10 Darkest DC Movie Moments Of All Time

Around the historical past of the DC Universe, there were many extremely darkish film moments. Lengthy ahead of the start of the DCEU’s film timeline, DC characters have been being tailored to the large display screen. The long-lasting heroes and villains of the comics that includes in high-stakes battles has ended in many memorable moments all through the historical past of DC films, with some status out above others for being decidedly much less uplifting than one would possibly be expecting from the superhero style.

The films of the DCEU introduced many such moments to existence, however different DC films have additionally featured their proportion of darkness. At moments when the villain prevails, or when a hero is compelled to make an inconceivable selection, the superhero tales of DC films regularly tread darkish or aggravating flooring. Long term DC films beneath James Gunn would possibly neatly embody a lighter tone, however till then, listed below are the ten darkest DC film moments of all time.

10 Batman’s DCEU Creation

Batman v Superman: Break of day of Justice (2016)

The DCEU was once regularly criticized for being needlessly darkish and gritty, and one regularly-cited instance of those characteristics is the advent of the franchise’s model of Batman. Ben Affleck’s older iteration of the Caped Crusader was once a hardened crime-fighter who had misplaced his willingness to maintain the lives of criminals, and his advent defined simply how violent his techniques have been. In a scene this is, fairly actually, some of the darkest within the DCEU, Batman acts in a decidedly unheroic means.

Whilst saving sufferers of human trafficking, Batman is proven killing some criminals, and branding others with the Bat-symbol. The vigilante’s reckless fail to remember for human existence is among the major resources of anxiety between Batman and Superman, making it a significant plot level in Batman v Superman. Even so, seeing a historically heroic determine corresponding to Batman violently killing and completely scarring criminals was once a specifically darkish and surprising bankruptcy in DC film historical past.

9 Darkish Flash’s Id Expose

The Flash (2023)

Regardless that 2023’s The Flash was once a long way from DC’s greatest hour at the giant display screen, the film did characteristic some darkish moments of its personal. After encountering a depressing entity within the Velocity Power, Barry Allen reveals himself looking to save an alternative fact during which his mom was once nonetheless alive. When his fellow heroes die by the hands of Basic Zod, Barry makes an attempt to undo their deaths, most effective to be informed the actual identification of the primary antagonist in The Flash’s solid: himself.

The Flash finding out that his obsession with saving his pals and family members will flip him right into a villain is a deceptively darkish second. It’s some extent within the hero’s tale the place he’s compelled to simply accept the deaths of his pals and his mom as inevitable, in spite of being able to exchange the previous. It’s a sad and emotional construction that explores how even the most efficient of intentions may end up in extremely darkish moments.

8 Billy Meets His Mom

Shazam! (2019)

Many superheroes have tragic starting place tales, but it surely’s no longer regularly that films depict the precise second that emotionally crushes them. In spite of being in large part comedic in tone, 2019’s Shazam! featured an impulsively darkish second in the case of Billy Batson’s origins. After being misplaced as a kid, Billy ended up being fostered via more than a few households, hoping at some point to search out his as far back as his mom. When he does so, it doesn’t cross fully to plot.

After discovering his mom, Billy is faced via the grim fact: she selected to offer him up. As Billy has spent the vast majority of his younger existence ready to be reunited together with his organic mom, the devastating emotional blow is an extremely darkish second. It’s a scene that highlights simply how inclined Billy is, and that regardless of his staggering magical talents, he’s simply as human as someone else.

7 Arthur’s Finishing

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

For all its many failings, Joker: Folie à Deux picked up the place its predecessor left off to discover the results Arthur Fleck’s crime spree had at the guy underneath the makeup. The sequel is packed stuffed with moments that shine a mild at the darkish facet of the human enjoy, however Folie à Deux’s finishing proved to be specifically frightening. On the finish of a stricken narrative arc, Arthur Fleck’s tale leads to abrupt tragedy.

After admitting his guilt and renouncing his movements as prison deeds, Arthur reputedly settles in to stand the effects. Alternatively, all of it involves an early finish when Arthur is unceremoniously stabbed and killed via a person who had reputedly been impressed via the Joker character. Seeing the darkness be successful even over Arthur’s disaster of sense of right and wrong no longer most effective speaks to the ability the Joker holds over Gotham, however ends the nature’s tale in a senselessly tragic means.

6 Darkseid Defeats The Justice League

Justice League Darkish: Apokolips Battle (2020)

Justice League Darkish: Apokolips Battle is probably not probably the most well known DC film ever made, but it surely does characteristic some of the darkest moments within the historical past of DC diversifications. The film starts with a scene during which the Justice League assault Darkseid on Apokolips, most effective to be crushed via his forces. The ensuing fight sees the vast majority of the Justice League killed, and others enslaved via Darkseid.

