DC has released some truly dark movies, but a few of them rank above the others due to their overall tone, major deaths, and more. All of the DCEU's movies were piled together as being extremely dark, which is not true. DC has had somber releases in recent years, but many of the shared universe's projects were more light-hearted in nature, with films like the Shazam! franchise, Blue Beetle, and the Aquaman movies falling into that designation.
Still, both before and during the DCEU, the comic book giant did really deliver a few very dark movies and events. Based on the projects announced for the new DC Universe's Chapter One, such as the upcoming Swamp Thing and The Authority movies, more dark feature films are on the way for DC. Before they arrive, a look back at DC's darkest movies so far can show how the upcoming DC movies can make the most of that tone.
10 Suicide Squad Assembles An Expendable Team
DCEU Movie Released In 2016
The first film on the list is notably dark, but not one of DC's best live-action movies. 2016's Suicide Squad focused on a team of villains being put together to embark on a secret mission on Amanda Waller's orders. As the team's name states, multiple deaths happen.
The Suicide Squad team is made up of villains, captured and kept in a secret prison, and offered reduced sentences if they participate in dangerous missions. In the tradition of continuity within DCEU films, the event comes in the wake of Superman's death and the seclusion of Batman after the events that occurred in Batman V Superman. Agency head Amanda Waller, played by award-winning actress Viola Davis, is the one striking deals with the inmates of Belle Reve Prison. Heading “Task Force X” is Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag, alongside Will Smith’s Deadshot, Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang, Jay Hernandez’s El Diablo, Adewale Akinnuoye’s Killer Croc, and Adam Beach’s Slipknot. Karen Fukuhara’s Katana also joins the mission to keep Rick safe from the villains. Jared Leto (Joker) and Ben Affleck (Batman) have smaller roles in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, as does Cara Delevingne’s Enchantress.
Director David Ayer
Release Date August 5, 2016
Runtime 123 minutes
Suicide Squad basks in its gloomy atmosphere, which is fitting for a villain team. Amanda Waller's presence elevates things in that regard. Every line said by the character or expression carefully crafted by actress Viola Davis serves to up the tension. Any of the characters could die if they cross Waller, and she makes sure they know it.
Director David Ayer's version of
Suicide Squad
is not the theatrical version, as that one faced studio interference.
James Gunn's The Suicide Squad would be a better movie, but it was notably more comedic than Suicide Squad. According to director David Ayer, his version of the movie would have been even darker.Suicide Squad presented tragic backstories and endings for multiple characters.
9 The Dark Knight Rises Sees Bane Take Over Gotham
DC Movie Released In 2012
Director Christopher Nolan delivered one of the best DC franchises with The Dark Knight trilogy. After 1997's Batman & Robin failed with a lighter version of Bruce Wayne and his world, Nolan course-corrected. The Dark Knight Rises served as the finale to a darker, more enticing Batman franchise.
The Dark Knight Rises is the final chapter in the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, with Christian Bale donning the cape and cowl once more to save Gotham City from certain destruction. Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, Batman has left the public eye after taking the fall for the crimes committed by a twisted Harvey Dent. However, he is called back into action when a mysterious villain named Bane arrives to bring disorder to Gotham, forcing him to confront deeper, darker recesses of his past to be able to face a challenge he may not be ready for.
Release Date July 16, 2012
Runtime 164 Minutes
The movie is one of Batman's darkest. Bruce Wayne has to lose everything before he gets his happy ending. Bane breaks Batman's back, takes over Gotham City, and breaks Bruce's spirit by throwing him into The Pit. Bruce has to spend months imprisoned while he watches Gotham burn through a TV outside his cell.
Batman's The Dark Knight franchise is one of the most iconic in superhero history, and its success is largely due to an exciting mix of characters.
That is the greatest torture the Dark Knight could go through. The Pit's design also makes it similar to the well Bruce fell into as a kid, which adds to the psychological torture of it for Batman. Thankfully, in the end, the hero rises and goes back to save Gotham.
8 The Flash Shows Barry Allen Can’t Save His Mom After All
DCEU Movie Released In 2023
The Flash is one of the final movies in the DCEU. While it was not as great as expected to be, The Flash did deliver plenty of emotional moments. Thanks to its core story and multiverse characters, the DCEU movie was both dark and incredibly sad.
The Flash is a DC Extended Universe film starring Ezra Miller as Barry Allen, A.K.A. The Flash. Wishing for a world where his mother still lives, Barry Allen manages to find a way to travel through time to save her. However, Barry ends up in an alternate universe where metahumans aren't present, meaning a living General Zod arrives to conquer the planet. To save this world and return home, Barry will seek the help of two alternate reality heroes, Batman (Michael Keaton and Supergirl (Sasha Calle).
Director Andres Muschietti
Release Date June 16, 2023
Runtime 2 hours 24 minutes
Ezra Miller's Barry Allen created another timeline when he went to the past to save his mother. Barry's father had been imprisoned for her murder, even though he did not commit the crime. Even though the Flash tries to find a way to save his mother, he realizes that it is not possible.
