The heroes of DC Comics rank as some of the most iconic in all of pop culture. The likes of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman have all become staples of the superhero genre, and have all proved to be incredibly influential on its evolution over their many decades of popularity. As the superhero genre has grown into a staple of modern cinema, the heroes of DC have remained as relevant as ever, with multiple stories and characters adapted to the big screen. While there are many great DC movies, some of them also feature narrative elements that are frustratingly inconsistent.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Unfortunately, there have been many glaring plot holes in DC movies over the years. Though they certainly haven’t affected the box office appeal of the movies in question, they are nagging errors that become all too evident on rewatching DC’s movie catalogue. Even in the most fantastical DC adaptations, simple logic is enough to effectively derail elements of superhero movies, making for incredibly frustrating plot holes that are impossible to overlook.
1) Arthur Fleck Should Have Been Placed In Foster Care
2019’s Joker depicted a backstory for the titular villain, following aspiring comedian Arthur Fleck as he creates a violent criminal persona. As well as introducing one of the most popular live-action versions of the Joker, the movie delved into the origins of the character. In the movie, Arthur’s mother, Penny, is herself mentally ill, and he discovers that she had allowed his stepfather to abuse him as a child, leading to her incarceration in Arkham State Hospital.
This piece of information, while an interesting insight into Arthur’s formative years, also creates an obvious plot hole. It is entirely implausible that Penny would have continued to raise Arthur after her release, considering the danger she posed to him. Arthur Fleck should have been placed in foster care after Penny’s incarceration, and that should in turn have led to a more stable childhood for Joker’s protagonist.
2) Wonder Woman Inexplicably Lost The Ability To Fly
The DC Extended Universe proved to be a short-lived franchise, not least because it was plagued with problems from early on. One of its core heroes, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, was first introduced in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, set in the present day, before starring in a World War I-set solo prequel establishing her origins. This was followed up with 2020’s Wonder Woman 1984, another DCEU prequel that further explored the hero’s life leading up to the events of Batman v Superman and Justice League.
Giving Diana more of a backstory and establishing how she gained certain powers was a part of the worldbuilding of the DCEU, but it created an annoying plot hole. Wonder Woman 1984 established that the hero learned to fly in the 1980s, although she was not shown making use of that ability at all in the franchise’s present-day movies. As both Batman v Superman and Justice League offered her ample opportunity to fly, it seems a bizarre plot hole that she was never shown using the power outside of the 1984-set prequel.
3) Superman’s Secret Identity Was Obviously Revealed
2013’s Man of Steel introduced Henry Cavill’s Superman to audiences, starting the DCEU in the process. The movie served as an origin story for the hero, and featured the Kryptonian villain General Zod as its main antagonist. Man of Steel‘s story sees Zod arrive on Earth, locate Clark Kent, and attempt to colonize the Earth in order to make a new home for Krypton’s survivors. At one point in the movie, Zod lands his ship at the Kent farm, leading to a tense exchange with Clark.
That single scene alone creates a major DCEU plot hole that undermines the fabric of the franchise. A huge alien spacecraft opting to land at a random farm in Kansas should have alerted the powers that be to look into Clark Kent, which would have easily resulted in his secret identity being blown. At the very least, Batman’s investigation into Superman should have turned that information up immediately in Batman v Superman, drawing the plot hole out even further across the DCEU’s wider story.
4) Shazam’s Missing Powers
2019’s Shazam! is widely considered one of the DCEU’s best movies, as it was able to blend high-stakes superhero action with more human comedy and drama. Its protagonist being a young boy magically transformed into an incredibly powerful superhero allowed the franchise to break new ground. Shazam’s power set is pretty broad: he is gifted with the Wisdom of Solomon, the Strength of Hercules, the Stamina of Atlas, the Power of Zeus, the Courage of Achilles, and the Speed of Mercury. However, two of his abilities are conspicuous in their absence.
Both the Wisdom of Solomon and the Courage of Achilles should make Shazam a brave and intelligent figure. However, his DCEU characterization leans heavily on his true identity as a child in a man’s body, and he is regularly shown being both incredibly scared and making unwise decisions. While all of his other magical powers remain distinctly intact, Shazam’s wisdom and courage are seemingly forgotten as soon as they’re mentioned.
5) Everything About The Invisible Plane
Wonder Woman 1984 introduced several new aspects to Wonder Woman’s DCEU story. One of the most notable was the debut of her Invisible Plane, which came in a visually stunning scene that frustratingly brought up more questions than it answered. As great as introducing the Invisible Plane was, it created multiple nagging plot holes that the DCEU simply never designed to answer, and which now appear to be destined to go forever unresolved.
