10 Best Snyderverse Scenes, Ranked

Zack Snyder’s time at the helm of the DCEU was admittedly divisive, but one thing is for certain: the Snyderverse was capable of some truly breathtaking scenes. Though Zack Snyder left DC in 2017 during post-production for Justice League, the DCEU is still often referred to as the Snyderverse. Snyder left an indelible mark on the franchise, and some of the best DCEU movies were directed or produced by him.

The Snyderverse certainly had its ups and downs in the 10 years it existed, starting with Man of Steel in 2013 and ending with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in 2023. Some, such as Wonder Woman, were great from start to finish, while others, like The Flash, had a lot less to offer. While it wasn’t the most consistently great franchise, the DCEU still produced some great scenes and moments.

10

Superman vs. Faora-Ul and Nam-Ek (Man of Steel)

Man of Steel was far from the first Superman movie ever made, but it did have a few big advantages over its predecessors, and it managed to be the first to show Kal-El engaging in a comic-level fight. Previously, Superman films were limited by their technology and featured exciting but noticeably tamer fights than the comics they were based on. Superman’s fight with Faora-Ul and Nam-Ek in Man of Steel, however, didn’t have those technological limitations.

Thanks to CGI and Zack Snyder’s direction, Man of Steel proved that watching Superman fight could be just as thrilling in live-action as it is to read in comics. The sheer intensity of this fight scene in Smallville, from the colossal damages to the speed and ferocity of all the Kryptonians’ attacks, felt bigger and better than any Superman that came before. It was a treat to watch in 2013, and this fight still holds up to this day.

9

Harley Quinn’s Police Station Fight (Birds of Prey)

Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn was one of the best parts of the DCEU, and she also carried one of the franchise’s best scenes on her shoulders. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) showed why Harley was one of the Snyderverse’s best characters through her fight with a group of prisoners. Not only was it one of the best fight scenes in the DCEU, it also worked as a great character moment for Harley.

Harley’s prisoner fight in Birds of Prey was as chaotic as she is. The music, the sprinklers going off, the incredibly impressive acrobatics she deploys, and the absolutely brutal violence she inflicts with her baseball bat all fit perfectly with her character. It’s well-choreographed, well-scored, and it fits perfectly with Birds of Prey‘s larger theme of emancipating Harley as a character.

8

Lex Luthor Blackmails Superman (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)

Though it didn’t include a single punch, the scene in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice where Lex Luthor blackmails Superman after kidnapping his mother is just as tense as any fight. Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Lex Luthor was probably the most divisive part of Batman v Superman, but this scene validated his casting. In one moment, and just by mentioning Martha Kent, Lex goes from a whiny tech bro to a truly vile evil mastermind.

The shock of Lex’s plan was obviously the main highlight of this scene, but there’s also so many layers to it. Lex’s justification for hating Superman is surprisingly compelling, Martha’s kidnapping works as a perfect motivation to get Superman to fight Batman, and it also sets up the emotional payoff of the entire movie, when Batman saves Martha’s life for Superman. In a movie that was mainly marketed as one massive brawl, Lex’s blackmail scene is a surprisingly complex character moment.

7

Arthur Rides The Karathen (Aquaman)

The greatest moment Jason Momoa has as the Snyderverse’s Aquaman came in his first solo movie, Aquaman. The film ends with a climactic confrontation between Orm’s forces and the Kingdom of the Brine, and Arthur bursts onto the scene in tremendous fashion while riding the leviathan Karathen. A lot of the power of this scene comes from its place within Aquaman, as it’s a fittingly epic and satisfying conclusion to the massive underwater story.

Related

10 Strongest DC Movie Villains, Ranked By Threat Level

Several DC movie villains have displayed a great amount of physical and magical power, but some are naturally more dangerous than others.

Arthur riding the Karathen was the perfect climax to Aquaman and his own personal journey to accepting the crown, but the scene also had a lot going for it beyond those features. The CGI in this scene is top notch, the underwater battlefield looks as alien and beautiful as it could possibly be, and the Karathen itself is equal parts terrifying and mesmerizing.

6

The Flash Reverses Time (Zack Snyder’s Justice League)

One of the greatest scenes in the entire DCEU wasn’t even originally in it. Joss Whedon’s Justice League cut out one of the pivotal moments from Zack Snyder’s Justice League: when the Flash reverses time to thwart Steppenwolf and save the world. This was possibly the most dramatic, surprising, and thematically fitting in the entire movie. It was a perfect way to cap off Barry’s story, and it was one of the most surprising twists in superhero history.

