Throughout the long history of movie adaptations in the DC Universe, there have been several casting decisions that have proven especially poor. With the movies of the DCEU forming the first major cinematic shared universe based on DC heroes, many actors were drafted in to play iconic figures from the company’s comic book continuity. Though many of the casting decisions made in the franchise proved to be sound, there were also some that did not pan out particularly well.
However, the history of DC movies extends back much further than the DCEU’s movie timeline. DC heroes and villains had been adapted to the big screen many times before the franchise was conceived, and cinematic history is peppered with actors playing DC roles. Among them, many have stood out as especially poor choices, however. Here are the 10 worst castings in DC movie history, ranked.
Related Every Upcoming DC Movie In 2024 And Beyond
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10 George Clooney As Batman
First Appearance: Batman & Robin (1997)
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Many actors have played Batman in live-action, but some stand out as being far worse than others. The general consensus is that George Clooney’s iteration of the iconic vigilante hero is by far the worst, owing in part to the terrible movie he appeared in. 1997’s Batman & Robin is widely considered the worst Batman movie, and so Clooney’s casting in the role is often seen as equally poor.
In reality, the misstep of Clooney’s casting runs far deeper than the film’s poor script. In actuality, Clooney was a strange choice for the role, as he’s neither dark enough to play a traditional Batman, nor comedic in a way that would allow him to pull off Batman & Robin’s wacky tone. To make matters worse, Clooney spent his time in the movie phoning in his performance, making it all too clear that he was a terrible choice to play the Caped Crusader.
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1/10 Batman & Robin
Director Joel Schumacher Release Date June 20, 1997
9 Kate Bosworth As Lois Lane
First Appearance: Superman Returns (2006)
As one of Superman’s most important supporting characters and his main love interest, Lois Lane is a crucial part of the DC Universe. Many actors have played Lois Lane over the character’s time on the big and small screens, with decidedly mixed results. 2006’s Superman Returns enlisted Kate Bosworth to play Lane, although her casting stands out as a particularly poor choice in hindsight.
Compared to existing Lois Lane actors at the time – such as Margot Kidder, Teri Hatcher, and Erica Durance – Bosworth’s version of Lane felt as though she had markedly less substance. She lacked any real chemistry with Brandon Routh’s Superman and was unable to come across as formidable in her own right. The aura given off by Bosworth in the role was more of a traditional damsel in distress, rather than the headstrong feminine lead that Lois Lane deserves to be, making her casting seem particularly poor.
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7.3/10 Superman Returns
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*Availability in US Director Bryn Singer Release Date June 28, 2006
8 Russell Crowe As Jor-El
First Appearance: Man of Steel (2013)
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Another key figure in the life of DC’s most iconic hero, Jor-El is both biological father and mentor to Superman. After an incredibly high bar was set by Marlon Brando’s iteration of Jor-El, there was pressure for 2013’s Man of Steel to get the casting for the role just right. Russell Crowe being announced as the DCEU’s Jor-El was an interesting choice, but one that certainly seemed to have promise.
Unfortunately, Crowe’s casting was not at all right, as the actor seemed to fundamentally misunderstand the role. Crowe played Jor-El with an air of the Shakespearean, making him feel an inorganic part of the sci-fi action movie. Crowe seemed incredibly out of place in Man of Steel, and though it certainly wasn’t down to a lack of talent, he was clearly not the right actor for the role of Superman’s father.
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13 8.4/10 Man of Steel
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*Availability in US Director Zack Snyder Release Date June 14, 2013
7 Shaquille O’Neal As Steel
First Appearance: Steel (1997)
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When it comes to superhero movies that have aged poorly, Steel remains a mentioned title, though it has largely been forgotten in most other ways. However, ahead of its release in 1997, it seemed a fascinating prospect, as it adapted a lesser-known DC hero to the big screen while also giving Shaquille O’Neal, one of the biggest sports stars in the world at the time, a platform to expand the scope of his budding acting career. Sadly, his casting turned out to be a terrible decision.
Shaq’s acting talents turned out to be limited, and Steel came off as cheesy and needlessly cliched. Casting an untested actor as a major comic book hero was a huge risk, and it ultimately didn’t pay off for Steel. Though O’Neal clearly had the stature to play an imposing hero figure, his casting was simply not a good one.
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10/10 Steel
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*Availability in US Director Kenneth Johnson Release Date August 15, 1997
6 Jared Leto As The Joker
First Appearance: Suicide Squad (2016)
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Like so many other important DC characters, several actors have played the Joker in live-action. While some – such as Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson, and Joaquin Phoenix – have earned acclaim for their respective turns as Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime, others did not fare so well. Of them all, Jared Leto stands out as by far the worst, and his casting in Suicide Squad was not a particularly good choice.
