The 10 Best Castings in DC Movies
DC Movies Keep Getting Better and So Does the Casting
Marvel might still be the big dog, but recent DC movies like Shazam! and Aquaman have shown that the studio is turning things around. True, fans have had their issues with many of the DCEU films that have hit theaters recently, but I’m not here to argue about whether they’re any good or not (I’ll get to that some other time). Instead, I want to take a look at some of the best performances we’ve seen in DC movies to date. For this list, I decided to stick to their live-action films, another wise I would just list Kevin Conroy‘s name ten times (Batman from The Animated Series). That being said, this was actually much harder to narrow down than I thought, especially because I tried not to list the same character multiple times because then there would be four Jokers. The most exciting part of this list is that I’m sure it’s going to change dramatically over the next few years as DC movies get better and better.
10. Viola Davis– Amanda Waller
Yes, people complained until the cows came home about Suicide Squad, especially those that never actually saw it. I’m not going to lie, Jared Leto screwed the pooch when it came to his take on the Joker, but a lot of the other characters in that film were pretty spot on. It introduced the most iconic characters of all the DC movies to date (all villains) and the person calling the shots behind them was the cold and calculating Amanda Waller. Davis take on the character was a shark eyed badass that wouldn’t so much as blink when confronted by Batman himself. She was so tough that it was believable that she would go so far as to use villains for her own gain, making her one of the scariest characters in DC movies so far.
9. Jason Mamoa– Aquaman
Say what you want about DC movies, but they’ve been killing it on diversity and representation in their films. Case and point, they turned their boring, blonde hair, blue-eyed hero into a bad-ass Pacific Islander, which just makes more sense. Jason Mamoa made Aquaman cool again with his take as a wild child who resented his Atlantian heritage to the point where he wanted nothing to do with the throne. His rebellious stage came to an end though when he realized that his half-brother was a total tool that needed a whooping. It was for the best though, since he turned out to be a pretty good king. Mamoa was probably one of the toughest characters in Justice League but also offered up plenty of comic-relief making him easy to like and root for!
8. Ben Affleck– Batman
There have been a lot of Dark Knights over the years and all of them have brought different qualities to one of the greatest heroes from DC movies. For me though, Ben Affleck offered a new side to the character. A man who believed in a mission that drove him to the point of exhaustion. This was a hero who wasn’t fresh-eyed and ready to save the world. This version was a man who knew Gotham City was a sinking ship and all he could do was bale water in an attempt to slow it. His methods had devolved from surgical to blunt over the years and he was a man that was still driven but had lost his faith. For me, he’s the Batman that I’d been waiting for.
7. Margot Robbie– Harley Quinn
One of the most beloved characters in DC comics is Harley Quinn. So, there was a lot of pressure to get her right on the big screen. The version we got in Suicide Squad was a far cry from the vision Bruce Timm had when he created her or what we’ve come to know over the years in the comics. This one though proved to be exactly what DC movies needed though. Once again, I accept that people hated Suicide Squad (I thought it was fun). However, I’m still going to argue that it did a damn good job when it came to casting characters. Robbie is sexy, strong, and probably one of the smartest characters in the room (it’s just hard to tell through all that crazy). She uses the male gaze to her advantage, making her a third-wave feminist that isn’t afraid to knock your block off.
6. Zachary Levi– Shazam
I loved Shazam!! Honestly, I don’t think there is anyone better suited to the role than Zachary Levi. He had his work cut out for him playing a kid transformed into an adult through magic, and not just any adult, one that could give Superman a run for his money. Levi managed to capture that childlike sense of wonder without coming across as cheesy at all, which is much harder than it might seem. Even keeping the immature attitude intact, he managed to undergo an incredible heroic arch turning him into one of the best superheroes ever to appear in DC movies. Personally, I hope he becomes a major player in a future shared universe and even gets a chance to join the Justice League at some point.