The films of the DC Universe don’t always have the greatest scripts, and despite the franchise’s best efforts, their various movie offerings have been responsible for some cringe-worthy lines. Compared to their peers at Marvel, DC perhaps hasn’t had quite as much cinematic success, especially after the dominance of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. A large part of their relatively more frequent rate of failure can be attributed to weak screenwriting, particularly the dialogue.
DC movies have been through several fascinating eras of bad movies with cringe-inducing dialogue. The Batman sequels of the 90s and the edgy superhero adaptations of the early 2000s each have their own contributions to DC’s spotty track record for screenwriting. However, the films of the DCEU just might outdo them with some of the most audaciously cringy quotes from iconic DC heroes, already going down in infamy for the brutal audience reactions to some of their lines.
10 “My Man!”
Aquaman, Justice League
The hasty re-writes, last-minute edits, and re-shoots of Justice League‘s troubled production all point to a sense of panic going into what should’ve been the DCEU’s flagship film. With these changes came a dramatic shift from what was clearly supposed to be Zack Snyder’s serious epic into a more lighthearted adventure, outfitted with a dialogue pass by Joss Whedon. Likely seeking to recreate Whedon’s work on The Avengers, the final result was a movie that included some questionable lines.
Related 10 Most Heartbreaking MCU Movie Quotes
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is capable of drafting some incredibly poignant lines throughout its films, from death scenes to bittersweet reunions.
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One of the most painful of these is Aquaman’s salute to Cyborg when a flying Victor Stone catches him mid-air, claiming Aquaman’s ride “ain’t over yet.” Aquaman’s response, an enthusiastic “My Man!“, is an ear-grating poison of millennial dialogue that feels purpose-built for the trailer. It’s all the more astounding that this beat returns in the Snyder cut, despite the fact that it’s even more out-of-place in the more dramatic incarnation of the film.
9 “Maybe…”
Pa Kent, Man of Steel
Lines that are cringe-worthy for their misguided attempts to appeal to general audiences or corny senses of humor are bad enough, but it’s a rare piece of dialogue that completely mishandles a DC character’s values as they’re understood from the comics. Amazingly, Zack Snyder manages to accomplish this with just a single word from Jonathan Kent, Superman’s adoptive father.
The line in question comes into play during
Man of Steel
‘s many flashback scenes, in which a young Clark talks with his father about publicly using his powers.
To save a bus full of other kids from drowning, Clark uses his powers, heedless to the possibility that others might see him. While this is clearly the morally correct thing to do, when Clark asks his father if he should’ve just let the kids drown to keep his secret, Pa Kent replies “Maybe…” This simple line is one of the most dramatic cases of character assassination in DC movie history, making for a decidedly awkward scene.
8 “Just The P*ssy I’ve Been Looking For!”
The Penguin, Batman Returns
Batman Returns might not be considered the worst Batman movie ever, but it’s where the cracks of Tim Burton’s striking vision for the Caped Crusader began to show. Making the film just as gloomy and macabre as the rest of his filmography, Burton went way further in making the new villains in Batman Returns properly nasty. This is reflected in both senses of the word in the horrifying, mutant-like appearance Penguin and the impossibly tight leather suit of Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman.
The two mix together like oil and water in the strangely sexual undertones of the film, emphasized by some awkward dialogue. Upon meeting up with Catwoman, Penguin exclaims “Just the p*ssy I’ve been looking for,” making an uncomfortable double entendre just for the sake of it. This line perfectly sums up the vague unpleasant air that suffuses the entire film, making for a Batman movie that isn’t reviled, but isn’t eager to be revisited by most fans.
7 “Save Martha!”
Superman, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has an almost impressive supply of lines that don’t quite work, but Superman’s infamous call to “Save Martha!” is easily the cringiest of them all. When Batman miraculously comes out on top at the end of the film’s title fight, Superman only has one chance to convince him to spare his life and save his mother. Luckily, he knows just the words to spur Batman into action like a sleeper agent; “You’re letting them kill Martha!“
Ignoring the fact that Superman could have simply told Batman what Luthor was doing from the beginning, the fact that he’d call his mother by her first name makes little sense.
The fact that Superman and Batman’s mothers both have the same first name is an interesting coincidence that has never been explored. But hinging the crux of the film’s climax on it is an undeniably odd move, not to mention the awkward groan with which Cavill moans Martha. Ignoring the fact that Superman could have simply told Batman what Luthor was doing from the beginning, the fact that he’d call his mother by her first name makes little sense.
6 “So That’s It? What, We Some Kinda…Suicide Squad?”
Deadshot, Suicide Squad
As weak as Zack Snyder’s contributions to the DCEU could be at times, nothing the visionary action director could come up with could ever hope to be worse than 2016’s Suicide Squad. The first cinematic iteration of the government-sponsored super criminal team had a bevy of problems, but its lazy and ham-fisted dialogue was easily the most apparent of all of them. Will Smith’s Deadshot is a particularly egregious defender, with the character being criticized for being another dime-a-dozen performance using the same personality the superstar has already used in countless films.
