Stating the Obvious: The DCEU Has a Toxic Actor Problem
A look at a pair of problematic actors from the DCEU, as well as their refusal to remove them from their films
Hard to believe, but the DC Extended Universe celebrated 10 years on June 10, 2023. It was on June 20, 2013 that the film, Man of Steel, hit the big screen and kicked off DC's equivalent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that began five years prior. Man of Steel began Henry Cavill's stint as Superman, and also featured Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, Michael Shannon as General Zod, and Antje Traue as Faora-Ul.
It would be nearly three years until the DCEU's second film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice came out, and that marked three debuts: Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Months later, Suicide Squad became the third film, while Gadot's Wonder Woman received her own film in 2017. I wasn't into superheroes that much as a kid; I watched the 1989 Batman film quite a bit, but that was about it. I started making up for it by watching the Marvel movies, beginning with Iron Man, which came out on May 2, 2008, and yes, I've been watching the DC movies, too, though I'm ashamed to say that I'm a bit behind on the DCEU (actually both universes).
However, there seems to be a problem in the DCEU--well, problems. Let's start with the obvious one.
The moment I've dreaded is here: DCEU's The Flash has hit theaters. The main reason why I've dreaded this day can be summed up in two words: Ezra Miller. This is not Miller's first time as Barry Allen/The Flash; they actually debuted in the aforementioned Batman v Superman film, and appeared in Suicide Squad as well. Miller reprised the role again in Justice League, which marked the debut of Jason Momoa as Aquaman, and was in the director's cut release that came out in 2021. So what has happened with Ezra Miller since beginning their stint as The Flash? Oh, nothing much...just a wave of psychotic behavior and sickening criminal actions, that's all.
Marijuana possession in 2011, and strangling a woman in 2020, but in 2022...oh boy. A physical altercation at a karaoke bar, terrorizing a couple, having armed assault rifles in front of infants and children, burglary, and the ultimate centerpiece...grooming an underage girl from the age 12 up until 18!!!! That is such a stacked criminal scorecard, yeesh! Yet not only has DC and Warner Bros. really done nothing about this, but Miller is on the big screen right now playing The Flash. Unbelievable. This whole thing reeks of White privilege; if a BIPOC actor had one-tenth of Miller's criminal scorecard, we'd never see them again. Oh, and we keep hearing about Miller's mental health issues, and while I do take mental health seriously, it should not be a crutch for Miller's behavior. Without question, I flat out refuse to watch anything Miller's in anymore, and that includes the Flash movie.
However, Ezra Miller isn't the only problem in the DCEU...
I've been on Vocal for over two years, and I've never addressed the Amber Heard situation fully until now. Once upon a time, I was a huge Amber Heard fan. I watched quite a bit of her films; Machete Kills, 3 Days to Kill, the 2009 reboot of The Stepfather, you name it. Then the shit with her and Johnny Depp came out, and back then, I took no sides, I was only down about them splitting, because I thought they were a cool couple. Then in September of 2019, I heard the bombshell: Amber Heard lied about being abused by Depp; she was the actual abuser, and she's caught on tape boasting that she would pin it all on Depp. When that came out, I turned in my fan card right then and there.
Actually, I'm being too generous. What I actually did with that fan card was tear it up, pour gasoline on it, and set that sumbitch on fire!
I was done with her. Totally done. I refused to watch any of Amber Heard's upcoming films. I refused to rewatch any of her stuff that I had seen before. Amber Heard is the only reason why I don't have Aquaman on DVD/Blu-Ray; she played Mera in that film. Dead serious. But similar to Ezra Miller, DC and Warner Bros.--to this day--still plan on featuring Heard as Mera in the upcoming Aquaman sequel, which had been in development for years until it was set to be released at the end of 2023. There have even been petitions to have Amber Heard fired from the sequel, and I know this because I actually signed one of them!
