As James Gunn's DCU starts taking shape following the recent releases of Superman and Peacemaker season 2, DC fans are getting nostalgic thinking about the former DCEU, which officially ended two years ago.
In a recent online conversation, hundreds of them remembered the franchise's best scenes, from Superman's first flight to Batman's action-packed warehouse scene, noting that "it wasn't all as bad" as some claim now.
In a Reddit thread titled "When the DCEU got things right man was it beautiful", users have shared some of their favorite moments from movies like Zack Snyder's Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman.
"Wonder Woman was such a damn good movie, so was the first Aquaman. Man of Steel not far behind. It wasn't all as bad as doomers like to claim," wrote one fan, while others praised the "top-notch" action from Snyder's films.
"Snyder had a good eye for visuals. That and Zimmer's scores were bits that I liked," wrote a user. "That shot of the sand and pebbles vibrating around Superman’s hand before he takes off had me dying to see Man of Steel," offered another.
A handful of fans agree that Ben Affleck's warehouse scene in Batman v Superman "is still the best sequence the character has had on the big screen easily", with others saying the film's "intro credits was too damn beautiful".
"I don't get the WW [Wonder Woman] slander lately," one Redditor complained, "For me it’s the perfect middle ground of Snyder’s visual style and action set pieces and heartfelt character centric scriptwriting. If more of the DCEU was like WW, we wouldn't be where we are."
Besides those defending the old DCEU, there were also some negative voices, calling out Snyder for his style-over-substance tendencies. "The cinematography was cool, yeah, but the characterization of almost every character was way off. My issue with the DCEU isn't that it looked bad, it's that the plot and characters betrayed the core emotional themes of its characters," wrote one fan.
Others decided to look at the future, building a bridge between the two DC sagas: "I like aspects of the DCEU and hopefully it'll be even better with the DCU. I'm looking forward to seeing the new releases next year."
If you want to know what's coming up in the superhero franchise, check out our guide on all upcoming DC movies and TV shows, including Supergirl and Clayface in 2026.
