With the underwhelming release of DC’s Wonder Women 84, I think it’s time for the executives of DC to understand they have a real problem, there’s a lack of great villains in the DC Universe. Ok, maybe that’s not entirely true, but the villains they try to push in blockbuster films have been disappointing.
Ever since the end of Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy, it’s as though DC is trying to avoid using their best villains. Instead they use characters that majority of people have to google to figure out origin story.
In Man of Steal, they had Zod, Suicide Squad had Enchantress, Wonder Woman had Ares and Doctor Poison, Superman vs Batman had Lex Luther and Doomsday, Justice League had Steppenwolf and most recent WW84 had Cheetah (barely) and Maxwell Lord. Yes, Lex Luther, Doomsday, and Cheetah, are iconic but can you say they were used correctly in any of these movies.
Why they chose Enchantress, Ares, Steppenwolf, and Maxwell Lord I have no idea. Those are characters who have limited history with anyone outside diehard comic book fans, and even the truly passionate were left wondering why them? I understand trying to bulled up to the major villains, but you still have to start somewhere strong.
Then in the recently release WW84, you had Wonder Woman fight Maxwell Lord in a final battle that had a very Batman Forever vibe, while having Cheetah make an appearance for less than 10 minutes. Sure it was a great fight scene, but why not incorporate Wonder Woman’s arch nemesis in a larger scale.
Let’s start with the obvious, if you are trying to create a Justice League Universe, how does it not start with Darkseid as the villain? Sure, he has a Thanos vibe to him, but to use one of his henchman to bring the Justice League together is just overthinking a storyline. Honestly, just incorporate him more into the Justice League plot a little bit, he doesn’t have to lose the battle, but he should be seen as the one pulling the strings.
Here’s the strangest part, some of DC’s best villains have been used recently….just on the CW rather than the big screen. Captain Cold and Reverse Flash have both been on Flash, and Deathstroke had a big story line on Arrow (also on Titans), Then beyond the CW, the animated movies are loaded with great villains.
Someone needs to tell the executives at DC that a great movie requires both a great hero and a great villain.