Barry giving up on saving his mom to make sure Earth is not taken over by Zod is one of DC's saddest moments. The Flash is also filled with other tragic events. Batman and Supergirl keep dying no matter how many times the two Barrys try to save them. Younger Barry also becomes Dark Flash, later sacrificing himself to kill his evil future self, capping the dark movie off.
7 Man Of Steel Sees Superman Kill
DCEU Movie Released In 2013
Director Zack Snyder's DC movies became the main reason for the DCEU being considered so dark. The director ended up releasing three DCEU entries, and all of them went for a more somber tone than most superhero stories do. Man of Steel did so for the most hopeful hero, Superman.
This new take on Superman's origin story, Man of Steel, centers on young journalist Clark Kent/Kal-El, a being who came to Earth as a child from Krypton. Though he has trouble fitting in with his secret superpowers and questions his purpose in life, Clark is forced into action when fellow Kryptonian General Zod arrives on Earth hellbent on conquest. Clark is built by the values set upon him by his parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent, who adopted him as an otherworldly orphan, inadvertently raising him to become the hero humanity needs.
Snyder revealed that his plan was for Superman to become his classic optimistic self by the end of his arc. To that end, Man of Steel set him up with a tragic story, starting him on a path that would sadly never be concluded. Instead, the movie ended with a controversial moment.
Zack Snyder's DCEU Movies
Release Date
Man of Steel
2013
Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice
2016
Zack Snyder's Justice League
2021
General Zod is one of Superman's biggest villains. Zod trying to take over Earth, with Metropolis' citizens caught in the middle of his fight with Superman, was already dark. However, having Superman — known for being a symbol of hope — kill Zod by snapping his neck made Man of Steel one of DC's darkest movies ever.
6 The Batman Has The Riddler Flood Gotham
Elseworlds DC Movie Released In 2022
Another Batman movie makes its way onto the list, with Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight at its center. The Batman has quickly become regarded as one of Batman's best movies ever. Like The Dark Knight trilogy, director Matt Reeves went for a grounded take on Batman and Gotham.
The Batman follows a young Bruce Wayne as he investigates a sadistic serial killer targeting key political figures in Gotham. As he delves deeper, he is confronted by the city's hidden corruption and questions surrounding his own family's legacy.
Release Date March 4, 2022
CastRobert Pattinson , Zoë Kravitz , Jeffrey Wright , Colin Farrell , Paul Dano , John Turturro , Andy Serkis , Peter Sarsgaard , Barry Keoghan , Jayme Lawson , Gil Perez-Abraham , Peter McDonald , Con O'Neill , Alex Ferns , Rupert Penry-Jones , Kosha Engler , Archie Barnes , Janine Harouni , Hana Hrzic , Joseph Walker , Luke Roberts , Oscar Novak , Stella Stocker , Sandra Dickinson , Jack Bennett , Andre Nightingale , Richard James-Neale , Lorraine Tai , Joseph Balderrama , James Eeles
Runtime 176 minutes
It worked extremely well for the movie. Gotham City felt like a character on its own, with the city's dark alleys being used by Batman to strike fear into criminals. The Batman is one of DC's darkest movies for good reason, with many deaths, a corrupt society that pushes people down, and an angry savior.
The movie is largely about rage, both Batman's for his parents' deaths and Riddler's for how Gotham's elite profited while everyone else suffered.
Batman is not yet ready to be a symbol of hope until the film's ending. The movie is largely about rage, both Batman's for his parents' deaths and Riddler's for how Gotham's elite profited while everyone else suffered. In the end, the Riddler partially wins, flooding the city and killing several people. However, Batman goes from "Vengeance" to a symbol of hope.
5 Joker: Folie À Deux Reveals Arthur Was Never The Joker
Elseworlds DC Movie Released In 2024
Joaquin Phoenix's second outing as the Joker is the most recent movie on the list. While Joker: Folie à Deux was a major disappointment, it is undeniable that the film is one of DC's darkest. The idea of making it a musical lent itself to more time being focused on Arthur Fleck's psyche.
Joker: Folie à Deux is the sequel to Todd Phillips' critically acclaimed comic book thriller Joker. Reprising his Academy Award-winning performance as the failed comedian Arthur Fleck, Joaquin Phoenix revisits the iconic DC character alongside Lady Gaga, who makes her debut as Joker's lover Harley Quinn in this standalone continuity of the DC Universe.
Director Todd Phillips
Release Date October 4, 2024
CastJoaquin Phoenix , Lady Gaga , Brendan Gleeson , Catherine Keener , Zazie Beetz , Steve Coogan , Harry Lawtey , Leigh Gill , Jacob Lofland , Sharon Washington , Troy Fromin , Bill Smitrovich , John Lacy , Ken Leung
Runtime 138 Minutes
Most of Joker: Folie à Deux takes place at Arkham. Arthur suffers from his choices in Joker's ending, being beaten by cops, constantly being the butt of jokes, and moving through life with almost no excitement. The musical numbers show how he yearns for more, and his reality is simply tragic.
