The DC Extended Universe has been around for nearly a decade. With this amount of material, there are tropes and traits from the franchise that are apparent. For every enemy Superman has punched into oblivion, there's another that Wonder Woman has battled along the same lines. Similarly, conflicts that the Justice League has faced as a group contained the general outline that the Suicide Squad had. 

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What’s fascinating is that the movies can be predicted once these things are noted, as just about every entry features these aspects. In effect, if a fan checks out a movie like Man of Steel, they can predict what will happen in Birds of Prey despite the differences in their stories. These aren’t weaknesses or signs of failure but the habitual characteristics of this cinematic universe.

An Elaborate Introduction Sequence

Jor-El looks at his wife holding baby Kal

It’s never a short intro where the DCEU is concerned. The movies generally start off with an elongated sequence that sets up the rest of the film’s events but are detached enough for it to be clear that the bulk of the story’s material isn’t shown in the opening.

For instance, Amanda Waller spends a lot of time summing up the characters that will show up in Suicide Squad during the intro, which is similar to Man of Steel where the past of Krypton is drawn out before baby Kal-El is evacuated. Batman v Superman spends a significant amount of time showing the death of Bruce's parents, while Wonder Woman 1984 details Diana's loneliness without Steve Trevor.

The Hero Is Faced With Moral Choices

Superman kills Zod in Man of Steel

Simply being the protagonist of the story isn’t enough in the DCEU, as the main character always ends up having to make a moral choice. This has been seen with characters like Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, and even the Suicide Squad.

The issue of morality comes from situations such as taking a life for the greater good, making sacrifices in exchange for losing loved ones, or foregoing personal benefit to doing the right thing. These are generally in place for the DCEU heroes to establish how being the hero doesn’t have as many perks as it might appear.

The Heroes Unlock New Powers Or Abilities

Diana Prince flying in Wonder Woman 1984

Near the end of the movie, the protagonists are almost certain to bring out abilities that weren’t shown before. This was evident in instances like Diana unlocking her comic book powers in Wonder Woman 1984, Aquaman getting his trident, Shazam’s family gaining their powers, and the Flash using the full power of the speed force in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

It’s also shown in characters who don’t have superpowers, such as the Suicide Squad members tapping into abilities that they didn’t exhibit before. The purpose of this trope is to show how the DCEU protagonists need to dig deep to realize their true potential.

A Twist In The Final Battle

Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman team up in Batman V Superman

In the DCEU, simply beating the villain isn’t enough, as the story brings in a twist to the proceedings. This leads to the heroes having to battle once again.

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This was shown in instances like Superman’s sacrifice in Dawn of Justice, the Flash having to reverse time for the heroes to fight Steppenwolf again in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and the reveal of Ares being the main villain in Wonder Woman, among other revelations.

A Slow-Motion Sequence

The Justice League stand together after their truimph

In movies directed by Zack Snyder, slow-motion sequences are par for the course. But other DCEU films indulge in this trope, usually during scenes where the characters demonstrate surprise attacks or where the director wants to stress upon a power move.

In movies like Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey, the use of slow-motion is for the benefit of comedy, as these sequences highlight the over-the-top nature of the characters. Ultimately, this device is something that’s not really restricted to action or comedic moments and can show up at any moment.

Heavy CGI Use In Battles

Shazam fights Sivana

While it may seem obvious that computer-generated effects are needed for superhero movies, the DCEU has a higher reliance on them compared to other movies in the genre. The use of CGI is emphasized to greater degrees in battle sequences.

These leave no room for any authentic fight scenes, with just about everything that’s shown clearly a work of the CGI team. All of the battles in superpowered heroes' movies like AquamanWonder Woman, and Shazam! have the heroes battle in scenarios where stuff like flying, city-level destruction, and super strength show the characters looking graphically altered.

At Least One Character Serves As Comic Relief

Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang in The Suicide Squad

It wouldn’t be the DCEU if there weren’t some cheesy moments in every movie. Despite being tagged as a darker interpretation of the superhero genre, there are still a few characters thrown in for the sake of keeping things on the lighter side.

This has gotten more evident as the series has progressed, so much so that comedic characters have become the norm. In Suicide Squad, Captain Boomerang had no purpose other than to dole out wisecracks, apart from which he accomplished nothing else. Even Lex Luthor, who was the villain in Dawn of Justice, was over-the-top and cracked jokes every few seconds. 

The Presence Of Secondary Villains

Steppenwolf holds a man by his neck

For all the power the villains possess, they still seem to have secondary antagonists face the heroes before arriving themselves. DCEU movies don’t present just the one villain, as there’s always a lower-scope baddie in the mix.

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The usual scenario sees the secondary antagonists appear more frequently to face the heroes until the main villain arrives near the climax. A whole array of characters such as these have appeared including Steppenwolf, Black Manta, Faora-Ul, Cheetah, and many more.

Placement Of Sequel Hooks

Batman and Joker in Justice League Knightmare

It’s a safe bet that a DCEU movie will set up its sequel. These have ranged from subtle hooks like Mister Mind’s villainous proposal to Dr. Sivana in Shazam! to the Knightmare future seen by Bruce Wayne in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

Stories are rarely one-and-done in the DCEU due to the shared universe concept and the developers wanting fans to have a motivation to return for the sequel that will likely close out these plot threads.

Ending Has The Heroes' Demonstrating Their Powers Or Attributes

Aquaman gets his trident

The final scene or the lead-up to the conclusion in a DCEU movie leaves viewers with an image of the heroes demonstrating their trademark powers or mannerisms. In the case of characters like Aquaman and Wonder Woman, they’re shown swimming or flying, respectively, while non-powered characters like Joker and Harley Quinn showcase wild behavior.

Overall, the reason why this practice exists is for the movie to sign off with a final look into the main attributes of the characters. It’s a cliche move but it still works to get fans pumped for the next one.

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