15 Best Performances In The DCEU (So Far)
It might be a troubled franchise, but you can't complain about the acting...
Ignoring the many problems it's faced, which include studio interference, hit-or-miss writing and awful villains, the DCEU has always been a fairly strong franchise in terms of performances. It's roped in many, many great actors and the vast majority of them have really brought their A-game to the table.
As such, all eight of the DCEU's films so far, especially Shazam! and Birds of Prey, have been well-acted - yes, even the disappointing Man of Steel, the most terrible Batman Vs. Superman and the even-worse Suicide Squad. Additionally, the DCEU has a strong record in terms of smart casting choices - especially when casting the Justice League - and the majority of the actors have fit their parts beautifully.
It's not terribly easy to find many genuinely bad performances in the franchise (although they do exist - Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress leap immediately to mind), but in terms of good performances there are loads to admire.
So then, which DCEU performances are the best of the franchise so far? And who sits at the top? It's time to find out...
15. Jeremy Irons - Alfred Pennyworth
Jeremy Irons was simply a perfectly-cast Alfred Pennyworth. He played Alfred as a more cynical character than either Michael Gough or Michael Caine, which helped to set his version of the character apart from previous incarnations, and Jeremy Irons was really able to make the role his own.
Irons played the part with a terrific dose of melancholy and dark humour and enriched every single scene he was in. He hasn't appeared all that much so far and it remains to be seen if he will return. Still, hopefully he will, since he is a truly great Alfred.
Come to think of it, unlike with Batman himself, every version of Alfred in the live-action Batman films so far has been very strong. Andy Serkis has some big shoes to fill in the upcoming The Batman (2021).