DC is in a rut. Their cinematic universe cannot find stable footing. However, some of these problems are not new. DC has been making films for a long time now, and, with such an array of films, mistakes are bound to happen. No director is perfect and no actor can give a perfect take every time. The DC and its films are no exception.
Sometimes the mistake is as simple as a ring being on a different finger from shot to shot, but others are much worse. The biggest mistakes cause plot holes in the movie or become so distracting that fans cannot look past it. These kinds of mistakes make it so that the viewer can never unsee the error, and revisiting the film becomes unpleasant. Simply put, some DC mistakes are simply unforgettable. Fans cannot forgive them and casual viewers cannot look past them. These errors are all over DC’s films, but which are the worst?
Well, to compile a list would involve countless hours of studying tons of movies for these mistakes. Luckily, IMDb includes a number of these gaps on their website and is a great source if fans want to find out if the error they saw is actually there and not imagined. So, all entries for this list come from the popular website and from there, those entries are expanded upon and given context. Remember, mistakes are defined as continuity errors, plot holes, and general mistakes.
Hopefully, that intro is not riddled with mistakes because it is time to dive into 20 Mistakes The DC Movies Made That Fans Can’t Get Over.
Harley Gets Her Hair Done
Suicide Squad is far from perfect. The script is weak and rushed. Characters develop at an awkward pace and the sympathy for the protagonist is unearned at times. This mistake is one of a few on the list, and it’s quite glaring.
Harley Quinn is one of the bright spots in the film, but her hair is not. It is a tad nitpicky, but Harley is first shown with faded, dried out hair while in prison. However, IMDb details that her hair the fluctuates color and volume throughout the rest of the movie. It is as if the story wants fans to believe that the guards let Harley do her hair before living for the mission.
Alexander Knox’s “Gas” Mask
Certain items become symbols for ideas. Directors will use the item as a shortcut to excuse a character from a problem. For instance, the idea that keys are in the sun visor of a car is purely a film creation. The actual practice no longer happens, but filmmakers continue to use it because it’s in the cinematic language.
Similarly, in Tim Burton’s Batman, Alexander Knox uses a dust mask to protect himself from Joker’s gas attack. The idea that a dust mask can protect from poisonous gas is laughable. However, back then, films would use a dust mask to symbol protection from gas. In today’s context, it’s a mistake that becomes nearly impossible to overlook.
Blake’s Magical Shotgun
Blake, or Robin, is an interesting character in The Dark Knight Rises. On the one hand, Joseph Gordon-Levitt portrays the character with a stern sincerity that shows the impact Batman has on the city. On the other hand, his boy scout nature rubs some fans the wrong way. However, the error in this entry is not about these issues.
Blake, being the boy scout he is, rushes into the hospital to save Jim Gordon. He enters the hospital with a silver barrel shotgun, and then the next scene shows him with a short, black barrel shotgun. Either the film originally had him taking the weapon from an enemy, or this mistake is a big oversight by the crew.
Selina’s Impossible Clean Slate
Catwoman needs a justifiable motivation to work for the enemy. This is understandable, but the clean slate makes no sense. Seriously, if fans just take a second to think about the idea, then the subplot begins to fall apart.
Selina Kyle believes the clean slate program will erase her long rap sheet from the internet. Sure, that seems like it might be possible, and she could then go underground. However, there are plenty of paper records of her crime. She cannot destroy those, and that means her records could be reuploaded at any point as long that paper trail exists.
HALO is in Radar Range
This entry is nitpicky, but that does not mean it is not true. Warning to all The Dark Knight fans this will change an amazing scene for good. Now, that those fans have skipped this entry it is time to spill the tea.
Batman plans on getting into Hong Kong under the Chinese radars by using Korean smugglers and performing a HALO drop. However, HALO stands for High Altitude/Low Opening are done from around 30,000 feet up in the air. That height is within radar range and means Batman did not do a HALO drop and, if he did, the Chinese would have seen the smugglers on the radar.
