Superhero movies have become the backbone of modern cinema, but not every scene from the genre’s past holds up today. While many moments still thrill and inspire audiences, others have aged poorly, sometimes to the point of secondhand embarrassment. With the bar constantly rising for superhero storytelling, some early attempts now feel awkward, outdated, or just plain bizarre.
In the spirit of reflection, revisiting these infamous scenes reveals how much comic book movies have evolved over the past two decades. What once passed for edgy, emotional, or even cool can now come off as campy or cringeworthy. And though some of these moments had genuine intentions behind them, time and changing audience expectations have not been kind.
There are at least 10 Marvel and DC scenes that have become notorious over the years for strange dialogue, offbeat direction, and visual effects that simply haven’t stood the test of time. These are the moments that fans often joke about, meme, or pretend never happened.
The Superhero Movie Moments That Haven’t Stood the Test of Time
Daredevil’s Playground Fight Scene – Daredevil (2003)
Ben Affleck's Daredevil featured a bizarrely light-hearted playground fight between Matt Murdock and Elektra. Complete with flips, wire-fu, and awkward flirtation, the scene tried to blend romantic tension with superhero action, but ended up feeling tonally off and unintentionally silly. It's now often cited as one of the clearest examples of early-2000s superhero misfires.
Batman Sparing Superman Over “Martha” – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
In Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), the climactic fight between Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill) ended abruptly when Superman gasps, “Martha,” referring to his mother, Martha Kent. Batman, whose mother shared the same name, pauses, stunned, and spares Superman’s life.
The decision to have Batman abandon his crusade against Superman simply because their mothers share a name has been widely mocked for years. Though intended as a moment of emotional vulnerability, it landed poorly with many viewers and spawned endless internet parodies.
Naming the Fantastic Four – Fant4stic (2015)
In the final scene of Fant4stic (2015), directed by Josh Trank, Reed Richards (Miles Teller) suggests that the team, which consists of Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan), Sue Storm (Kate Mara), and Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell), needs a name.
After the team fumbles through numerous terrible names, Ben remarks that their journey has been “fantastic,” prompting Reed to ask, “Say that again,” before declaring them the “Fantastic Four.” The hilariously awkward dialogue has been a meme for years. This film has so many mistakes, but the 2025 Fantastic Four: First Steps fixes them.
Talia al Ghul’s Death Scene – The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Marion Cotillard is a talented actress, but even she couldn’t salvage this awkward moment. Her character, Talia al Ghul, in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises (2012), died in a scene so stiff and rushed it felt like it was pulled from a soap opera. Despite the movie’s high tension, this death lacked the emotional weight expected from a Nolan film and has often been seen as a rare misstep.
Batman and Robin Bidding on Poison Ivy – Batman & Robin (1997)
Batman & Robin (1997) failed badly and on top of that, it has one of the most ridiculed scenes in comic book movie history happened during a charity auction, where Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) uses her pheromones to enchant a room full of Gotham’s elite, including Batman (George Clooney) and Robin (Chris O’Donnell). The auction turned into a bidding war between the two heroes, each trying to outbid the other for a night with Ivy. In a move to outbid Robin, Batman pulls out a shiny black “Bat-credit card” and says, “Never leave the cave without it.”
The Penguin’s Crude Catwoman Comment – Batman Returns (1992)
Tim Burton's Batman Returns is known for its dark, gothic tone, but Danny DeVito's Penguin often pushed the envelope. One scene, in particular, features a crude sexual remark toward Catwoman where he says “Just the pussy I’ve been looking for.” The line might've passed in 1992, but it now comes off as plain weird.
Basketball Scene – Catwoman (2004)
Halle Berry's Catwoman was a critical disaster, and the basketball court flirtation scene did not help matters at all. Full of awkward close-ups, confusing camera work, and forced sexual tension, it feels more like a music video than a superhero scene. It has since become a go-to reference for what not to do in action-romance hybrids.
Emo Peter Parker’s Dance – Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Sam Raimi's trilogy took a strange turn when Peter Parker got "edgy" under the influence of the symbiote. His jazz club dance and finger-gunning walk down the street turned the beloved character into a punchline. That scene is still the subject of countless memes and jokes.
Superman’s CGI Upper Lip – Justice League (2017)
When Henry Cavill had to keep his mustache for Mission: Impossible, Warner Bros. attempted to digitally remove it for Justice League reshoots, with laughable results. The uncanny valley CGI lip became an internet sensation, distracting from Superman's scenes and symbolizing the chaotic production behind the film. It further soiled the DCEU's image and highlighted their struggles to put out a decent film.
Mr. Fantastic’s Dance – Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
Reed Richards, one of Marvel's smartest characters, dancing in an overly stretchy, cartoonish way at his bachelor party was not on a lot of people's bingo card. In the scene, Reed stretches his body in comical ways, spinning to music in a sequence that feels forced and out of character for the typically reserved scientist. The dated CGI further makes it a forgettable moment from the film. The scene did nothing to advance the story and instead reduced a major character to comic relief. Hopefully, Marvel does not do that to Reed Richards in the highly rated upcoming Fantastic Four film.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
