When it comes to movie universes, not many fans would argue against the claim that DCEU is not structured particularly well. The movies themselves range from very, very good to very, very bad, but continuity is not a strong point at either end of this spectrum. Unfortunately, even fans of the DCEU agree that the universe is simply riddled with plot holes.
There are some plots that start and never conclude, and still, others that seem to come completely out of nowhere. Somewhere along the line, these plot holes may retroactively be fixed. Until then, however, it seems that everyone is happy enough just ignoring these glaring DCEU plot holes.
10 Jesse Kane Didn’t Have To Die —& He Should’ve Known That
Most of the reason that David Kane, also known as Black Manta, is angry at Aquaman is that Arthur Curry was partially responsible for the death of David’s father, Jesse Kane. Jesse was trapped underneath some sort of torpedo, and Aquaman didn’t help move the heavy object.
However, as the water was rising, the two skilled seamen would likely have been more than capable of using that water to assist in moving the object. Jesse seems incredibly impulsive and preemptive in blowing up the submarine in order to get his son out; it seems that the both of them just may have been able to survive this ordeal just fine, which perhaps may have been Aquaman’s intention in the first place.
9 Lex Luthor Inexplicably Escaped From Arkham Asylum
For Batman, there are fewer places he guards more strictly than Arkham Asylum. This is the location where most of his rogues end up locked up, especially some of the worst. Similarly, this is where Lex Luthor was imprisoned after the events of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
However, Lex Luthor is inexplicably able to escape from Arkham Asylum, seemingly completely by himself, and get into (presumably) international waters. Arkham Asylum is locked up so tight that there has to be an explanation for Lex’s escape for it to make any sense.
8 Bruce Wayne’s Identity Has Been Revealed Already
Bruce Wayne has to keep his real name and his identity as Batman completely separate. People not knowing who Batman is is actually a huge part of Batman, symbolically, and why the character is important to Bruce and to Gotham.
However, in the DCEU, it is revealed casually on a couple of occasions that Batman and Bruce Wayne are one and the same. Even Aquaman comments that Bruce Wayne “dresses up like a bat” in front of an entire town full of people, and Bruce doesn’t do a single thing about this.
7 Cyborg’s Relation To The Mother Box Is Unclear
While Zack Snyder’s Justice League sought to fix many of the gaping plot holes in the DCEU, it is not officially considered canon. As such, the original narrative must be followed —and, in this original narrative, Cyborg’s entire story is barely present.
How he came to exist, his ties to the Mother Box, and exactly how both of them work are incredibly unclear. It is explained in passing that Victor Stone’s father, Dr. Silas Stone, used the Mother Box to save his son after getting the object to study. Other than that, unfortunately, this is left as a weak plot hole in the universe.
6 The Knightmare Future Isn’t Actually Coming
Multiple times, DCEU films have teased a potential Knightmare future that Bruce Wayne sees during nightmare visions. While Zack Snyder wanted to realize this Knightmare storyline and continue on with these premonitions, the DCEU, unfortunately, has no intentions of doing so.
The fact that the DCEU will never actually lead up to a Knightmare storyline means that these visions are ultimately going nowhere, and will never make any sense as anything more than paranoid and delusional nightmares in the mind of an overworked Bruce Wayne. It’s unfortunate because Zack Snyder’s unique vision for the DCEU really could have set the universe apart from any other film franchise like it.
5 Wonder Woman Knows Random Information, But Not Universal Human Concepts
When Steve Trevor first encounters Diana Prince, her knowledge regarding the world of men seems to fluctuate wildly. She is able to recite passages of Ancient Greek writing to Steve Trevor without breaking a sweat. Apparently, she has read and accumulated a great amount of knowledge.
However, more minor concepts —such as marriage— seem to be beyond her. She even needs Steve Trevor to explain what marriage is to her, as if she has absolutely no idea what it is. In all of her readings, there is no way she has not encountered the concept of marriage before.
4 Clark Kent Came Back To Life, & Nobody Questioned It
After Superman —who is, of course, also Clark Kent— passed away in the DCEU, the films made a point of showing that Clark Kent was also killed. His death was announced in the papers, he had an entire funeral, and he has a grave where his body is buried. Despite this, Clark Kent appears to return to his normal life with absolutely no fanfare at all.
Clark Kent may try to fly under the radar, but anybody having an entire funeral and being buried, then returning to their regular routine, should certainly at least be cause for comment in either Smallville or Metropolis.
3 Even Diana’s “Secret” Identity Must Be Obvious By Now
Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent aren’t the only ones who have secret identities that aren’t so secret anymore. Diana Prince has been around as both herself and as Wonder Woman for some time by the 21st century. Not only is she relatively popular, but there are already photographs of her in existence with her face revealed that she posed for.
Presumably, there is now also extensive footage of Diana as Wonder Woman. In spite of this, nobody has ever acknowledged the fact that they are obviously the same woman. There is not even a Clark Kent-esque disguise to explain this; this is simply a plot hole and an oversight in the DCEU.
2 Most Movies Don’t Actually Reference One Another
Unlike the MCU or the Star Wars universe, which both practically trip over themselves to reference their other properties, the DCEU often fails to reference its own movies. Even when Batman is uniting metahumans to help prevent potential threats to Earth, he doesn’t mention the fact that he does very much know another team of super-powered individuals.
Whether or not Bruce morally agrees with the actions of characters like Harley Quinn is beside the point; when the entire Earth is threatened, Batman would likely be willing to overlook certain things to allow anti-heroes onto his team.
1 Batman Is Supposed To Be The World’s Greatest Detective
Part of what makes Bruce Wayne capable of being Batman in the first place is how intelligent the man is. His body is not the only weapon Bruce is in possession of. He’s often called the World’s Greatest Detective, and this title is not earned lightly. It takes a great deal of effort for Bruce Wayne to put together all the clues of different stories and solve the problems he does.
Despite this, Bruce Wayne is not able to put together simple clues in the DCEU. How this man became Batman— beyond his physical prowess— is not entirely clear, either, unfortunately, leaving yet another gaping plot hole in the DCEU as a whole.
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