Every DCEU Justice League Hero’s Ending Ranked Worst To Best

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

The DCEU stories of every Justice League hero has now come to an end, but some have been bid a better farewell than others. The 2023 release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom finally brought the DCEU to an end, topping off a year of disappointments for Warner Bros. and DC Studios ahead of the reboot of the DCEU into the new DC Universe. Co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran will be revamping DC’s live-action franchise, starting with 2024’s Creature Commandos and Waller and 2025’s Superman: Legacy, so a new version of the superhero team the Justice League will surely be hitting theaters at some point in the new franchise.

The DCEU’s Justice League first came together in the eponymous 2017 project after first being teased in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Joss Whedon’s 2017 project received criticism, and while Zack Snyder’s director’s cut in 2021 fared better among audiences, the Justice League never really found its footing in the DCEU. Comprising Henry Cavill’s Superman, Ben Affleck’s Batman, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, Ray Fisher’s Cyborg and Ezra Miller’s Flash, the Justice League in the DCEU only embarked on one adventure as a full team, and 2023 marked the ends of each members’ DCEU journeys.

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6 Ray Fisher’s Cyborg Never Got Developed Properly

Ray Fisher Last Played Victor Stone In Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)

Ray Fisher had a tumultuous time working with Warner Bros. and the former DC Films during the production of 2017’s Justice League. Victor Stone’s Cyborg is a major cog in the Justice League machine in DC Comics, but Fisher’s character was wasted in the DCEU. Ray Fisher’s accusations of Joss Whedon’s abuse and unprofessional behavior, and DC Films executive Walter Hamada’s enabling of this behavior tainted his experience within the DCEU, and though he returned to portray Cyborg in reshoots for the director’s cut, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Fisher’s accusations made a lasting impression in the franchise.

Victor Stone was a strong addition to the Justice League’s roster in the DCEU, as he received his cybernetic gifts after being enhanced by the Mother Box, a key element in Justice League’s storyline. Despite last being seen enhancing his powers even further in STAR Labs at the end of Justice League – setting up future storylines for Cyborg in the DCEU – Stone never returned to the franchise, as Zack Snyder’s Justice League is not considered canon. Cyborg had a more emotional ending in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, inspired to continue by a message from his deceased father, but this still went absolutely nowhere.

5 Henry Cavill’s Superman Went Out With A Whimper

Henry Cavill Last Played Clark Kent In Black Adam (2022)

Henry Cavill debuted as Clark Kent’s Superman in 2013’s Man of Steel, leading the charge of the budding DCEU in Zack Snyder’s first project of the franchise. However, this darker live-action depiction of Superman wasn’t to everybody’s taste, and left Warner Bros. confused about how to use the character in future projects. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice killed off the cornerstone hero, though he questionably returned in Justice League, setting up several cameos for Cavill in the DCEU’s subsequent projects. There were calls for Cavill to reprise the role in the DC Universe, but this won’t be the case, as David Corenswet has been cast as the new Superman.

Following Justice League, Superman had cameo appearances – not portrayed by Henry Cavill – in Shazam! and Peacemaker season 1, while Cavill himself did portray the superhero in Black Adam and The Flash, though the latter was uncredited. Cavill’s appearance in the mid-credits scene of 2022’s Black Adam teased an intense future for the character in the DCEU, perhaps engaging in battle with Dwayne Johnson’s Teth-Adam, but the project’s disappointing performance and negative response leaves this unresolved. Following Cavill’s removal from the role of Superman, this iconic DC Comics hero was left exiting the DCEU with a whimper, not a bang.

4 Gal Gadot’s Final Wonder Woman Cameos Were Disappointing

Gal Gadot Last Played Diana Prince In The Flash (2023)

Similarly to Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot’s more recent DCEU appearances were relegated to nothing but cameos, despite her depiction of Wonder Woman being one of the most popular characters in the franchise. Gadot debuted as Diana Prince in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice before her solo debut, 2017’s Wonder Woman, became one of the most profitable projects in the DCEU. Unfortunately, she was also neglected by Warner Bros., despite seeing a solo sequel with the poorly-received Wonder Woman 1984 and having a starring spot in Justice League. While Gadot’s future in the DC Universe was speculated for a while, she ultimately won’t be returning as Wonder Woman.

