The DCEU is an enigmatic franchise, and the release of Black Adam has only added to its mystery.
Almost a decade into its run, the DCEU has introduced several fan-favorite characters, settings, and mythologies from the comics. However, many of these elements feel as though they have only been explored partially, both within their individual films, and within the larger context of the franchise.
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From enigmatic characters to unresolved conflicts, the DCEU has no shortage of mysteries to unravel in future films. Many inconsistencies, plot holes, or yet-to-be-revealed secrets could be easily addressed and uncovered within a single movie. Others will require multiple films to complete the puzzle of the DCEU’s overarching story.
Spoilers ahead for Black Adam (2022). Please proceed with caution.
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10/10What Is Black Canary’s Backstory?
In Birds Of Prey, Or: The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020), viewers met Jurnee Smollett’s Dinah Lance, the Black Canary. Renee Montoya mentions that Dinah’s mother used to be an informant for the GCPD, and Montoya knows about Dinah’s supersonic scream. This suggests that, as is true in the comics, Dinah’s mother was the first Black Canary, but it does not confirm this.
Even with these details, Dinah remains the most mysterious character in the film. Where did she learn to fight so well? Does she know Green Arrow (and does he exist in this continuity)? And, of course, is she touring any time soon?
9/10Which Members Of The Bat Family Exist In The Primary Continuity?
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Alfred Pennyworth has featured heavily alongside Batman, and Cassandra Cain was introduced in Birds of Prey. However, the studio’s cancelation of the Batgirl film leaves an information vacuum, particularly about the Batman Family. Its production suggests Barbara Gordon exists in the DCEU, but possibly on a different Earth than Ben Affleck’s Batman.
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In Zack Snyder’s cut of Justice League (2021), a scene set in a possible future reveals the Joker taunting Batman about his failure to protect “an adopted son,” and audiences can only infer he means Dick Grayson, based on details in Batman v. Superman. Nonetheless, DC has claimed that the Snyder Cut isn’t canonical. Even if it is, this leaves Batwoman, Red Hood, Red Robin, Spoiler, and Damian Wayne entirely unaccounted for.
8/10Where Is Hawkgirl?
Aldis Hodge, who portrays Hawkman, admitted that Hawkgirl’s absence in Black Adam (2022) is intentional. This begs the question: Why?
Notably, Hawkman tells Doctor Fate point-blank that he does not fear death. While this might just be the mentality of a hero committed to his mission, it could also point to his background in the comics. In many timelines, Carter and Sheira Hall are reincarnating souls tethered to one another. It might be that Sheira has already died in the current generation, and Carter does not fear death as he will be reunited with and reincarnated alongside Sheira when he dies.
7/10Do Any Of The Heroes Have Protégés?
Batman’s age in the DCEU changes the dynamic of the Justice League. Batman’s career is already in its third decade in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). Said Ben Affleck, “[He is] an older and wiser version, particularly as he relates to Henry Cavill’s Superman character.”
This means Batman is old enough to (at least) have adopted Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, though neither have been mentioned explicitly. Meanwhile, the rest of the League’s major players do not seem prepared to take on a protégé anytime soon: Aquaman was only recently crowned King of Atlantis, Flash just got comfortable running into conflict, and there has been no mention of an Amazon fleeing Themyscira and having a child with a human man (à la Donna Troy’s origin story).
6/10Is The Penultimate Scene In The Snyder Cut A Real Possibility?
The second-to-last scene of Zack Snyder’s Justice League reveals a potential future in which Batman lets Lois Lane die, and a grief-stricken Superman becomes a despot (possibly allying himself with Darkseid). The scene is revealed to be Bruce Wayne’s nightmare, albeit a lucid one. Furthermore, the Joker specifically asks Batman about alternate timelines in the dream.
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Immediately after Bruce wakes in a cold sweat, Martian Manhunter introduces himself to Bruce. It is, therefore, possible that Manhunter, a telepath, fed Bruce the scene in his dream. No matter the dream’s source, its relevance to the franchise is obscure.
5/10Where Does The Primary Continuity Fit Into The Multiverse?
DC’s Multiverse is an already complicated system for organizing various timelines, dimensions, and realities. Complicating this further is the variation in media: Some Earths in the Multiverse are home to certain comics, others to television shows, and some to films. For example, Young Justice (2010-) exists on Earth-16, while “Prime Earth” is currently in the main continuity for most comics in publication. Meanwhile, the Arrowverse is its own separate Multiverse.
The DCEU, however, has not made meaningful mention of alternate Earths. While the end of Zack Snyder’s Justice League addresses the existence of diverging timelines, no other film has brought up the possibility of different, coexisting realities.
4/10Why Isn’t The League In League With The Society?
While it seems that the Justice Society is government-sanctioned, whereas the Justice League is run by its members, their common interests suggest they should cooperate regularly. In the comics, many heroes are members of both teams.
Yet when Darkseid’s cronies invaded Earth in Justice League (2017), none of the Society’s members came up in Bruce Wayne’s search for meta-humans, nor did any volunteer to help. Furthermore, Black Adam reveals that Superman is somehow involved with Waller’s operations (and, by extension, the Society). Whether he learned of the Society before or after the Justice League’s formation is unclear.
3/10What Is Martian Manhunter’s Backstory?
Martian Manhunter only appears in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which Warner Bros. claims doesn’t share continuity with other DCEU films. Still, why allow Snyder to introduce the character if not to use him in future films?
Of most note, the Snyder Cut reveals that Martha Kent, visiting Lois Lane at her apartment, is actually a shapeshifted Martian Manhunter, encouraging Lois to return to the Daily Planet. The corresponding scene in the film’s theatrical cut sees Martha visiting Lois in the office, and there is no such reveal. Snyder’s take suggests Martian Manhunter has been engaging with the DCEU’s heroes behind the scenes for a while now.
2/10Which Other Metas Are In Suspended Animation In Waller’s Holding Cells?
In Black Adam, Teth Adam willingly surrenders to the Justice Society, concerned his power will inevitably harm the innocent Kandaqi people he seeks to protect. The Society brings him to an undersea complex, overseen by Emilia Harcourt and Amanda Waller, where he is placed in suspended animation within a specialized holding cell.
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1/10What Happened To Deadshot?
Suicide Squad (2016) is one of DC’s messier films. However, many praised Will Smith’s take on Floyd Lawton, AKA Deadshot, who is a frequent participant in Task Force X in the comics and the DCAU.
Though The Suicide Squad (2021) director James Gunn included another assassin with a similar skill set and an equally complicated relationship with his daughter, Idris Elba’s Bloodsport, Smith’s absence from Task Force X was tangible. Even an aside from Harley Quinn or Rick Flagg about Lawton’s release from prison would have put this mystery to rest.
