Recent release Justice League has its fair share of silly moments, no argument there. And like pretty much every other film in the DC movie series, it also offers up its own plot holes to boot, creating infuriating new gaps in storylines for the rest of the films including Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman.
We could be here all day analysing every single one, but here are just some of the biggest plot holes so far in the DCEU. Obviously, super spoilers follow...
1. Why does everybody seem to now know the superheroes' aliases?
It used to be, in the golden age of superheroes, that two words were essential: "secret" and "identity".
Fast-forward to the DCEU and the identities of both Batman and Superman are far from secret. In Batman v Superman and Justice League we see that both Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne are widely known (as is the location of the Kent family home by Zod and the US Army).
And everyone seems fine with their alter-ego names being shouted aloud in public. Looking forward to this detail being forgotten/lost in the next movie.
2. Why didn't the Suicide Squad get a call to fight Steppenwolf?
Part of the reason the whole bloody Suicide Squad film exists was for this very situation. If you recall, government official Amanda Waller put the team of naughty villains together in order to fight any extraterrestrial threat to our planet, including someone just like Superman.
Which also makes us ask, why weren't the SS called into action when Superman first appeared, after his resurrection, and started blowing the place to shit? We might not remember the squad but surely the writers of the films do? (Or maybe not.)
3. Why did Wonder Woman ignore the Second World War?
In full detective mode during Batman v Superman, Bruce Wayne discovered the only known evidence of Diana Prince – a sepia-tone pic of her hanging with Steve Trevor and chums in World War One.
After the events of Wonder Woman (set in said war), a broken-hearted Diana (Steve!!!!) goes into seclusion, hides herself away and turns her back on humanity, leaving us to deal with all sorts of shit in her absence.
Why didn't she come out of retirement to battle the evil of Hitler? Her help would surely have been appreciated by millions in the late thirties. If in doubt, blame Steve Trevor.
4. Why are ALL the Mother Boxes on Earth?
The plan revealed in Justice League to hide the three Mother Boxes from big bad Steppenwolf is all very well, but why on Earth did they leave them hiding on, well, Earth?
Wouldn't it have been more of a convincing plan, not to mention effective, to place the three boxes as far as they possibly could from one another? You know, make it difficult for the alien to find them? As we have seen countless times, our planet is hardly a secure place for a weapon of such mass destruction.
Given we witnessed a whole bunch of Green Lanterns fighting Steppenwolf, it isn't out of the realms of possibility that the intergalactic police force could take it to a far-off planet and guard it there. Let's make things just a little bit tougher for the maniacal monster.
And while we're on it, why did the Mother Boxes wait until the Justice League formed before drawing attention to themselves? Why didn't they do it when Superman was having a self-obsessed mope or, even better, not on Earth whatsoever?
5. How did The Flash's Barry Allen afford his super suit?
Much is made of the not-so-flashy Bazza having to scrimp and save to send himself to law school so he can exonerate his dad for a crime that, we assume, he didn't commit. A noble quest. But I think we can see why he's so skint – he spent all his money on a fancy schmancy suit for all his running around in.
Oddly, we're led to believe that Justice League is his first superhero outing; telling his new gang that he'd simply "pushed" people before. This is certainly what we saw in the security footage acquired by Wayne in Batman v Superman.
However, your honour, we offer up the events of Suicide Squad where The Flash is seen, avec supersuit, being a bona-fide superhero in apprehending Captain Boomerang. Does this mean it's set after the events of Justice League?
Nope. Because during Suicide Squad's mid-credits scene we see the aforementioned Waller hand over files to Bruce Wayne – who she happens to know is Batman, because EVERYONE does – containing the Flash and Aquaman, amongst others.
It seems people forgot about Suicide Squad. Again.
6. Why's Batman not really very Batmany?
Probably the biggest bugbear of the DCEU. While not in the realms of Kilmer or Clooney bad, Affleck's take on the Dark Knight has been a point of discussion since his first flick, Batman v Superman. Not that he's bad, but just not very Batmany.
His absolute 100 per cent righteous indignation at, and hatred for, Superman marks his entire character – make no bones about it, Batman wants nothing more than to kill the Man of Steel. And he's about to when the boy from Krypton drops the fact that their mothers share the same name. Cue the biggest U-turn this side of a controversial Simon Cowell X Factor firing.
Yet this change of heart is so jarring that you'll be forgiven for thinking Bats was just well jel of Supes and wanted some attention and was in love with him all along. Factor in Batman's attack on Deadshot (Will Smith) in an alley in front of the villain's daughter – on top of his own troubled experience with alleyways and parents – and the whole character feels all kinds of wrong.
7. When was Cyborg created?
Cyborg's origin stories, seen in both Justice League and Batman V Superman, just don't match up. Simple as that. Quite an impressive feat from the filmmakers.
In the former, he tells the gang that he was created by a Mother Box, after his father tried to save his life. This was after Superman had "died" (we'll come to that Kryptonian nugget next), as we're told the boxes lit up when this event occurred.
Yet, in the latter, Batman witnesses the transformation BEFORE Superman dies. One of these origin stories ain't right.
8. Is Superman dead or not, or what?!
The denouement of Batman v Superman wasn't exactly ambiguous. Although the Man of Steel was wounded fatally during the battle with Lex Luthor's Zod monster, Doomsday, a final scene reveals just the opposite as we see dirt hover above Superman's coffin.
Yay, he's alive!
Cut to Justice League and no, he died. He definitely died.
And then they brought him back to life.
Yay?
9. What's the deal with the Parademons?
In Justice League's opening scene, Batman can barely take one Parademon down without a gargantuan effort, and then the finale demonstrates his ability to destroy loads all at the same time without breaking a sweat.
Did he get super strong or did they get super weak? Let's put this down to a case of make-the-finale-as-awesome-and-as-fighty-as-possible-itis.