The most cringe-worthy sentence by Smith’s Deadshot is easily the moment in which he falls into the trope of unwittingly saying the film’s title, stating “So that’s it? What, we some kinda…suicide squad?” From the awkward delivery to the audacious attempt to “cleverly” justify the film’s title, it’s no wonder the line has gone down in infamy as one of the worst quotes from any superhero movie. The line has been the subject of countless memes, replacing “suicide squad” with whatever relevant franchise or property at internet users’ discretion.
5 “This Is Katana, She’s Got My Back!”
Rick Flagg, Suicide Squad
Will Smith’s lines weren’t the only loser of Suicide Squad. The pacing of the film suffered immensely from the story’s inability to properly set up and execute arcs for its ambitiously-sized cast, with many of the minor villains getting only a moment of relevance before being killed off, cut out, or written away. Katana got the worst of this, appearing in trailer footage that never made it to the final edit.
It’s her afterthought of an introduction that generated one of the film’s worst quotes, however, with Rick Flagg unceremoniously slapping her into the Suicide Squad’s roster just before their helicopter takes off. Barely audible over the whine of the helicopter blades, Flagg halfheartedly explains “This is Katana, she’s got my back!” before giving the cliffnotes of her abilities and backstory. Katana’s actress, Karen Fukuhara, deserved better, and luckily has since gotten a better superhero role as The Female in The Boys.
4 “Something’s Definitely Bleeding…”
Batman, Justice League
If there’s one character Justice League should’ve taken care to avoid turning into a goofy caricature of themselves, it was Batman. Ben Affleck’s Batman was a great live-action version of The Dark Knight, despite the best efforts of some of his film appearances. Unfortunately, Batman didn’t escape the Whedon-ization of the Justice League, and had to be the source of some out-of-character quips that felt diametrically opposed to Batman’s established personality.
The most obvious of these is during the Justice League’s battle with a freshly re-incarnated Superman, who seems to recognize Batman as an enemy, asking him if he bleeds, just as Batman had done to him in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. After Superman tosses him aside like a ragdoll, Batman can only wince, asserting that “Something’s definitely bleeding.” This terrible attempt at MCU-style quippy dialogue falls flatter on its back than Batman does in this scene, drawing up another point against the original edit of Justice League.
3 “Kal-El, No!”
Wonder Woman, Justice League
It says a lot that Justice League is able to make up such a large percentage of the DC Universe’s cringiest cinematic quotes. In one rare instance, it isn’t the line itself that’s inherently cringe-worthy, but the delivery with which it’s said, making for another line from the film to go down in infamy. It even takes place in the same scene as Batman’s abysmal attempt at sarcastic humor, bookending both the start and stop of the Superman/Justice League fight with painfully awkward dialogue.
Even more quizzically, a better (but still not amazing) take of the line is used in
Zack Snyder’s Justice League
, calling into question the editing choices of the original cut.
Upon seeing an angry Superman wake up and get ready to face the Justice League in combat, Wonder Woman makes a last-minute appeal to his emotions — “Kal-El, No!” Gal Gadot’s read of this simple line is astoundingly poor, turning what should’ve been a dramatic moment into a laughingstock. Even more quizzically, a better (but still not amazing) take of the line is used in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, calling into question the editing choices of the original cut.
2 “Chicks Dig The Car!”
Robin, Batman & Robin
Laying off of Justice League for a moment, one of the most audaciously bad DC movies ever surely results in some of the franchise’s most embarrassing lines to be said aloud in a theater. Batman & Robin has a lot of terrible writing, from Mr. Freeze’s juvenile ice puns to the Bat-credit card argument. But it’s one of the very first lines of the film that instantly sets the tone for disappointment, as Batman and Robin break the atmospheric silence of their suit-up sequence with an argument over the Batmobile.
Stuck riding his patented motorcycle, Robin laments his lack of a car, insisting that “Chicks dig the car!” Putting aside Robin’s juvenile attitude towards asking Batman for a car like a spoiled teenager, his obsession with picking up women while in costume as a superhero calls into question whether his heart is in the right place for hero work. Considering how much of Batman & Robin was predicated on selling various Bat-vehicle toys, it’s surprising that the Boy Wonder didn’t end up getting his own set of four wheels by the end of the film.
1 “Guess What? It’s Overtime!”
Catwoman, Catwoman
As bad as Batman & Robin and the worst offerings of the DCEU can get, neither holds a candle to the train wreck that is Halle Berry’s Catwoman. Taking the name of the DC character and nothing else, the nonsensical tale of feline resurrection is the epitome of ironic enjoyment, terrible CGI warts and all. Yet some lines of dialogue in the movie are so bad that they aren’t even funny, being groanworthy and little else.
In the final confrontation between Catwoman and the films forgettable villain, Laurel, Catwoman lets fly one of her worst zingers yet. When Laurel tells her it’s “Game over”, Catwoman can only respond “Guess what? It’s overtime.” In no universe is this a cool or even particularly witty response to a run-of-the-mill expression, making this dud in Catwoman one of the most egregiously cringy lines in DC’s movies.
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Release Date October 4, 2024
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