Wonder Woman’s Magic Cloak
This entry actually comes from CBR. The No Man’s Land scene in Wonder Woman is the top of its class, and not many superhero action scenes quite capture the heroic wonder so well. As Diana takes off her cloak and walks across the barren sea of danger, fans gawked in wonderment.
The problem comes from the fact she then magically has that cloak again later. Now, it is possible that someone retrieves the cloak for her. However, if that is the case, then the filmmakers should have shown it. Otherwise, the cloak reappearing confuses the viewers too much.
Krypton’s Yellow Sun
Comic book movie creators have one rule: do not ruin comic book traditions. If Superman has blue tights, then you keep the blue tights. If a creator chooses to break with tradition, then that creator needs to justify the change.
Sadly, Zack Snyder did not get this memo when he created Man of Steel. The early prologue shows scenes from Krypton, For those unaware, a yellow sun gives Superman his power, and his home planet has a red sun. However, Snyder depicted his home planet as having a yellow sun. It’s a huge error that most comic fans find unforgivable.
Where did the Goo Go?
This entry is just odd. Listen, if production goes off the rail and the higher ups bring on a new director, then things are bound to get screwed up. This exact thing happened on Justice League and the problem led to mistakes.
Aquaman saves a fisherman and then drinks a glass of whiskey. He notices a bit of green goo on his hand when he sets the glass down. However, in the next shot, a reshoot shot, the goo is gone. The goo must have been a part of a subplot that disappeared in the rewrites, but fans will never clearly know its purpose.
Clark Kent gets Top Secret Employment
Sometimes fans are told to just sit back and suspend realism for the sake of a movie. If the viewer can put up a wall and forget some plot points, then they generally enjoy a movie more. That being said, not every realism error is the same.
For instance, Man of Steel wants fans to believe that Clark Kent leaves his home and becomes a wanderer. Okay, that is believable, but no man with no address and true work background could gain access to a top secret site. The entire idea is plausible in some universe, but not in any scenario audiences are familiar with today.
Two Laptops in Dark Knight Rises Heist
Editing is not easy. The editor starts with dozens of takes for the same scene at different angles and with different tones. The editor then needs to connect those shots together to make a fluid scene that makes sense. That process is bound to lead to a mistake at some point.
For instance, when Bane goes to steal data from the trading floor, his goon is downloading the information on his laptop. The group decides to go mobile for the last portion of the download. As they pack up, the character can be seen loading up the same laptop into the bag twice. Some fans noticed this editing error right away, but others still have not noticed. It is not easy being an editor, but fans do not seem ready to forget this mistake.
The Spies Disappear
The idea that an enemy can be knocked unconscious then nothing happens is silly. The scene happens over and over again in superhero films, and it is doubtful that the trope will be leaving anytime soon. However, usually, the trope is not totally detrimental to the plot.
Wonder Woman has an exceptional case. Spies pursue her and Steve Trevor to London in an attempt to take back Dr. Poison’s journal. Wonder Woman easily disposed of the spies. That point alone is fine. The problem is the spies are left in the alley. They could easily reawaken and pursue the heroes, but instead, the spies just disappear because the plot does not need them anymore.
Sinestro does not Change into the Fear Suit
Poor Green Lantern, the movie actually thought it would get a sequel. Therefore, in the final concluding act, Sinestro goes heel and puts on the fear ring. The scene is meant to be a dramatic moment to set up the next movie. However, the creators could not even get this scene correct.
Sinestro is the iconic villain. He is known for his fear costume that is supposed to appear when a person puts on the fear ring. However, when Sinestro puts on the fear ring, his green lantern outfit remains unchanged. Fans were already aggravated by the CGI outfits, but this gaf did not help make it any better.
