The DCEU officially ended with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom ahead of James Gunn’s DCU reboot. However, the first attempt at a DC-based shared cinematic universe achieved a certain level of success, divisive though many of its movies proved to be. In amongst the stories of metahumans and extra-terrestrial threats, there were many cringe-worthy DCEU moments.
It’s hard to specifically define what causes such a moment. With cringe-worthy moments in the MCU, it’s often a case of mistimed humor or overly tone-deaf scenes. However, in the DCEU, many of its worst moments come down to simple execution. Some issues are with the writing, others the acting, and some are purely conceptual. Regardless, here are the 7 most cringe-worthy moments in the DCEU.
7. Ma Kent Is The Martian Manhunter
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
The release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League was the result of a long campaign by fans, and though the director’s cut of the film was considered far better than the original theatrical release, it still had a few odd moments. Clocking in at around double the runtime of the theatrical cut, there was plenty of extra scenes and story to be seen. Within those scenes were a handful of cringe-worthy DCEU moments.
The film’s first major cringe comes at the conclusion of a scene between Martha Kent and Lois Lane, in which Superman’s adoptive mother consoles his grieving flame. Immediately after leaving Lois’ home, Martha transforms into the Martian Manhunter, glares into the camera, and then transforms again into General Swannick (as seen in Man of Steel). It’s a bizarre and unexpected moment, and it’s pretty poorly executed.
Maybe it’s the way that Martha so suddenly transforms into J’onn Jonzz, or that he then transforms again almost immediately. The brief utterance over his shoulder before leaving is also hilariously dramatic. All in all, it’s a pretty ridiculous moment.