DC has had quite a few complicated villain origin stories in movies over the years, but some of them rank above others. James Gunn’s DC Universe has already started introducing major villains from the comics. Batman’s Clayface, Wonder Woman’s Circe, and more are some of the names that have already appeared in the franchise. Before the DCU’s Chapter One is done, iconic characters like Lex Luthor and Sinestro will have debuted.
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As DC gets ready to look into the future with its villains, the studio can learn from what has been done in the past. Both animated and live-action DC movies have given their antagonists complicated origin stories time and again. While some of those ended up working and even being interesting, quite a few were not received as well as hoped. Here are the 10 most complicated villain origins in DC movies — which are not ranked in any specific order.
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10
The Flash’s “Dark Flash” Is A Time Travel Paradox
The Flash (2023) – Live-Action
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2023’s The Flash is one of the most criticized DC movies of all time. The Ezra Miller-led project had its fair share of issues, even if its overall story was quite emotional. The Flash focused on two versions of Barry Allen, with one coming from the past in an alternate timeline.
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That new version of Barry would end up being the main villain of The Flash. While General Zod had been built up as a major threat, Dark Flash is the actual villain of The Flash. After the young Barry repeatedly goes back in time to prevent Supergirl and Batman from dying — and fails — he loses his mind.
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The Flash
PG-13
SuperheroActionFantasy
Release Date
June 16, 2023
Runtime
2 hours 24 minutes
Director
Andres Muschietti
Writers
Christina Hodson, Joby Harold
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Dark Flash is the twisted version of young Barry, who lost himself. The Flash villain was the result of a time travel paradox, and his death could only happen after young Barry chooses to sacrifice himself. Dark Flash was not a hit with audiences, and his complicated origin might have impacted it.
9
Superman: Red Son’s Origin Story Is A Complex Twist On The Man Of Steel’s Backstory
Superman: Red Son (2020) – Animation
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The 2020 animated movie Superman: Red Son is based on one of the most popular Elseworlds Superman stories. The comics change everything fans have known about the Man of Steel by making one key move. Instead of arriving in the US, Superman crashes down on Earth in the Soviet Union.
The movie explores what a Soviet Superman looks like. Superman: Red Son features a whole new take on classic DC characters like Batman, Lex Luthor, Brainiac, and more. Superman kills Stalin and becomes the new leader of the Soviet Union. Superman also stops Brainiac’s invasion of Earth and turns him into an advisor.
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Superman: Red Son
PG-13
Science FictionAnimationAction
Release Date
February 24, 2020
Runtime
84 Minutes
Director
Sam Liu
Writers
J. M. DeMatteis
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For those only familiar with Superman’s classic origin, Superman: Red Son is a major departure. There are many moving parts in this Elseworlds story, and the movie has less time than the comic to properly depict Superman’s new life. The end result was interesting but not as good as the comic.
8
Watchmen’s Ozymandias Is Still One Of The Most Complicated Supervillains Of All Time
Watchmen (2009) – Live-Action
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Before Zack Snyder joined the DCEU, the director helmed Watchmen. The movie adapted one of the most influential comic book series of all time. Morality is a huge debate in both the comics and the movie. Snyder’s Watchmen did a great job of making its villain complicated.
Adrian Veidt, aka Ozymandias, was one of the world’s top superheroes. However, the character made some evil moves throughout Watchmen. Ozymandias killed the Comedian, planned Doctor Manhattan’s exile, and blamed him for the death of 15 million people. These are all twisted actions, part of his calculated plan.
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Watchmen
R
ActionMysteryScience Fiction
Release Date
March 4, 2009
Runtime
163 Minutes
Director
Zack Snyder
Writers
Alex Tse, David Hayter
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In reality, Ozymandias saw that tensions were rising across the globe. Instead of letting the Cold War escalate, he gave the world a common enemy. It worked, with countries uniting against Doctor Manhattan. Ozymandias is a villain with a nuanced and complicated origin that works.