Firstly, there is the obvious plot hole that the plane Diana and Steve stole from the Smithsonian would have been unlikely to have been fueled and ready for flight. Then, there’s a question of how a pilot whose training and experience was in World War I aircraft could fly it at all, as it was a prototype developed in the 1960s. Additionally, there’s the more technical issue with a fight jet being able to fly to the Middle East, which would be far beyond its plausible range. In essence, nothing about Wonder Woman 1984‘s Invisible Plane adds up at all.
6) Batman’s Return To Gotham in The Dark Knight Rises
Although they are widely considered some of the best superhero movies ever made, there are a handful of plot holes in the Dark Knight trilogy. The Dark Knight Rises, the third and final movie in Nolan’s trilogy, features a handful of glaring narrative issues, although perhaps none are as substantial as the movie’s third-act setup. After being brutally defeated by Bane and deposited in the Pit, a remote underground prison, Bruce Wayne is able to make the impossible climb to freedom in order to return to Gotham and thwart the League of Shadows.
However, on closer examination, Wayne’s return to Gotham is beyond implausible. The Pit’s remote location isn’t specifically revealed, but it’s heavily implied as being somewhere in Asia or the Middle East, so how Bruce Wayne was able to travel halfway around the world with nothing but the clothes on his back and remain undetected is anyone’s guess. In addition, there’s the matter of Bane having destroyed all but one entrance into the city, and somehow Bruce is able to slip in, recover his Batsuit – which was presumably in Bane’s possession – and return to full fitness in what appears to be a simple matter of weeks.
7) The Council of Wizards Could Have Easily Taken Away Black Adam’s Powers
2022 introduced Black Adam into the DCEU, with the powerful villain/anti-hero making his live-action debut. However, Black Adam‘s narrative is based on some pretty flawed logic from the offset. The movie’s story revolves around the awakening of Black Adam in the present day, after he was imprisoned for centuries by the Council of Wizards for abusing his magical powers. The backstory makes sense at a glance, but under the microscope of simple logic, it begins to fall apart.
Considering it’s the Council of Wizards who are responsible for bestowing the powers of Shazam on the worthy, it’s baffling that they chose to put Adam to sleep rather than simply taking the abilities away. After he proved himself unworthy, it should have been a simple matter of withdrawing his powers, but the Council of Wizards instead opted to allow him to remain magically imbued while imprisoned in a slumber. The entire threat of Black Adam could have been neturalized from the very beginning, and while it wouldn’t have made for a great movie, it would have been the more logical choice.
8) Superman Could Have Stopped Both Missiles
Superman: The Movie remains an utterly iconic piece of superhero cinema, as it helped to redefine the parameters of what was possible in adapting comic books to the big screen. That isn’t to say that it’s a perfect movie, though, as it features a handful of issues, including one annoying plot hole. Late in the movie, Superman is trapped by Lex Luthor, who then launches two nuclear missiles at opposite United States coasts, forcing the superhero to make an impossible decision about which to stop.
The immediate aftermath of this decision makes it clear that Superman never needed to choose at all. After the West Coast missile results in the death of Lois Lane, Superman flies around the world in an emotional outburst, turning back time by distorting the fabric of reality. However, if this ability was in his arsenal the whole time, he could simply have flown fast enough to stop both missiles in the first place.
9) The GCPD Should Have Unmasked Batman Before Arresting Him
While Matt Reeves’ 2022 DC movie is great, there are still things about The Batman that don’t make sense. The gritty noir style of the movie sees Robert Pattinson’s Batman investigating the Riddler, putting him at odds with the GCPD in the process. One scene sees Batman apprehended by the cops after the Riddler’s attack on Mayor Mitchell’s funeral, and he awakens in the GCPD after being knocked unconscious by the Riddler’s explosive device.
The scene sees Batman awakening as the cops prepare to unmask him. Realistically, however, this would have been done at the scene when apprehending him, especially as he was unconscious and would likely have needed immediate medical attention. He is then able to escape, making use of various gadgets – all of which should have been confiscated along with his mask as soon as the cops decided to take him into the station for questioning.
10) Amanda Waller’s Reasons For Forming Task Force X
2016’s Suicide Squad is far from the most well-loved DC movie, and it has many well-documented issues. However, one of the most glaring is fundamental to its entire plot, as it involves the motivations for forming the titular team. Amanda Waller loosely explains her desire to form the team to battle metahuman threats, though there are none present at the time she is given the green light. Regardless, she brings her team together, and begins introducing them all to Rick Flag, who will serve as their handler.
It is only then their purpose arises: Enchantress breaks free of Waller’s control and Task Force X is enlisted to stop her magical rampage. However, had that not occurred at the crucial moment, it’s hard to understand exactly why Waller had brought the team together. The only real job to be done at that time was escorting her to her helicopter, which she hardly needed a full team of violent criminals to do. Enchantress’ timely attack is the only thing that really justifies Waller’s actions, and she had no way of knowing that it was about to happen.
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios. -
Toei Animation