Gal Gadot didn’t return to cameo as Wonder Woman in Peacemaker season 1, though she did make cameo appearances in 2023’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash. Both of these projects performed abysmally at the global box office, and Gadot’s appearances unfortunately didn’t help their cases. Luckily, Gal Gadot’s final appearance as Wonder Woman saw her helping Bruce Wayne and Barry Allen take down criminals in Gotham City, leaving a lasting impression of heroism on her DCEU career. Nevertheless, the DCEU never really worked out how to use Gadot’s powerful Amazon goddess in live-action, but hopefully the DCU can do her justice.

3 Ezra Miller’s Flash Seems To Be In An Alternate Reality

Ezra Miller Last Played Barry Allen In The Flash (2023)

Ezra Miller’s DCEU career was shrouded in controversy and disappointments, most notably after the release of their solo debut, 2023’s The Flash, which marked one of the biggest losses for Warner Bros. in the studio’s history. Barry Allen was the youngest member of the Justice League, and brought a level of fun, excitement and entertainment to the team in their initial adventure. Unfortunately, this childish demeanor was pushed to extremes in The Flash, and while the storyline of the 2023 project promised to seriously shake up the DCEU’s continuity, it also failed to pull this off properly.

The Flash, adapted from DC Comics’ 2011 Flashpoint storyline, promised to “reset” the DCEU ahead of the franchise’s reboot into the DC Universe. While the film certainly had the potential to do exactly this, the fact that Barry Allen finds himself in an alternate reality where George Clooney is still Batman at the end of the film means that the project had no impact on the wider timeline of the DCEU whatsoever. Ezra Miller’s Flash did get something resembling a happy ending in the DCEU, as he was able to free his father from prison using his time travel antics, but is now perhaps permanently trapped in an alternate universe.

2 Ben Affleck’s Batman Had A Thoughtful Farewell

Ben Affleck Last Played Bruce Wayne In The Flash (2023)

Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne is widely regarded as one of the most wasted heroes in the DCEU, despite the actor making several major appearances as the Caped Crusader. With starring spots in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, Ben Affleck’s Batman was set up to be a key figure in the DCEU, but was – akin to Gal Gadot and Henry Cavill – relegated to cameo appearances in subsequent projects. Brief appearances in Suicide Squad and The Flash, and receiving mentions in Birds of Prey, Shazam!, Peacemaker, Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Blue Beetle made him one of the DCEU’s most regular heroes.

Despite this, Ben Affleck’s solo Batman project was canceled, meaning he never saw a solo adventure as the Dark Knight, while Zack Snyder’s original Batman-heavy plans for the DCEU ultimately went nowhere following his exit from the franchise. While Batman was certainly wasted in the DCEU, his final moments in 2023’s The Flash made up for this in spades, as he was seen in action for one last time before engaging in an emotional and heartfelt exchange with Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen. Ben Affleck’s Batman was removed from the DCEU due to the Flash’s time traveling, but his final moments finally saw Affleck understand the character’s grief, motivations and strength.

1 Jason Momoa’s Aquaman Received A Happy Ending

Jason Momoa Last Played Arthur Curry In Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom (2023)

Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry was the final member of the DCEU’s Justice League to depart the franchise, as 2023’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was released as the DCEU’s final project. Momoa debuted as Aquaman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but got the chance to develop his character brilliantly in Justice League and 2018’s Aquaman – which became the DCEU’s most successful project, bringing in over $1 billion at the box office. That’s not to say Aquaman was always used effectively, as a cameo at the end of The Flash was confusing and meaningless, but he was still perhaps the best-used hero in the DCEU.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom developed the storylines established in the original 2018 project, continuing to build the world of Atlantis and its neighboring Kingdoms, and expanding on Arthur Curry’s own relationships and motivations, despite being the franchise’s final project. After fixing his bond with his previously-villainous brother Orm, Aquaman led Atlantis into the public eye, and confidently embraced his title as the King of Atlantis at the end of the film. On top of this demanding job, Arthur Curry received a very happy ending with his entire family, having survived the battle against Black Manta, giving him the happiest ending of all the DCEU’s Justice League heroes, by far.