7
The Batman’s Riddler Had A Modern Twist
The Batman (2022) – Live-Action
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The Batman is easily one of the Dark Knight’s best live-action movies. While not marking the first time Batman, Catwoman, and other characters are active in-universe, the film did a great job of establishing a new DC universe. Aided by its villain, The Batman was a hit.
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The Batman Franchise |
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|---|---|
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Movie |
Release Date |
|
The Batman |
March 4, 2022 |
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The Batman – Part II |
October 1, 2027 |
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The Batman 3 |
TBD |
The Riddler is one of the most famous Batman villains. The DC movie makes some changes to him. From Edward Nygma to Edward Nashton, Paul Dano’s Riddler is far less over the top than the character is in the comics. The Batman as a whole is more grounded.
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Watchmen
R
ActionMysteryScience Fiction
Release Date
March 4, 2009
Runtime
163 Minutes
Director
Zack Snyder
Writers
Alex Tse, David Hayter
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In the comics, Riddler’s origin is pretty straightforward. Edward liked puzzles as a kid and becomes the Riddler in search of a bigger challenge — Batman. In the movie, Riddler loses his mind over corruption and becomes the leader of a radicalized group to clean Gotham, which is far more complicated and nuanced.
6
The Dark Knight Rises’ Bane Was Tied To Another Major DC Villain
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) – Live-Action
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Following the Riddler on the list is another Batman movie villain. Bane is an interesting character from DC Comics. Different from 1997’s Batman & Robin, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises did a much better job with the villain. Tom Hardy’s Bane had key aspects from the comics.
Bane’s Santa Prisca origin was changed to a more complicated one that tied him to the al Ghuls.
The DC movie saw a Bane who was both a physical and intellectual challenge to Batman. However, the character had a mostly different origin story in comparison to the comics. Bane’s Santa Prisca origin was changed to a more complicated one that tied him to the al Ghuls.
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The Dark Knight Rises
PG-13
ActionSuperheroDramaThrillerCrime Sci-Fi
Release Date
July 16, 2012
Runtime
164 Minutes
Director
Christopher Nolan
Writers
Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, David S. Goyer, Bob Kane, Bill Finger
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In the comics, Bane was forced to serve his father’s prison sentence, growing up in prison. The Dark Knight Rises tied Bane’s origin to the League of Shadows. Imprisoned in The Pit, he helped Talia al Ghul escape. He is then freed by her, becoming Talia’s protector, which rewrites his origin.
5
Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice’s Doomsday Was Created In A Very Different Way
Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016) – Live-Action
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Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice is the most controversial movie in the DCEU. It was responsible for dividing audiences, and part of that was related to its villains. While Lex Luthor does not get an origin story in the film, he creates Doomsday.
The DCEU’s version of the character ends up going for the same fate Doomsday normally has. He fights Superman and dies while also killing the Man of Steel. However, Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice managed to make the character’s story way more complicated.
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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
PG-13
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
Release Date
March 24, 2016
Runtime
152 minutes
Director
Zack Snyder
Writers
Chris Terrio, David S. Goyer
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In the comics, Doomsday is created by an alien scientist through a cloning process in the times of prehistoric Krypton. While not exactly straightforward in the comics, Doomsday has a complicated origin in the DCEU. Lex Luthor uses General Zod’s dead body to bring back a monster detailed in the files of the Kryptonian Scout Ship. The villain’s DNA births Doomsday in a wild new take on the villain.
4
Halle Berry’s Catwoman Took A Supernatural Turn
Catwoman (2004) – Live-Action
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Catwoman has had a few different origins in live-action. However, DC’s movies have mostly had a hard time getting her origin story right. One of the most simple facts about the character is that Selina Kyle does not have powers.
Halle Berry’s version of Catwoman from the 2004 movie of the same name should have thought about that. Catwoman is one of the worst DC movies of all time. The way it deals with the character’s origin and the fact that it centers on Patience Phillips, not Selina Kyle, contributed to its failure.
