2023 has been a rather hit-and-miss year for superhero movies and TV shows. As Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom looks to end both the year and the DC Extended Universe, the fact James Wan has confirmed neither Ben Affleck nor Michael Keaton's Batman will make their planned cameos has been getting us thinking.
Looking back at the year's Marvel and DC adaptations, there were a lot of cameos...and, unfortunately, not all of them worked.
In this feature, we're taking a deep dive into those which left us feeling underwhelmed; Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Flash, and more have all made the cut and we think you'll be surprised by the names included. While we got to see some great characters on screen (some for the first time), these cameos just didn't hit the right note.
So, to check out the year's worst Marvel and DC cameos, you just need to click on the "Next" button below...
8. Emilia Harcourt And John Economos
It quickly became apparent that Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson didn't want his anti-hero to ever cross paths with Shazam, but Warner Bros. still set out to link both franchises in Shazam! Fury of the Gods' mid-credits scene.
In that, Peacemaker's Emilia Harcourt and John Economos show up to recruit Billy Batson to the Justice Society. He infuriates them and the teaser never really leads anywhere; that aside, it's just a dumb stinger which features cameos from two characters who have no real reason to be here (James Gunn wasn't a fan either).
The DCEU making it so that Amanda Waller is in charge of Task Force X and the Justice Society remains one of the franchise's biggest head-scratchers, that's for sure.
7. Mrs. Chen
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse featured a lot of memorable cameos, and while it was disappointing to see archival footage used for Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's web-slingers, it worked better than whatever this was.
Recycling footage from Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Mrs. Chen ended up coming face-to-face with The Spot in a sequence which didn't mean much to anyone. If Tom Hardy, for example, wasn't available, then it would have been better to forego a live-action sequence like this altogether.
At least we still had Donald Glover as The Prowler! As for Mrs. Chen, this was unnecessary on so many levels.
6. Rick Mason
Secret Invasion is a storyline that should have had major consequences for the wider MCU. Instead, it was a largely forgettable affair which served as a showcase for Samuel L. Jackson and little else.
Still, with The Marvels set to follow just a few short months later and Nick Fury confirmed to be part of the movie, it seemed like we'd get something to set the stage for that. We didn't. However, Marvel Studios brought back a largely forgettable Black Widow supporting character in fixer Rick Mason.
On the one hand, we appreciated seeing some connectivity between projects, but c'mon, how could we be anything other than disappointed by Rick showing up instead of Captain Marvel?
5. M.O.D.O.K.
Admittedly, an argument could be made that M.O.D.O.K. was a supporting character rather than a mere cameo in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Either way, this guy was bad enough that he needs to receive a mention here.
On the one hand, bringing Darren Cross/Yellowjacket back as the Quantum Realm's M.O.D.O.K. was a genius idea. What sadly didn't help was the fact a punchline was made out of his creation ("LOL, look at his tiny butt!") and the fact his story arc revolved around no longer being a "dick."
The fact he died was the cherry on this underwhelming sundae and it's going to be tough to get over this iconic villain being utilised in such an underwhelming manner.
4. The Council Of Kangs
Jonathan Majors may or may not clear his name in the days ahead, but it's hard to fault his work as He Who Remains in Loki or as Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania's Kang the Conqueror. When it came to the latter's post-credits scene, though, Majors hammed it up in the worst way possible.
Seeing Rama-Tut, Immortus, and Scarlet Centurion appearing on screen for the first time should have been nothing short of epic. Instead, the actor looked and sounded like he was auditioning for a role in a Joel Schumacher Batman movie.
As things stand, we have zero interest in seeing these Variants again unless some major changes are made. Perhaps Marvel Studios added this scene in a rush; whatever the case may be, it might just be best for that whole Council of Kangs to be wiped out in one go!
3. Wonder Woman
We're going to cheat a little here and count not one, but two of Wonder Woman's 2023 cameos. Gal Gadot reprised the role in both Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash and, sadly, wasn't particularly good in either of them.
In the former, the Amazon warrior was used as little more than a way to allow Shazam to cheat death. It was silly, forced, and failed to resonate in the way intended. Also not helping matters was the fact Warner Bros. decided to spoil the scene in advance, robbing the moment of any real impact.
Then, there's The Flash. Also pointless, Diana Prince was only really there to make Batman look dumber than he already did and the hero showing up to that familiar theme us beyond stale at this stage; hey, at least we got to find out Barry Allen is a virgin?
2. Valkyrie
The Marvels' best cameo was, of course, Beast. Was Valkyrie its worst? It would be unfair to say that, though it felt largely superfluous and the fact Marvel Studios trimmed out a key line of dialogue was beyond disappointing.
Yes, there was a time when these two sharing the screen would have seen us receive confirmation about them being romantically involved. Instead, Disney decided against upsetting a certain section of fandom and used Valkyrie as little more than a lazy way to get rid of the Skrulls.
That was also a plot point which made no sense; in Secret Invasion, President Ritson declared war on Earth's aliens but we're meant to believe King Valkyrie was willing to harbour the aliens in New Asgard. Does she plan to go to war with humankind?
1. The Flash's Chronobowl
We could have written an entire feature about The Flash's dreadful Chronobowl cameos, but it seemed more time-efficient to lump them all together here. Whether it's the cartoonish Henry Cavill - "He was meant to look that way!" some will cry - or the ghoulish Multiversal heroes, nothing about these worked.
Nicolas Cage finally got to play Superman and was thrown into a poorly realised action scene he never agreed to. Christopher Reeve was resurrected as a waxwork dummy and a nobody was enlisted to play Jay Garrick.
Someone clearly believed these would make fans happy. Instead, they just made them scoff at the notion The Flash was anywhere close to being "the greatest superhero movie ever made." Also cringe-inducing was George Clooney's return as Batman in the movie's closing moments.