However, what makes the movie truly bleak is its ending. Just when things seem to be falling into place for Arthur, he is stabbed to death. The character dies when he finally realizes he is Arthur Fleck, not the Joker, finding who he wants to be. It is a tragic ending to a complex and sad character.
4 The Dark Knight Tries To Tear Down A Symbol Of Hope
DC Movie Released In 2008
The Dark Knight is likely DC's best live-action movie of all time, and its tone makes the film work. There is no way it would have been as impactful if the Joker's actions were not allowed to be as dark and twisted as they were. The grounded feel lent itself nicely to the film's tense atmosphere.
Christian Bale once again embodies the man behind the mask in The Dark Knight, reuniting Bale with Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman has been making headway against local crime—until a rising criminal mastermind known as The Joker unleashes a fresh reign of chaos across Gotham City. To stop this devious new menace—Batman's most personal and vicious enemy yet—he will have to use every high-tech weapon in his arsenal and confront his beliefs if he hopes to stand a chance against the Clown Prince of Crime.
Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker is an all-timer. The villain is mostly successful in his plans, which centered on tearing down Gotham City's symbol of hope. The Dark Knight focused on chaos breaking loose in Gotham and Harvey Dent turning from a hero to a villain, all by Joker's design.
The Joker's plan led to Rachel Dawes dying, as well as Harvey Dent becoming Two-Face and dying after having lost his mind over revenge. In the end, Batman had to turn himself into a "villain" to Gotham to preserve Dent's image. Batman being hated and hunted after saving the city was a tragic ending.
3 Joker Sees A Man Lash Out Against A Cruel Society
Elseworlds DC Movie Released In 2019
2019's Joker follows a series of terrible events that lead a regular man down a dark path. Arthur Fleck is no villain. He is simply someone incredibly lonely who has been pushed down by society. A man with his mental condition should have received proper help.
Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker is an origin story for Batman’s most iconic villain. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a down-on-his-luck clown who is trying to become a successful stand-up comedian. When things don’t go according to plan, and Arthur feels Gotham is oppressing him and others with mental illness, Arthur sparks a violent revolution within the city.
Director Todd Phillips
Release Date October 2, 2019
Runtime 122 minutes
Arthur got his medication from a social services program, which was shut down due to budget cuts. The character is also fired from his job. Those events and Arthur's years of being kicked down build up to a boiling point when three drunk men start hurting him on the subway.
While Arthur kills two of them in self-defense, he chases the third one and murders him in cold blood, going on to kill others. Joker is a story of how someone who needed help did not get it and was transformed by a violent society. It is a bleak look into how the elite ignores others' problems.
2 Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Turns DC’s Biggest Heroes Against Each Other
DCEU Movie Released In 2016
Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice is the DCEU's darkest movie. That was an odd choice, as the film served as the first live-action meeting between Batman, Superman, and even Wonder Woman. Instead of becoming friends, DC's greatest heroes fought each other, all by Lex Luthor's design.
In this high-action film by Zack Snyder, the two DC superheroes face off against one another in a conflict spurred on by the villainous Lex Luthor. The film also features WonderWoman playing a role in the fight against Doomsday and other villains from beyond the Earth. As the world's two most powerful superheroes prepare to destroy each other, an unexpected commonality brings them together to defeat their real enemy.
Release Date March 24, 2016
Runtime 152 minutes
The film presented a bleak story with tragic developments for its heroes. Doomsday's arrival led to Henry Cavill's Superman dying in only his second appearance. Killing DC's most important hero makes Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice one of the darkest entries in the genre.
Lex Luthor ends up winning. Even though he is sent to prison and Batman does not kill Superman, the Man of Steel is dead all the same. The movie is tragic, sad, and violent. It stands as Zack Snyder's most divisive DC film.
1 Watchmen Destroys Morals To Keep The Peace
DC Movie Released In 2009
Finally, another Zack Snyder movie takes the first place as the darkest DC movie of all time. It makes sense that Snyder's version of Watchmen was so dark. After all, the source material it is based on is just as somber. Watchmen is not a story that glorifies superheroes.
Watchmen, directed by Zack Snyder, is a gritty adaptation of the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. The film takes place in an alternate 1985 America during the Cold War, following a group of retired superheroes investigating the murder of one of their own. As they delve deeper, they uncover a complex conspiracy that could alter the course of history. The ensemble cast includes Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, and Malin Akerman.
Release Date March 4, 2009
Runtime 163 Minutes
In order to bring about world peace, Ozymandias lets go of his morals and becomes an antagonist. The world needs someone to hate, and he gives them that through Doctor Manhattan. However, to do so, he has to murder another hero, the Comedian, and millions.
Rorschach can't live with that lie, and so he is murdered by Doctor Manhattan to keep the peace. While Snyder made key changes to Watchmen's events from the comics, he perfectly depicted the dark and controversial nature of the movie's moral dilemma. Watchmen and the concept of killing many to save all is a complex one and lends itself to a bleak journey along the way, becoming DC's darkest movie so far.
Custom image by Felipe Rangel
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