The Joker Has Unbleached Skin
The Joker needs to be true to character. Creators either make his skin make-up or keep it bleached white due to the chemical accident. Either scenario works, but the creator needs to choose between the two. If they toe the line, fans will not forget.
The story explains that his skin is whitened by the chemical accident, but his hands do not show this. When the joker goes to show off his special smile tattoo, fans can clearly see his hand is not bleached like the rest of his skin.
Bane’s Needless Sacrifice
Sometimes the writers do not get to have their cake and eat it too. Plot holes can be obnoxious, and the worst ones are the holes the writers create on their own. A chief example comes from The Dark Knight Rises.
The CIA agent says earlier that the flight plan only includes on the additional passenger, but he disproves that point when Bane calls his bluff. It is likely that the flight plan included all the passengers because the CIA agent clearly plans on keeping the criminal around rather than shooting them. This means Bane does not need to keep just one of his comrades behind. The flight plan expects more than one of them in the wreckage.
Arthur’s Tattoos aren’t Possible
Okay, this entry is just frustrating. Aquaman is a cool character now. Jason Momoa is working hard to improve the fish-man’s reputation. The cool tattoos help, but those same tattoos make no sense.
Arthur Clark explains in the film that human metal cannot pierce his skin. That plot point, itself, is perfectly fine. However, how can Aquaman get tattoos? If the metal does not pierce his skin then the tattoos are not possible. The writers just wrote themselves into a hole and fans will not be forgetting it anytime soon.
Killer Croc is Shorter Than You Think
So, if the writers are going to provide the audience with information, then the writers need to stick by the exposition. Otherwise, they betray the audience’s trust and weaken the overall story. The quickest way to break suspension of disbelief is to not follow exposition laid out by the writers earlier.
So, Killer Croc is said to be at least seven feet tall. The writers tell the viewers this and the audience gets one visual highlighting the height difference. However, this all goes out the window once the squad gets together. Killer Croc becomes the same height as everyone else, and the mistake is glaring.
Lois Messes Up Clark’s Weight
Sometimes actors just mess up. When someone has to say the same line over and over again, the chances of a mistake increase. So, when Lois Lane says that Superman is 6’4” and 125 pounds, it is understandable that she meant 225 pounds.
Superman Returns is a quality film (go back and rewatch it). Sadly, this small mistake is hard to ignore. Fans end up picturing the Man of Steel with a scrawny frame. It is laughable and, honestly, the editors should have got this gaf. Instead, this mistake will live on in an often forgotten Superman film.
Flash’s Fear is Forgotten
So, fans are led to believe that the villains feed off fear in the Justice League plot. The point seems to make sense and it makes for an interesting storyline. However, the writers seem uncommitial to this rule.
The Flash admits he is afraid of the parademons and, theoretically, that should mean they will smell the fear from him. This point bothered a lot of fans, but some will bring up that there was more overwhelming fear elsewhere. This mistake is arguably excusable, but fans seem bent on not forgiving it.
Where is Dent’s Second Cop?
Harvey Dent’s Two-Face bender is legendary. The villain turn sets up the final act of the movie and became a memorable part of fans memory of the film. Dent eliminates loads of people and his actions create an impact that lasts through two movies.
At the end of the movie though, Jim Gordon remarks that this mess is impossible to cover up. Gordon states that Dent took out two cops, but the audience only sees one die. After all, Ramirez is only knocked out. She is not gone. So who is the second cop that Jim Gordon is referring to?
Snyder Forgets Time Zones Exist
So, time zones are a thing. Zack Snyder seems to forget that in Man of Steel. The error is so glaring that many fans likely fast forward through the scene now.
Many fans know the scene. Snyder is trying to create this horror atmosphere by having Zod take over the televisions around the world to warn them about their doom. The scene is scary until fans realized that it is apparently night time all over the world. The sun is not covered up and time zones exist, so this scene should not be possible.
Can you think of any other production mistakes the DC films made? Let us know in the comments!
