15 Worst Things DCEU Heroes Have Done

Over 2.3K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of 15 Worst Things DCEU Heroes Have Done
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Vote up the times DC superheroes were pushing it on the term 'hero.'

The DC Extended Universe has always taken a darker approach to the superhero genre. This has led to the DCEU heroes not having the cookie-cutter mentality that most other leading characters in the genre possess. It can reach points where calling them "heroes" can be a bit of a stretch since their morally dubious decisions and actions are difficult to justify. Other times, the heroes have been callous in disposition, which has led to them deeply hurting people who didn't deserve such treatment.


  • Wonder Woman Refuses To Renounce Her Wish, Thereby Trapping The Man Under Steve's Possession
    Photo: Wonder Woman 1984 / Warner Bros. Pictures

    Wonder Woman accidentally activates the powers of the Dreamstone, which grants Diana her greatest wish of seeing Steve Trevor again. She soon learns Steve isn't actually there and is possessing another man. Despite knowing the possessed man has never given his consent, Diana doesn't renounce her wish to set him free as she's too selfish in her need to keep Steve alive. This reaches villainous territory once it becomes clear the Dreamstone is evil and Diana needs to renounce her wish to save lives, but she still goes against it until Steve himself asks her to. 

    Had Diana had her way, the unnamed man would have been possessed indefinitely, trapped in his own body.

    1,537 votes
  • Clark Kent Tries To Expose Batman As A Villain Simply Because He Doesn't Like Him
    Photo: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice / Warner Bros. Pictures

    Superman has his own reasons to hate Batman in Dawn of Justice, with his contempt stemming from Batman's harsh ways. Clark has an interaction with Bruce where he claims Batman is a menace who takes justice into his own hands, which is hypocritical of him since Clark does the same thing and was responsible for leveling Metropolis during his fight against Zod.

    Clark takes this feud further by going off on his own agenda to expose Batman as a fiend, even though he's told by his boss Perry to drop it. Clark doesn't think about the fact that Batman has kept the streets of Gotham clean from menaces like the Joker and Penguin for two decades and only wants to expose Batman's true identity because he doesn't like him.

    1,462 votes
  • Martian Manhunter Hands Superman To Zod Instead Of Helping Him
    Photo: Man of Steel / Warner Bros. Pictures

    It's revealed in Zack Snyder's Justice League that Calvin Swanwick, a former five-star general in the US army, is actually the Martian Manhunter in disguise. This actually places him in a negative light due to his actions in Man of Steel. In that movie, Swanwick has Superman apprehended and traded off to General Zod despite knowing the latter plans on taking Superman's life. 

    Since Swanwick was always a Martian in disguise, it also makes his personal attacks against Superman for being an alien deeply hypocritical since Manhunter is an alien himself. He also has powers along the same lines as Superman, yet not only chooses to send Superman to his doom, but also doesn't intervene in the fight against Zod when his inclusion would have helped save millions of lives.

    936 votes
  • Harley Quinn Assists In Taking The Life Of The Teenage Robin
    Photo: Suicide Squad / Warner Bros. Pictures

    While Harley Quinn is still wild about the Joker, she helps him capture Robin and end his life, and also spray paints his costume to mock Batman. Robin is just a teenage boy, meaning Harley assists in doing away with someone who isn't even legally an adult.

    Although Harley is technically a villain at this point, the fact that she never shows any remorse even after she turns into a hero makes this a highly deplorable act that she's fine to live with.

    968 votes
  • 5
    791 VOTES

    Superman Initiates The Knightmare Future And Savages Batman

    Superman Initiates The Knightmare Future And Savages Batman
    Photo: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice / Warner Bros. Pictures

    In the dark future Bruce Wayne sees in his visions, it turns out he was right about Superman all along. At this point, Superman has become a warlord who's ravaged the Earth under Darkseid's command and fully intends to hunt down the remaining heroes. Although this is due to Darkseid controlling him with the Anti-Life Equation, Superman doesn't resist it, either, as the demise of Lois Lane has made him lose his willpower, and he easily submits to Darkseid without putting up any fight.

    According to Bruce's vision, his fated demise is meant to come at the hands of Superman, who plunges his hand into Bruce to rip his heart out.

    791 votes
  • 6
    899 VOTES

    Wonder Woman Remains Inactive During WWII When She Could Have Ended It

    Wonder Woman Remains Inactive During WWII When She Could Have Ended It
    Photo: Wonder Woman 1984 / Warner Bros. Pictures

    It's revealed in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that Wonder Woman has been in man's world for a century and has willingly not helped anyone during this time. In Justice League, Bruce Wayne calls her out for her inaction as it's apparent Wonder Woman could have saved many people who deserved it.

    There's also the fact that she sat out all of WWII despite having seen firsthand how terrible things were in WWI, meaning her inaction allowed millions of people to perish when her intervention could have put a stop to the conflict as it did the first time around. 

    Wonder Woman 1984 shows the Amazonian princess quietly helping people out in this period, which makes it clear she deliberately let all-out war take place in the world.

    899 votes