The Flash turning back time was also, as with many of the Snyderverse’s other best scenes, a visual marvel. The way Snyder depicts super speed, with tendrils of lightning and slow motion galore, has very rarely been topped. The visuals, coupled with the tremendous musical score and the gravity of the entire scene in the context of the movie, easily earned it one of the DCEU’s top spots.

5

Superman Battles the Justice League (Zack Snyder’s Justice League)

One of the best scenes that appeared in both versions of Justice League was when Superman was first resurrected following his death in Batman v Superman. In his confused state, Superman began clashing with the other members of the Justice League, and he proved exactly why he’s the most powerful superhero in DC. To this day, it remains one of the greatest displays of Superman’s true power.

There are so many great little moments in Superman’s fight with the rest of the Justice League. Him pulling the lasso of truth from Wonder Woman, matching speed with the Flash, tossing Aquaman aside like he was nothing, and more cemented the scene as one of the Snyderverse’s best. The way it ended, with Lois calming Clark down, was also a perfect character moment that served as the cherry on top of an already great scene.

4

Superman Fights Steppenwolf (Zack Snyder’s Justice League)

Superman’s greatest fight scene in the entire DCEU came in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, when he finally took on Steppenwolf. This final fight had a lot of the same things that made Superman’s fight with the Justice League so great, like displays of Superman’s strength and speed, but it was also much more thematically rich. This time around, Superman was fighting with the Justice League, which only made the fight more enjoyable.

Superman’s fight with Steppenwolf also finally fulfilled Justice League‘s title and showed fans the full might of the Justice League working together. It was a highly anticipated moment in the movie and the DCEU as a whole, and Superman lived up to all the hype. This scene has some great action, choreography, VFX, and basically everything you could want out of a superhero team-up fight.

3

Batman’s Warehouse Fight (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)

Arguably the best fight scene in any of Batman’s movies, which is saying something, considering how many live-action Batman movies there have been, came from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. On the whole, Batman v Superman isn’t a shining example of the character, but Batman’s fight in the warehouse while he was saving Martha Kent’s life was one of the Dark Knight’s most thrilling battles ever.

If the rest of Batman v Superman had been more like the warehouse fight, it would have been remembered as a much better film. Everything about this scene works. Batman’s utterly brutal and violent fighting methods, the various ways he takes down bad guys, the look and feel of the scene’s cinematography, and even the tension and emotional stakes at play with Martha’s life on the line made for a battle that kept viewers on the edge of their seats.

2

Wonder Woman’s No Man’s Land Walk (Wonder Woman)

One of the best parts of Wonder Woman, and something that defined the Snyderverse as a whole, was its unique mix of fantastic power and grounded, realistic settings. No scene demonstrates that unique combination as well as Wonder Woman’s march through No Man’s Land. It had a perfect balance of real and personal stakes for both Diana and the soldiers with absolutely awe-inspiring power.

Diana’s initial walk conjured up grand images of her power, but this scene also has the double benefit of having an incredible fight scene to bookend it. Her fight with the German soldiers was one of the most action-packed and intense brawls in the entire DCEU. Wonder Woman also has the distinction of being one of the best examples of the use of slow-motion in the Snyderverse, as it used slow-mo much more sparingly and effectively than other installments did.

1

Superman’s First Flight (Man of Steel)

It’s somewhat fitting that the first movie of the DCEU also produced its best scene. The first time Henry Cavill’s Superman took flight in Man of Steel is one of the most unforgettable moments in superhero movie history. There are a lot of really magical parts of this scene, from the feeling of speed and wonder at Superman’s abilities to the drop-dead gorgeous cinematography and VFX work.

While Superman’s first flight is a visual wonder, it’s what the scene represented that makes it the best of the Snyderverse. This moment in Man of Steel was a proof of concept that Zack Snyder was doing something really special. It was the perfect marriage of DC’s history (the tagline “You will believe a man can fly” springs to mind) with the technological prowess and modern VFX of Snyder’s direction.

Superman’s first flight was simply awe-inspiring, and it stands as a testament to the best parts of the DCEU. When it worked, the Snyderverse boasted jaw-dropping visuals, heart-pounding tension and momentum, and a perfect understanding of why these DC characters have remained so compelling for so long. Superman’s first flight had all of that and more, and it’s easily the best scene the DCEU ever produced.