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Catwoman
PG-13
ActionCrimeFantasy
Release Date
July 22, 2004
Runtime
104 minutes
Director
Pitof
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Catwoman’s origin in the movie includes death and resurrection by cats. That’s right, Patience is brought back to life by Egyptian cats. There is no good explanation for how that is possible. Adding to that, Catwoman also gets cat-like powers, which are not necessary to make her exciting.
3
Joker: Folie À Deux’s Real Joker Shattered Expectations
Joker: Folie À Deux (2024) – Live-Action
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2019’s Joker was the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time until 2024. The movie featured a comprehensive origin story for Arthur Fleck, Joaquin Phoenix’s version of the Batman villain. Typically, the Joker does not have a set origin story in the comics, keeping the character’s mystery.
“Harley Quinn” actress Lady Gaga recently broke her silence on Joker: Folie à Deux’s failure.
However, Phoenix’s Joker origin was impactful and accepted by fans. The problem is that Joker: Folie à Deux threw it all away. The DC movie has become one of the most criticized superhero entries ever. One of the main reasons behind that criticism is related to the Joker’s complicated new origin.
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Joker: Folie a Deux
R
DramaCrimeMusical
Release Date
October 4, 2024
Runtime
138 Minutes
Director
Todd Phillips
Writers
Todd Phillips, Scott Silver, Bob Kane, Paul Dini, Bill Finger, Bruce Timm, Jerry Robinson
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The Joker sequel revealed that Arthur Fleck was never meant to be the real version of the villain. Instead, Joker: Folie à Deux ends with an unnamed inmate stabbing Arthur to death and then carving a smile on his own face. This cemented him as the real Joker, which needlessly complicated the character’s origin and was received poorly by audiences.
2
Wonder Woman 1984’s Maxwell Lord Is Not At All Like The Comics
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) – Live-Action
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Maxwell Lord is a very straightforward character in DC Comics. While he has both been a villain and on the side of the heroes at different times, the character is a businessman first and foremost. Lord was the son of a wealthy man, which established him as powerful from the start.
In the DCEU, Pedro Pascal’s version of the villain came from nothing. The movie’s take on Maxwell Lord was a “fake it till you make it” character. That is already a difference from his comics’ origin, but the DCEU then decided to make everything more complicated through a MacGuffin.
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Wonder Woman 1984
PG-13
ActionAdventureFantasySuperhero
Release Date
December 25, 2020
Runtime
115 Minutes
Director
Patty Jenkins
Writers
Geoff Johns, Patty Jenkins
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Pascal’s Maxwell Lord morphs into the feared businessman from the comics with the help of a magic artifact. Wonder Woman 1984 did not live up to the anticipation for it. Lord’s convoluted origin and the film’s reliance on the magic artifact did not help it.
1
Batman: Hush’s Villain Reveal Includes A Wild Twist To A Classic Story
Batman: Hush (2019) – Animation
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Finally, the last complicated DC villain movie origin on the list is a repeat character. The Riddler has already appeared on the list, but this time, it is an animated version of the villain. Batman: Hush‘s Riddler has a way more complicated origin than Paul Dano’s version.
Hush is one of the rogues Batman fights in the comics. The character is normally Tommy Elliot, a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne’s who takes a turn to villainy. The animated movie included a massive twist to Hush’s origin. Thomas is killed by the Riddler, who is the real face of Hush.
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Wonder Woman 1984
PG-13
ActionAdventureFantasySuperhero
Release Date
December 25, 2020
Runtime
115 Minutes
Director
Patty Jenkins
Writers
Geoff Johns, Patty Jenkins
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By making that move, Batman: Hush needlessly complicated the origins of two characters at once. Since the story the animated film is based on is beloved by fans, the reception to the twist was not positive. Riddler even had Clayface pretend to be him to keep appearances, leading to one of DC’s most complicated movie origins.
Upcoming DC Movie Releases
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Superman
Release Date
July 11, 2025
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Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
Release Date
June 26, 2026
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The Batman Part II
Release Date
October 1, 2027
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Category: Entertainment