10 DCEU Characters That Are Nothing Like The Comics
9. Superman
Batman (Ben Affleck) may be a shameless killer in the DCEU, but he still feels like he captures enough of the Caped Crusader's mood and philosophy to be workable, albeit through an extremely radical lens.
The same sadly hasn't proven true of Superman (Henry Cavill) so far, who despite a solid effort from Henry Cavill in the role, has been the DCEU's most high-profile misfire.
In the comics and also in basically every popular movie and TV adaptation, Superman has been an optimistic, chisel-jawed beacon of hope for Metropolis and the world. This is supposed to make him a perfect mirror to the darker-inclined Batman.
And while Superman's DCEU debut, Man of Steel, saw Zack Snyder promising a gritty, Dark Knight-esque take on the character, he ultimately made the fatal mistake of transforming both Clark Kent and Supes into joyless dullards.
Cavill's Superman suit actually looks pretty terrific, and he certainly nails the physical requirements of the role, but many fans took umbrage with Supes allowing so much collateral damage to take place in the film's third act, rather than, as in the comics, finding a way to keep public harm to a minimum.
Snyder at least seemed to take the criticism to heart and indicated that Batman v Superman would address the issue of Superman being party to Metropolis' destruction, yet he ultimately ended up doubling down on the misery.
In this movie, Clark and Supes are both painfully boring mopes who spend their entire screen time either listlessly contemplating their place in the world or punching things.
Where is the charm? Where is the heroism? Batman v Superman could've course-corrected Man of Steel's dodgy characterisation by focusing on Superman saving normal people and, you know, smiling every now and then.
Instead, Clark is clearly still haunted by the more morally dubious lessons imparted to him by his father Jonathan (Kevin Costner), and it's just a bore to watch.
Justice League finally seemed to be steering the character in the right direction by leaning into his more classically heroic attributes...in the final 15 minutes of the movie. Plus, the whole digital jaw debacle made it tough to take Supes seriously.
As disappointing as it is to hear rumours about Henry Cavill being done with Superman, on the flip side hitting the reset button on one of comic lore's most iconic heroes isn't such a bad idea.