I truly love the DCEU, but they should be ashamed of themselves for keeping not one, but two highly problematic actors in their films. Ezra Miller's rap sheet is longer than a Canadian football field and immensely disgusting, yet they're on the big screen right now as I'm writing this and as you're reading this. Amber Heard literally dismantled Johnny Depp's career due to her outright, boldfaced lies, and is also a sociopathic abuser, yet in December of this year, she'll be back as Mera in the Aquaman sequel. The bottom line is this: the DCEU needs to stop promotion Miller and Heard, and Warner Bros. needs to grow a set and actually, oh, I don't know, hold them accountable!
About the Creator
Enjoyed the story? Support the Creator.
Subscribe for free to receive all their stories in your feed. You could also pledge your support or give them a one-off tip, letting them know you appreciate their work.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Keep reading
More stories from Clyde E. Dawkins and writers in Geeks and other communities.
Villainess Review: Stephanie Carson (Motive)
One of my all time favorite crime shows is, without question, Motive--mainly because of the format. While most shows use the traditional "whodunit" format, Motive is one of the select few shows that use the "howcatchem" format, meaning that we know who the killer is from jumpstreet. The most famous "howcatchem" program is, of course, Columbo, though we've also seen it played out in select episodes of Monk, Matlock, and on the Peacock series, Poker Face (which is basically a modern day Columbo). Regarding this series, while the killer and victim are revealed in the series, the true motive still has to be determined.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Geeks
RunPee App
I was going through the stories I wrote way before Vocal and found a series I’d penned on the American movie industry. I covered the economics of making and distributing movies, the ways the movie industry responds to modern challenges such as MeToo movement and the streaming technologies, and other topics, including some movie reviews.
By Lana V Lynx6 days ago in Geeks
Comments (5)
I find Johnny Depp something of a complex case: His drinking and drug abuse was causing problems on-set long before the Amber Heard allegations came to light, and I think he's very over-rated by fans who can't separate him from the Jack Sparrow character: a many-layered complexity who you are never quite sure is showing his true face. But Amber is basically in exile from Hollywood now, and it seems like all of Depp's previous bad behaviour - of which there is plenty - is being swept under the rug because of the mutual abuse. Agree about Ezra Miller, though. If any Actress or non-white actor had done a fraction of what he has, they'd have been blacklisted after the first instance.
Wow, this was Deep and the production process is a mess so it would be hard to replace certain Actors❤️💯🎯But Due to their unpredictable behaviors, production is using them to bring in additional Clout for the Movie 🎬
I agree that there’s a toxic issue. It’s a toxic culture issue that’s the problem. But, let’s put a true picture together. The only reason Miller stayed as Flash was because so much had been done. Shelving what they had would’ve been a 250 million dollar loss. Had this been under another studio house we might’ve seen it go down that way, but warners faced some serious set backs and losses leaving them with hard choices. Aqua man and Mera are kind of in the same boat. They had her under contract to play the part, faced cuts from losses and some dismal returns. The company was well aware of the fan backlash. They’re just trying to recoup some of their investment. The culture in Hollywood hasn’t shown a lot of white privilege in these situations. Look at Kevin Spacey, Johnny Depp, Danny Masterson and Charlie Sheen as examples. One off to prison, one lost a lucrative franchise because of a lying bitch, one canceled for his antics, and one cancelled because he’s just bad. Had Johnathan Majors been done with Kang before he got arrested his story might’ve been different. But they hadn’t filmed any of his second or third appearance and it looks like he didn’t have a multi year contract. So, I disagree with the white privilege statement, having followed Ezra’s and Amber heards stories and press releases from the production companies the past few years. Flash was a one shot deal and millers toast now. They had already put in too much not to try to recoup, and Amber heard had a contract they were stuck with. That wasn’t white privilege, that was Warner being stuck behind the 8 ball with no better options.
I agree with you, the movie should be boycotted but it will affect other actors . I wonder who are the producers?
What I find disturbing is how Ezra Miller is being handled. He's done worse than Amber Heard. She's been villified and is somewhat living in exile. Ezra Miller gets to roam free. He should be blacklisted like Amber Heard, but with a twist and a bit of stank on it.