Observing as Darkseid and his minions brutally kill a few of DC’s maximum robust heroes is undeniably darkish. Much more so, seeing him enslave and torture Superman is way more aggravating, making the instant particularly noteworthy because of this. The scene during which Darkseid defeats the Justice League is set as darkish as they arrive, as it presentations a lot of iconic heroes laid low via the forces of evil in some way that many DC lovers by no means concept could be tailored to the large display screen.

5 The Homicide Of Ricky

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

Ricky is among the authentic characters written in particular for Joker: Folie à Deux, and his position within the film is deceptively necessary. As certainly one of Arthur Fleck’s fellow inmates, Ricky seems as much as Arthur, specifically right down to the way in which he was once looked as if it would have rallied towards the device. After Arthur is brutally overwhelmed via the guards, Ricky makes an attempt to talk up on his behalf, most effective to be strangled via some of the other folks tasked with maintaining the peace within Arkham Asylum.

Ricky’s loss of life is a depressing second, most commonly because of the blameless nature of the nature and his earnest try to connect to Arthur being his undoing. It’s a scene that echoes real-world problems, but it surely’s additionally a massively important second for Folie à Deux’s protagonist, who acknowledges his personal position in Ricky’s loss of life. It’s a scene that’s darkish sufficient to be tricky to observe, because of the context and the nuance concerned.

4 Batman’s Nuclear “Demise”

The Darkish Knight Rises (2012)

The overall movie in Christopher Nolan’s Darkish Knight trilogy ends the tale of Christian Bale’s Batman in a singularly memorable model, with the Caped Crusader retiring and passing the mantle right down to every other succesful person. The style of Batman’s retirement is relatively misleading, and despite the fact that it’s no longer an clearly darkish second, it seems that extra so on nearer inspection. In a last act of heroism, Batman reputedly sacrifices his existence to save lots of Gotham Town from a nuclear blast.

After appearing Bruce Wayne’s funeral and a tearful Alfred, whose self-proclaimed worst fears had been learned, The Darkish Knight Rises confirms that Bruce in reality survived. Alfred glimpses Bruce in Florence with Selina Kyle, including a fair darker flip to his meant loss of life. The scene finds that Alfred’s grief was once fully preventable, and that Bruce merely sought after his most effective surviving father determine to consider him lifeless.

3 Arthur Killing Randall

Joker (2019)

2019’s Joker explored the extremely darkish adventure of Arthur Fleck as he assumed the character of the long-lasting Batman villain, with a couple of moments marking his descent additional into the chaotic ideology of his alter-ego. Probably the most greatest turning issues in Arthur’s tale comes when he learns the reality about his mom, and reacts via smothering her to loss of life. In his grief, Arthur is visited via two former colleagues, and when Randall mentions the police, Arthur starts stabbing his buddy to loss of life.

The scene is most likely probably the most visceral depiction of violence in Joker, because it presentations Arthur’s crimes proceeding to escalate in severity. His indifferent emotional state and muted reactions to committing any such violent act makes the scene even darker, erasing any attainable sympathy the target audience would possibly nonetheless have harbored for the nature. It’s some of the darkest scenes in some of the darkest DC films ever made, merely because of the surprising brutal violence on show.

2 Arthur Shoots Murray On Reside TV

Joker (2019)

In a while after murdering his buddy Randall, Arthur Fleck makes a scheduled look at the Murray Franklin display, enticing in a are living interview to talk about his stalling comedy occupation. Arthur as a substitute plans to make use of his time at the display to finish his personal existence, till Murray insults him after he admits his crimes. Arthur responds with a shaggy dog story, punctuating it via capturing Murray lifeless survive air.

The plausibility of any such second makes all of it too aggravating, and that’s a sentiment that’s reinforced via Joaquin Phoenix’s totally hypnotic efficiency. Arthur revels within the chaos that unfolds following Murray’s surprising public execution at his palms, soaking within the concern of the target audience round him. It’s a second that’s paying homage to a couple of real-life tragedies, and it additionally faucets into simply how a long way Athur Fleck has spiraled into his violent character.

1 Joker Seems On Gotham Town’s Information

The Darkish Knight (2008)

2008’s The Darkish Knight featured one of the crucial aggravating film villains of all time within the type of Heath Ledger’s Joker. Ledger’s model of the Clown Prince of Crime was once a miles darker and extra grounded take at the persona than had ever been tried ahead of, charming audiences together with his captivating frenetic power and willpower to inciting chaos in Gotham. One act particularly cements Ledger’s Joker because the darkest villain in DC film historical past.

Throughout his campaign to unmask Batman, the Joker kidnaps a copycat vigilante, and makes a recording which is then despatched to Gotham Information. The photos presentations the Joker torturing and taunting the person, ahead of murdering him and placing his corpse from a construction. The video paints Joker as a home terrorist, with the tone of his video no longer dissimilar to real-life examples of hostage tapes, making it some of the darkest and most annoying scenes within the historical past of the DC Universe.

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