations, but few have been fumbled as severely as Bane. The comics depict Bane as a muscle-bound antagonist bolstered by the use of Venom, an experimental substance that makes him incredibly strong in a physical sense. However, Bane’s true strength lies in his tactical prowess, which has seen him outwit Batman on multiple occasions, even breaking the hero’s back in the infamous “Knightfall” arc.

1997’s Batman & Robin adapted Bane into a live-action movie in the most disappointing way. The use of Venom to enhance his strength was present, but little else about the character was recognizable. The removal of his intellect from his characterisation made him nothing more than a brute who served as a glorified henchman for Poison Ivy, making him markedly weaker than he is in almost every other iteration of the character in comics, TV, video games, and other movies.

8) Ares in Wonder Woman

In the stories of DC, much as in the Greek mythology that inspired him, Ares is the god of war. Most commonly depicted as a recurring adversary of Wonder Woman, Ares made his live-action debut in the hero’s 2017 DCEU solo movie. Much of the movie concerned Diana attempting to uncover Ares’s secret identity, with the pair finally showing down in a climactic battle that saw the hero lose much more than she bargained for.

Even so, the movie’s version of Ares is much weaker than in the comics. Wonder Woman is able to best him in battle with relative ease, in spite of the fact that she had only recently departed Themyscira and unlocked her potential as a hero. Seeing Diana put an end to Ares so quickly was both anticlimactic and bizarre, as it saw a so-called god of war ending for good by a fledgling hero in her very first outing.

9) Supergirl in The Flash

Over the years, many Superman characters have been ruined by the movies. Supergirl is perhaps the most egregious example, having been failed in DC movies on multiple occasions. Perhaps the worst of all came in 2023’s The Flash, which introduced Sasha Calle’s Supergirl to the DCEU in one of its final movies. However, her depiction in the film left much to be desired, as it made her seem far weaker than she deserved.

Despite possessing all the same abilities as Superman, Supergirl is shown as entirely unable to defeat General Zod. In fact, despite being supported by two versions of the Flash, Supergirl is killed repeatedly by Zod, with it being established that she is doomed in that particular timeline. It was a pretty poor way to treat one of DC’s most powerful metahumans, as it established that she was entirely unable to stop Zod as her cousin did in 2013’s Man of Steel.

10) Parallax in Green Lantern

2011’s Green Lantern got many things about its DC adaptation completely wrong. Its handling of beloved DC characters was poor to say the least, leading to it being perceived as one of the worst comic book movies of all time. Perhaps no one was given as drastic a power downgrade as the movie’s villain Parallax, however. Green Lantern’s long-standing nemesis and the literal embodiment of fear was defeated in the movie by a trainee Hal Jordan after a single encounter.

Considering the decades of history shared by the two characters, the movie making Parallax weak enough to be permanently killed by a single inexperienced Lantern is beyond ridiculous. Having a villain as traditionally powerful as Parallax so drastically weakened was just one of the issues with 2011’s Green Lantern, but it stands out as a major misunderstanding of the nature of the character. Ultimately, Parallax remains the DC character who has been most drastically weakened for a movie appearance.

What live-action DC figures do you think failed to live up to their comics counterparts? Let us know in the comments below!

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