by Computer-generated imagery can make or break a movie, and superhero movies in particular rely on such effects. VFX artists pour all their sweat and tears into bringing comic book heroes and villains to life, and they don’t always get the recognition they deserve.
However, when these artists don’t have the right technology or are under tight deadlines, the resulting CGI can be so terrible that people on the internet will never let it go. While not everything in a movie can be 100% perfect, there have been a handful of superhero movies with scenes or characters that could have used more time in post-production.
10. Axl’s floating head (Thor: Love and Thunder)
Director Taika Waititi the second Thor the film has been a punching bag for disgruntled fans since its 2022 release. One thing they seemed most concerned about was the appearance of young Axl as a floating head while magically talking to Thor.
It’s clear that Axl looks like he was cut and pasted on screen, and when Marvel Studios tried to touch the effect of the Disney + release, it made him look even worse. This is one of the many instances in the MCU that proves the studio should ease up on its VFX artists and, perhaps, CGI in general.
9. Blade Fight with Deacon Frost (1998’s Blade)
This cult classic reaches its climax when everyone’s favorite day walker kills the evil Deacon Frost. But since the latter has achieved La Magra’s powers, he has an unusual healing factor that allows him to instantly regenerate limbs. Even after Blade cuts Deacon’s torso in half, the evil vampire uses his blood powers to glue himself back together.
Frost might be more intimidating if the blood effects didn’t look like an old Nintendo 64 game. This CGI has been allowed since the movie was made in the ’90s, when those effects were still in their infancy. But looking back on Blade now, the filmmakers should have gone more practical when portraying Frost’s powers.
8. Red cape extremely wet spawn (Spewn)
CGI has often been used to create the capes worn by many heroes and villains in comic book movies, and since Spawn’s cape was an integral part of his character, it makes sense that the makers behind his 1997 film wanted to show real visual abilities. While Spawn’s suit is supposed to be living “necroplasm” like the Venom symbiote, there is nothing like Rin’s signature real fabric or magical substance.
There’s nothing believable about the way this animated cloak looks and moves, and the chains attached to his outfit don’t look any better either. The cape is especially indecisive when he is waving around a crowd of actual people. With CGI what was back when the film was made, it would be better to keep the Cape alive in a digital hell.
7. T’Challa’s climactic battle with Killmonger (Black Panther)
even though Black panther arguably one of the best superhero movies of all time, the climactic battle between T’Challa and Killmonger puts a bit of a damper on the film’s illustrious legacy. One part of the fight is clearly completely computer-generated, and the way T’Challa turns around a beam harkens back to another unrealistic shot from the 2000 film. X-Men.
Similarly, the incomplete effects become more apparent when the two fighting bodies are contrasted with their disintegrating vibranium suits. For a blockbuster film released in 2018, the visual effects of such an important scene should have been given more time for development.
6. All about Incubus (Suicide Squad)
This loud giant is the unholy result of Enchantress’s brother being possessed by a man and absorbing innocent bystanders. But it’s also unholy because it doesn’t even look like a real-life creature. Its shiny skin only emphasizes its unfinished and unintimidating design.
And when he hurls his tendencies at the Suicide Squad, they seem far less realistic compared to their non-digital enemies. The upside to this is that Incubus is such a clean antagonist, most viewers will probably forget this VFX disaster was even in the movie.
5. Steppenwolf’s porcupine armor (Justice League)
When director Joss Whedon took over the production of the Justice League, he oversaw an almost complete overhaul of the film’s visual effects, including a complete recreation of the villain Steppenwolf. Not only does this design look bland and bland, but the rushed production of the film also didn’t make Steppenwolf look like a believable alien conqueror.
His armor doesn’t even match the designs of his Parade or Cyborg, who are outfitted with technology from his homeworld, making him a sore thumb. This Steppenwolf looks particularly egregious compared to the more realistic and intimidating version of him i Zack Snyder’s Justice Leaguewhich made the audience thankful that they saw the New God as originally intended.
4. Whenever Catwoman moves (Catwoman)
Catwoman She’s been ripped off over the years for her bad acting, ridiculous storyline, and the fact that she has nothing to do with her comic book source material. But one of the most impressive aspects of this film is how the young hero is shown jumping and climbing around in an incredible way. The digital figure standing in for Halle Berry is clearly fake, as there is no realism to the way he moves and jumps through the air. Even though this movie was directed by someone who was once a VFX supervisor, the audience wouldn’t know it based on the terrible job done with what is supposed to be an iconic character.
3. CG Green Lantern costume (2011’s Green Lantern)
In this famous comic book movie, Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern suit is supposed to be made from the energy of his Power Ring. This idea is great in theory, but it turned into execution. Ryan Reynolds’ bright green suit doesn’t go well with his own body, and it looks even worse when a mask is swept over his face.
And this is just one of many examples of unrealistic CGI used in what was supposed to be a blockbuster hit. But the suit has been resurrected many times since then, and Reynolds continues to joke about it years later. He even pushed it in a crack under it Deadpool.
2. Wolverine’s fake claws (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
There were many things wrong with this X-Men prequel film, and one of the biggest problems was with Wolverine’s computer-generated claws. Although the actor Hugh Jackman was given prosthetic claws in his first three films in the X-Men As a franchise, the filmmakers behind its origin film decided to go digital, giving it a razor’s edge that isn’t quite true—and not in a good way.
Like a certain co-star’s Green Lantern costume, Wolverine’s claws don’t mesh well with his own body, and it’s clear that these shiny blades were affixed to his arms in post-production.
1. Superman’s Mouth (Justice League)
What can be said about Superman’s mouth in this movie that almost everyone online hasn’t already said? So that Henry Cavill would keep his necessary mustache Mission: Impossible – Falloutthe filmmakers behind it Justice Leagueand reshoots decided to erase it from his face digitally. However, what the audience saw was a fuzzy plastic mouth that the movie ruined for the audience the moment it showed up in the opening scene.
What makes this bad CGI even more horrible is that it’s unnecessary. If Cavill was supposed to have a mustache for another movie, couldn’t he have just shaved it off and used a fake one instead? A $20 party mustache worked much better than the $25 million that disappointed audiences in the final film.
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