Top 10 Times DC Animated Movies Left Out the Craziest Part
Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 times insane plot points were left out of DC Animated movies. Beware of spoilers ahead. Which insane plot point should they have left in a DC movie? Let us know in the comments below.
#10: Batman’s Worst Backup Plans
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“Justice League: Doom” (2012)
Since the dark knight prepares for everything, he came up with ways to subdue any Justice League member. We see modified versions of Batman’s plans turned against his friends in a dark film. Martian Manhunter is forced to constantly burn, Wonder Woman’s tricked into fighting an enemy non-stop, Superman’s shot with a Kryptonite bullet and more. But things got worse in the comics. One of Batman’s borrowed plans sees Plastic Man get iced over and broken. The king of the oceans is forced to fear his own element. And thanks to a special brand of Kryptonite, Superman has to endure constant and severe pain. Batman’s plans on the page are so brutal that it looks like the cinematic Justice League got off easy.
#9: The Heroes Don’t Defeat the Villains
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“Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” (2010)
There’s a world where an evil alliance of superbeings are virtually free to do whatever they want. In order to stop this Crime Syndicate, a noble Lex Luthor travels across the universe in hopes that a Justice League can help. The heroes are able to make a huge difference in this crooked reality. While the comic has the Justice League help the alternate earth, their efforts are ultimately not enough. The story ends with the heroes being forced to leave the Crime Syndicate’s world to its own devices. It’s terrifying to think of a world where the most powerful superhumans are crooks. Instead of that sobering ending, the film decided to omit that plot point and had the Crime Syndicate face justice.
#8: Bruce Wayne’s Friend Was a Villain
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“Batman: Hush” (2019)
Shortly after Bruce reconnects with his childhood friend Dr. Tommy Elliot, a new villain named Hush arrives in Gotham. The antagonist keeps his identity under wraps while unraveling Bruce Wayne’s life. After lots of false starts, it’s revealed that Hush is actually a bitter Tommy Elliot. The crooked doctor wanted revenge because his attempt to assassinate both his parents was partially foiled by Thomas Wayne. To accomplish his goals, Elliot teamed up with the Riddler to come up with an elaborate plan. By contrast, the movie has the question mark-themed villain be the one and only Hush. The filmmakers even kill off Elliot for good measure. While the twist was surprising, viewers did miss out on the most unhinged version of Hush.
#7: Superman Fights Amazons, Supervillains & More
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“Superman: Red Son” (2020)
A man of steel raised in Russia gained a reputation as a brutal leader. Although Wonder Woman tried to get the metahuman to slow down, he pushed boundaries and even brainwashed enemies. In the film, Superman’s actions eventually draw so much concern that a small army of Green Lantern enhanced soldiers is sent after him. But the Kryptonian faced additional threats in the comics. After Superman overcomes the Lanterns, he has to fight a group of Amazons led by Wonder Woman herself. He also is forced to combat a few of his biggest rogues like Livewire and Doomsday. It would’ve been exhilarating to see the Amazonians and more attack in the movie. At least we got a battle against Brainiac as a consolation prize.
#6: Wonder’s Woman’s Young Ally Attacks Innocents
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“Wonder Woman: Bloodlines” (2019)
Once upon a time, Wonder Woman hoped she could be close to the mortal Vanessa Kapatelis. But unlucky circumstances and bad blood pushed them apart. Things only got worse when supervillains transformed Vanessa into the metahuman antagonist known as Silver Swan. During the film, she mainly uses her powers to hurt Wonder Woman. However, Silver Swan causes a lot more collateral damage in the comics. The newly forged villain goes after multiple people that she fell out with in public places. As a result, many innocents are caught in the crosshairs of vicious building level attacks. Including these scenes of carnage in the movie might’ve made it impossible for Silver Swan to be redeemed by the time the credits rolled.
#5: Captain Nazi
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“Batman: Under the Red Hood” (2010)
Both the film and comic versions of the crimson vigilante get on Black Mask’s bad side. As a result, the crime boss sends villains to take Red Hood down. But the lineup differs between versions. The source material has Red Hood facing off against Hyena and the corrupt Captain Nazi. After German scientists granted him powers to fight against allies in World War 2, he found a way to hibernate for decades before returning in modern times. Captain Nazi’s super strength and invulnerability were a major problem until Red Hood discovered the villain's weakness. The bloodthirsty vigilante didn’t hesitate to eliminate Captain Nazi. While Red Hood still kills an assassin in the movie, his foe isn’t nearly as wild as he was in the comics.
#4: Thomas Wayne’s Batman Vs. Martha Wayne’s Joker
“Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox” (2013)
The scarlet speedster’s decision to alter the past causes the entire Batman mythos to change. In the wake of Bruce Wayne’s death, his father Thomas became the Dark Knight. Meanwhile, his mom loses her mind and becomes the Joker. The two never go head-to-head in the movie. However, a companion comic shows the couple’s last confrontation. After Martha captures two children, Thomas races to save the kids. The two get into a vicious fight that only ends when the senior Wayne reminds his former partner of who they lost. And when Martha finds out that Bruce becomes Batman in a different timeline, she takes her own life. This emotional fight and its relentlessly grim ending was only subtly alluded to during the feature film.
#3: Lex Gets Younger & Dates Supergirl
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“The Death of Superman” (2018)
As the man of steel was working to defeat the vicious Doomsday in the comics, Lex was continuing a baffling scheme. After the villain was diagnosed with cancer, he found a way to transfer his mind into a younger clone body and claims to be his own son. Lex also made sure he had a full head of hair. To make matters more strange, he dates a heroine who takes up the Supergirl mantle. When Doomsday is hurting Clark, Lex actually tries to keep her off the battlefield. How do these plot points play out in the 2018 movie? Well, they don’t. The film skips all the bizarre parts of Lex Luthor’s backstory and turns him into his typical adult and single self.
#2: Superman Slays Shazam
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“Injustice” (2021)
Although Clark Kent was once kind, he became a tyrant after he was tricked into slaying his own wife. Over time, heroes had to either side with him or resist the Kryptonian. Green Arrow was one of the vigilantes that refused to follow Superman’s decrees. After an arrow accidentally hits Jonthan Kent during a mission, the hero’s slain by the man of steel. If you thought that was brutal, wait until you hear what happened to Shazam. The magical hero protested when Superman suggested destroying cities to set an example for a world. Shortly after Shazam voiced his dissent, the man of steel killed the younger vigilante on the spot. We think that even Superman’s film counterpart would think that death was too far.
#1: Green Lantern’s Hometown Is Destroyed
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“Reign of the Supermen” (2019)
When the blue boy scout is away, some villains make humanity pay. In “Reign of the Supermen” multiple baddies take advantage of Superman’s absence. It eventually leads up to the point where Darkseid nearly wins by manipulating the people of earth. While things get pretty bad for the animated civilians, the comics make it clear that things could be worse. In the source material, the sinister Mongul pays the earth a visit. He scars the earth by completely decimating Hal Jordan’s own Coast City. This horrific event eventually causes Hal Jordan to lose his cool and become a supervillain. Since the Green Lantern’s downfall is a complex story on its own, we understand why the insane destruction of his city wasn’t shown.
