Over the years, Hollywood has made many efforts to bring the beloved characters of Detective Comics to life in film. Several different directors have tried their hands at bringing some of the most important heroes of the superhero mythos, like Batman and Superman, to the big screen. Results have varied, with some of these movies being adored by fans, and others leaving a lot to be desired.

However, many can agree that in recent times, DC movies have vastly improved in quality. Some heavy-hitting have hit the box office, some of which having the most entertaining and recognizable endings around. These recent examples have the best and most memorable endings to come out of DC movies.

5 Shazam!

Heroics And Cameos

The live-action adaption of the comic hero named ‘Captain Marvel’ was considered by fans to be one of the best DC films at the time of its release, making them eager for better things to come in the DCEU. Shazam has always been a unique hero. Despite being a full-fledged member of the Justice League in most iterations, Billy is only a child. His powers were bestowed onto him by a wizard, granting him the transformation ability to assume the appearance of a grown man, as well as the powers of Greek gods.

As the film moves forward, the main villain, Sivana, realizes Billy’s identity. He takes Billy’s foster siblings hostage, and Billy agrees to give up his powers to save them. They use the Rock of Eternity’s staff to transfer powers, only for Billy to use the staff to transform his foster siblings into superheroes. The Shazam Family fights against the Sins, and Billy and his siblings are proper heroes. Together, the group sends the Sins back to prison and uses the Rock of Eternity as their superhero headquarters.

In the mid-credits scene, Billy helps his friend Freddie, who has a history of being bullied, earn major popularity points by inviting a member of the Justice League to their school lunch: the Man of Steel himself.

4 The Suicide Squad

Villains Defying Expectations

In this sequel/reboot to the original Suicide Squad film from 2016, new DC director James Gunn repeated all the good parts of the 2016 film and discarded all the bad. The 2021 re-do keeps the original premise of the 2016 film (as well as all other Suicide Squad iterations): the team must complete a covert mission for Amanda Waller. The mission’s success means a reduced prison sentence, while failure to complete the mission will result in their deaths.

The team includes a mixture of famous and obscure DC villains, including Bloodsport, Harley Quinn, Peacemaker, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man, and Ratcatcher 2. Waller orders the squad to find Flag, who has escaped military capture. They capture the Thinker and find Starro the Conqueror, a government-funded alien experiment.

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As the film winds down, the Suicide Squad disobeys Waller’s orders to save the people from Starro’s wrath, risking their lives to do the one thing they were never expected to do: be heroic. In the end, they save the day for the first time in their lives, making for a satisfying conclusion to the soft reboot.

3 The Joker

The Birth Of A DC Villain

• Director: Todd Phillips
• Release Date: August 31, 2019 (Venice), October 4, 2019 (United States)

In this strange take on the Clown Prince of Crime, viewers are treated to a somewhat sympathetic but brutally dark origin story that explains, but doesn’t excuse, the way the Joker turned out. This is a rare case in which the Joker gets a definitive explanation as to his background. Audiences go through the daily life of DC’s most prolific villain before he became Batman’s archnemesis.

Viewers see Arthur Fleck suffering from an uncontrollable laughing disorder, being mistreated at work, being a failed comedian, being financially burdened and devastatingly lonely. As time goes on, he becomes more unhinged, more unable to deal with the pain life deals him. This culminates in him being brought onto a talk show for the sole purpose of mocking him.

By this point in the film, he has donned his official Joker costume and makeup and has gone off the deep end. Arthur kills the host, Murray, on live television. He is arrested as riots break out across the city. Some of these rioters sympathize with and free him, showing their reverence for the Joker as they cheer him on. Later, at Arkham, the Joker refuses to cooperate with a therapist. He makes haste to escape, leaving bloody footprints and letting viewers know that his transformation into the Clown Prince of Crime is complete.

2 Watchmen

A Villainous Masterstroke

• Director: Zack Snyder
• Release Date: February 23, 2009 (Odeon Leicester Square), March 6, 2009 (United States)

Some may argue that Watchmen does not count as part of the DC franchise. However, the connection between the universes of Superman and Dr. Manhattan is apparent, especially in the Doomsday Clock comics, which show they exist in the same DC multiverse. Fewer fans, though, will argue about the movie having a very memorable ending.

The movie takes audiences to a world where vigilantism is much more common, where donning a costume and fighting crime can be considered a genuine profession. None of these heroes have superpowers, except for one. Dr. Manhattan is an atomic physicist who, through a laboratory accident, basically made himself a bright blue god. Years later, all vigilantism is outlawed, super-powered or not.

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The main heroes of this universe end up coming out of retirement after learning someone is killing off old vigilantes, with the threat of nuclear war as a backdrop. Heroes and vigilantes Rorschach, Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl, and Silk Sceptre find out that the villain behind all the conspiracies was their former teammate Ozymandias, The Smartest Man Alive. They arrive ‘just in time’ to stop his plan of detonating bombs in major cities to unite the world against the common threat of Dr. Manhattan, only for Ozymandias to reveal he had already completed his plan.

The heroes are forced to give up, since the damage has already been done. Dr. Manhattan leaves humanity and Rorschach is killed. It’s a rare case in which a superhero movie shows the villain winning in the end. However, the final shots of Rorschach’s journal hint that Ozymandias might be exposed for all he had done.

1 The Dark Knight Rises

The Death Of Batman

• Director: Christopher Nolan
• Release Date: July 16, 2012 (New York City), July 20, 2012 (United States and United Kingdom)

In the final installment in the highly acclaimed Christopher Nolan trilogy, audiences saw Christian Bale portray the Dark Knight himself for the last time. The Dark Knight Rises introduces a new Batman villain, Bane, a former member of the League of Shadows. Eight years after Harvey Dent’s death, Bane is looking to change the years of organized-crime-free Gotham. This causes Batman to return, only to be badly defeated, his body broken.

It takes five months for Batman to recover and return, where he faces off against Bane and his army. Batman beats Bane, but bears further injuries. Catwoman helps him kill Bane, as Batman aims to prevent a bomb threat. Eventually, he realizes he cannot stop the detonation. He uses his aerial vehicle to carry the bomb over the bay, where it can explode with no further harm.

As far as most people know, Batman died that day, commemorated as the hero who saved Gotham one final time. But a few knew that Bruce Wayne was not dead. His greatest companion, Alfred, sees him in Florence in an iconic ending scene where the two acknowledge each other with a silent gesture.

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