Coming to a close a decade after it began, the DC Extended Universe was a fairly contentious shared movie universe. Many fans noted that its takes on classic heroes such as Superman and Batman were largely divergent in tone and even characterization compared to the source material. Nevertheless, these movies still had at least one foot steeped in comic book lore, if only in spurts.
There were several scenes throughout the DCEU that were ripped right out of the comics. Some of them were a bit altered, whereas others were exact recreations. This made these sequences a treat for fans, and convinced even the most skeptical viewers that these were the same iconic heroes seen in previous adventures from the comics.
10 “You are My Son.” – Man of Steel
In a flashback from Man of Steel, a young Clark Kent reflects on using his powers to save a bus full of kids. His father Jonathan questions this, with the boy unsure of his place in the world and simply wanting to go back to “pretending to be Jonathan’s son.” His father assures him that he is his son while acknowledging his higher purpose.
This line of dialogue and the scene in general is quite similar to one from Superman: Secret Origin. The 2010 storyline from Geoff Johns and Gary Frank also reimagined Superman’s early days, though it had a more traditional take on the subject. Nevertheless, it was one of several inspirations for Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel.
9 Superman’s First Flight – Man of Steel
After donning his costume for the first time, Superman tests his abilities and finally goes beyond merely leaping tall buildings in a single bound. Learning to fly, he soars all over the world and into space. One part of this segment has him gliding over zebras in Africa.
This visual is a clear callback to Superman: Birthright, where Clark Kent does the same thing. That story was another “modern reboot” of the character, bringing him up to date while also restoring narrative elements from the Silver Age of Comics. Like Man of Steel, it also had Clark as a wanderer before he becomes a hero.
8 The Dark Knight Returns Lightning – Batman v Superman
In the final battle of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the corpse of General Zod is used to create the monstrous Doomsday. This violent, mindless beast attacks all that it finds, including Batman. The Caped Crusader escapes the beast’s heat vision as lightning strikes in the background.
It’s a rather obvious homage to the cover of The Dark Knight Returns. This book jumpstarted Batman’s modern popularity, officially doing away with the campy image of old. Given that Dawn of Justice was based in part on the story, this Easter egg was inevitable.
7 Billy Batson Makes Darla Cry – Shazam!
In one scene from Shazam!, Billy Batson attends school with his foster family for the first time. Darla is excited to be with her new brother, but Billy quickly reminds her that they aren’t actually siblings. This news and his tone make the young girl sad, prompting Billy to apologize for making her cry.
This is almost exactly like a similar scene from Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s Shazam comic book from the linewide New 52 reboot. The main difference is that Billy’s tone is a let more sympathetic in the movie. Said film is a fairly identical adaptation of the aforementioned comic book, and there were only a few changes made.
6 Wonder Woman Defeats Her Enemies With the Truth
In Wonder Woman, Diana doesn’t defeat Ares in a traditional sense. Instead, she essentially beats him with love and the truth. The same happens in Wonder Woman 1984, where the truth about the brewing nuclear conflict is enough to stop the villainous Maxwell Lord.
These conclusions were both pulled from the ending of George Pérez’ Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals, which began his iconic run on the character. There, Ares stops his nuclear assault due to the truth of the situation, which potentially led to his own destruction. Though neither movie has an exact recreation of this, Patty Jenkins was clearly inspired by it.
5 Lois Lane Holds the Dead Superman – Batman v Superman
In the end of Dawn of Justice, Superman realizes that only kryptonite can kill the overclocked power of Doomsday. He flies in with a kryptonite spear to finish the monster off, only to be mutually impaled by one of his bony spikes. After he passes away, Lois Lane holds the departed Man of Steel in her arms.
The visual is both reminiscent of “La Pietà” and a similar scene from The Death of Superman. That was the story that featured Doomsday and Superman killing each other, so this made sense. The coloring and tone of the movie made the sacrifice even more tragic, however.
4 Batman and Superman’s Fight – Dawn of Justice
As the movie’s title suggested, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice pitted the Man of Steel against the Dark Knight. Using Superman’s radioactive weakness kryptonite, Batman is able to weaken his alien opponent while wearing an armored suit. While he’s forced to use more of the substance when Superman regains his powers, it’s a brutal match between the two.
The entire premise is quite similar to the ending of The Dark Knight Returns, where an armored Batman also fought Superman. Even some of the dialogue is taken from the book. The biggest callback is when Batman attempts to kick Superman, though his revived powers allow him to throw the Caped Crusader. It’s a clear recreation of a panel from the book, albeit without Superman actually being kicked.
3 Joker and Harley’s “Mad Love” – Suicide Squad
The 2016 movie Suicide Squad focused quite a bit on the relationship between The Joker and Harley Quinn. The movie flashes back to their origin story, showing scenes of them together in the past. One of them evokes an iconic image of the Clown Couple of Crime.
A certain flashback has The Joker in a tuxedo while Harley leans back onto him. This is a clear recreation of a painting by superstar artist Alex Ross. It’s mostly associated with the story The Batman Adventures: Mad Love, which was set in the DC Animated Universe. The use of the image celebrated the first live-action adaptation of their romance.
2 Aquaman Antagonizes Black Manta – Aquaman (2018)
Much like Shazam!, the Aquaman movie was heavily based on Geoff Johns’ New 52 run on the character. One element that was adapted in a somewhat different way was Aquaman’s rivalry with Black Manta. In the comics, Aquaman killed Black Manta’s father, earning Black Manta’s eternal hatred.
This was interpreted in the movie as Aquaman causing the death of Black Manta’s dad, albeit a bit less directly. He later reflects on his creating his worst enemy. This, along with Aquaman reuniting with his mother, were a few of the movie’s direct lifts from the source material.
1 General Zod “You are Not Alone” – Man of Steel
Another revised adaptation was done in the movie that started the DCEU: Man of Steel. Part of the movie’s marketing campaign was a viral message from Michael Shannon’s General Zod. The villain warned Earth that its people were not alone and that they should turn over Kal-El.
This message is just like the one given by Tyrell in Superman: Earth One. Though it switched Tyrell for Zod, Man of Steel had a lot of thematic similarities, namely by being a darker, more realistic and modernized take on the character. The “You are not alone” message and Shannon’s Zod remain some fo the most memorable parts of the DC Extended Universe.