10 Cut DCEU Scenes That Were Better Left Out

Many DCEU scenes were deleted from projects set in the universe, and there are a few of them that were better left out. The DCEU started in 2013 with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. The director’s vision for DC shaped up the universe, as Snyder would set the tone for most following movies, as well as cast the DCEU’s major players. Now, all the DCEU movies will come to an end with the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran will replace the DCEU with their new DC Universe, which will see its first project, Creature Commandos, release in 2024.

As has happened before with many DCEU releases, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is wrapped up in multiple controversies, one of which is the reveal that two scenes featuring Amber Heard’s Mera were cut from the movie. While the film’s case is particular, the DCEU’s movies have had several scenes cut over the years — and so will upcoming DC movies — with many of them being either publicly released, revealed through set photos and videos, or confirmed by people involved with the project. Some deleted scenes being cut turned out to be good for the DCEU, and here are 10 such cases.

10 Superman Hears The Cries Of The City In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Snyder revealed that he cut a dark scene from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. According to the director, the scene in question would have seen Henry Cavill’s Superman use his super-hearing to try to find out where his mom was after learning Lex Luthor had kidnapped her. While doing so, Superman would hear all the people crying out for help in Metropolis. The scene could have been emotional; however, it makes sense why Snyder cut it, as it was too dark even for the director, who said, “It was a slightly dark scene that we cut out because it sort of represented this dark side.”

9 A Mother Box Appears In Wonder Woman

A cut Wonder Woman epilogue set up a connection to 2017’s Justice League. The deleted scene saw Lucy Davis’ Etta Candy approach the “Wonder Men” to give them a new mission that would have the characters find an ancient artifact in Belgium and deliver it to the U.S. government. While Etta is handing out maps and going through the mission’s files with the guys, one of the pages reveals a look at one of the Mother Boxes that Steppenwolf would try to get in Justice League. It was for the best that the scene was cut, as Wonder Woman works great as a more self-contained DCEU story.

8 Man Of Steel’s Longer Krypton Battle

Man of Steel has an opening sequence that depicts a major battle on Krypton, Kal-El being sent to Earth, and Krypton’s explosion. While exciting, the sequence has been criticized for being long, taking up around 20 minutes of Superman’s only DCEU solo movie. Despite already being quite long, Man of Steel‘s Krypton battle was originally intended to be even longer, with the House of El’s service robot, Kelex, having a bigger role in the extended version of the movie’s opening sequence, which could have proven to be too much.

7 The Kents Take Baby Clark To The Pediatrician

Speaking with Bleeding Cool (via Man Of Steel Answers Insight Commentary), Man of Steel writer David S. Goyer revealed that the movie cut a scene that would have seen the Kents take baby Clark to the pediatrician after he starts acting strange due to his powers beginning to manifest. The doctor would then emit sounds to test Clark’s hearing, and due to the baby’s super-hearing, Clark would cry out so loud that it would shatter the glass from all the hospital’s windows and trigger the alarms from nearby cars. The scene would have come right after the dark Krypton opening, making it feel out of place.

6 Slipknot’s Backstory In Suicide Squad

2016’s Suicide Squad took the time to introduce the members of the team one by one, showing why they were locked up and what their special abilities are. That did not happen with Slipknot, though the villain’s backstory was originally intended to be part of the film. In the end, it was for the best that Suicide Squad cut Slipknot’s introduction, as the movie would have wasted too much time on a character whose role was to serve as the film’s first shocking death, setting up Amanda Waller’s grip on the Suicide Squad early on. Besides, the .

5 Black Mask’s Hide-And-Seek In Birds Of Prey

Ewan McGregor’s Black Mask was extremely entertaining in the DCEU’s Birds of Prey. That said, the movie was right to cut one of the villain’s scenes. The bizarre Black Mask deleted scene from Birds of Prey would have seen the villain and his accomplices playing hide-and-seek in his apartment. McGregor explained the scene, saying, “We had this idea that when they were super high after getting back from the club, they’d play hide-and-seek.” While the moment could have been funny, it would have likely undermined Black Mask’s ability to appear as a sinister villain to the audience.

4 The Joker Breaks Up With Harley Quinn In Birds Of Prey

Birds of Prey featured an opening sequence that showed an animated Joker kicking out Harley Quinn from their home, which then transitioned into live-action with one of the Joker’s goons throwing Harley on the street and her crying outside. Birds of Prey set photos revealed Jared Leto’s Joker was initially meant to appear in the film, though with a stand-in taking the actor’s place. Following their breakup, the Joker would have thrown Harley’s belongings out of a second-floor window as she tried to catch them. Birds of Prey not showing the Joker was better, as it kept the focus of the important moment solely on Harley.

3 The Flash’s Aquaman Fish Joke In Peacemaker Was Longer

John Cena’s Peacemaker shockingly came face-to-face with multiple members of the Justice League in Peacemaker season 1’s finale, though only two of the heroes had their actors present for the scene. Ezra Miller’s Flash made a joke about Jason Momoa’s Aquaman having sex with fish, a silly moment that built upon a prior moment in the series. The scene was mostly well-received, but some DC fans did not like that Aquaman was being made fun of, so it was for the best that James Gunn decided to keep the scene short, as the director revealed to GamesRadar that Miller improvised over 16 minutes of jokes about Aquaman and fish.

2 Henry Cavill And Gal Gadot Were To Appear At The End Of The Flash

The Flash had three different endings. The first movie for DC’s premiere speedster was once set to end with Cavill’s Superman, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, Michael Keaton’s Batman, and Sasha Calle’s Supergirl meeting Miller’s Barry Allen after his father’s trial. While it would have been exciting to have Superman and Wonder Woman appear in theaters together for the first time since 2017’s Justice League, with Gunn’s new DC Universe having recast Cavill and reportedly recasting Gadot, The Flash‘s ending would have promised future appearances from the duo that would never come. By cutting the scene, DC prevented future disappointment from fans.

1 Young Barry Professes His Love For Supergirl In The Flash

Originally, The Flash would have included a creepy Supergirl scene where young Barry professes his love for Kara as she sleeps in front of him. The scene was uncomfortable, as the constant cuts from a sleeping Supergirl to Barry talking about her beauty paint the character in a negative light. Older Barry is also present in the scene, though he is against younger Barry’s comments, telling him he is not in love. The scene would have been uncomfortable for many fans and would have damaged young Barry’s reputation, making his tragic villain turn less impactful. In the end, it is good that it became part of the DCEU‘s deleted scenes.