Leto has found significant success in dramatic roles throughout his career, but his Joker was widely disliked. The role of Batman’s nemesis in the DCEU was an important one, and Leto seemed to misread the aspects of the character that would capture audiences’ collective imagination. Leto took the character to a place of forced edginess, and his off-screen antics gave the impression that he was simply trying much too hard to make his version of the villain work.
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4.9/10 Suicide Squad
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*Availability in US Director David Ayer Release Date August 5, 2016
5 Halle Berry As Catwoman
First Appearance: Catwoman (2004)
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In many ways, Halle Berry is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood, simply because her accomplishments are too often overlooked. However, this comes down to her having accepted a number of terrible roles over the years, with her brief foray into the world of DC regularly listed as her worst. For the 2004 movie Catwoman, Berry was brought in to play the anti-hero of the same name, with infamously disastrous results.
Berry’s casting was terrible, but only because she should never have signed on for the role in the first place. As a then-recent Oscar winner, her name carried significant weight, and expectations for the film ran high. Its abysmal script, poor visual effects, and ridiculous action sequences ultimately made it a terrible movie, and one that an actor of Halle Berry’s stature should never have been cast in.
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5.3/10 Catwoman
Director Pitof Release Date July 22, 2004
4 Cara Delevingne As Enchantress
First Appearance: Suicide Squad (2016)
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2016’s Suicide Squad was a DCEU disaster, debatably earning the title of the franchise’s worst movie. Though it did make use of multiple incredible casting choices, it also hosted one of the most terrible performances in superhero movie history. Cara Delevingne was brought in to play Enchantress, who served as the movie’s main antagonist, and her incredibly underwhelming performance effectively derailed the entire film.
Delevingne spent the majority of her screentime looking as though she’d rather be anywhere else, with her villain ironically feeling more two-dimensional than she ever has in the comics. She was unable to communicate any general sense of villainy in the role, which, combined with inconsistent CGI and a lopsided script, made her a truly awful antagonist. Ultimately, it’s hard to see why Delevingne was cast at all, because she was simply a terrible choice for the role.
3 Arnold Schwarzenegger As Mr Freeze
First Appearance: Batman & Robin (1997)
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There were a number of questionable decisions made in the lead-up to 1997’s Batman & Robin, but one of the worst was casting Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mister Freeze. Considering the character had recently been explored in great dramatic depth in Batman: The Animated Series, Batman & Robin’s approach employed a performer with considerably limited range to play the villain. As a result, the film’s version of the movie was incredibly disappointing.
From a conceptual and aesthetic standpoint, Schwarzenegger was a baffling choice for the role. As a large, muscular figure, he did not possess the quiet, calculated aspects that typically make Freeze seem such a formidable foe for Batman, and his loud voice and thick accent only served to highlight these differences. In essence, casting Schwarzenegger was a truly bizarre decision that turned out to be one of the worst in DC movie history.
2 Jesse Eisenberg As Lex Luthor
First Appearance: Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
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Of all the actors to play Lex Luthor in live-action, only one has been considered a truly awful choice for the role. Ironically, Jesse Eisenberg’s version was the one created for the DCEU, making his potentially one of the most important Lex Luthor casting decisions in history. DC’s first attempt at a shared cinematic universe needed to nail the important character, but Eisenberg’s casting turned out to be an unmitigated disaster.
Eisenberg’s take on Luthor possessed a number of traits that didn’t at all fit with that character’s traditional personality. The actor’s casting was made worse by an interview in which he admitted that he had never been a big fan of comic books, making his irreverent take on Luthor seem even more egregious. Though the DCEU failed multiple characters, casting Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor was one of the franchise’s most notable mistakes.
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15 8.3/10 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
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*Availability in US Director Zack Snyder Release Date March 24, 2016
1 Ryan Reynolds As Hal Jordan
First Appearance: Green Lantern (2011)
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In the years since Green Lantern, Ryan Reynolds has proven that he’s more than capable of bringing comic book characters to life on the big screen. However, his casting as Hal Jordan in 2011’s Green Lantern remains the worst in DC movie history, for the simple fact that the actor was cast in entirely the wrong DC role. While Reynolds has many acting talents, very few of them translate well to Hal Jordan.
Reynolds’ quick wit and relentless sarcasm would have better fit the Flash or even Green Arrow, but it didn’t match up with the traditionally disciplined and relatively serious character of Hal Jordan. Though the 2011 movie had many problems, Reynolds being cast in the title role was chief among them, and ultimately led to it becoming widely reviled. In that, Ryan Reynolds being cast as Green Lantern remains the worst casting in the history of the DC Universe.
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Green Lantern
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*Availability in US Director Martin Campbell Release Date June 16, 2011
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