Summary

• Poorly executed CGI effects can be distracting and ruin the viewing experience in superhero movies.
• Examples of bad CGI effects include Bruce Banner’s head in the Hulkbuster suit and Reed Richards’ elastic arms.
• Some CGI effects, such as Green Lantern’s suit and Henry Cavill’s CGI-removed mustache in Justice League, have become notorious for their poor quality.

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CGI often looks incredible in modern Marvel and DC superhero movies, but certain poorly realized effects have disturbed or distracted viewers. When 1978’s Superman first debuted, audiences were amazed at seeing a man fly and use superpowers. However, the film looks rather dated now, as CGI has evolved to the point where it’s often hard to notice. That said, when it is noticeable, it can be distracting, and it often ruins any investment in what’s happening on screen.

For the most part, superhero movies of the 21st century have had amazing special effects. From Spider-Man swinging around the city to the flawless motion-capture technology used to bring Thanos to life, CGI has been utilized effectively to bring these fantasy/sci-fi moments to life. Still, the CGI hasn’t always been perfect, and there have been several embarrassing or hilarious effects that are remembered for how bad they are. Here are the 10 worst CGI effects in modern superhero movies.

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10 Bruce Banner’s Head Doesn’t Mix Well With the Hulkbuster Suit

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Avengers: Infinity War

Release Date April 27, 2018

Cast Chris Hemsworth , Anthony Mackie , Elizabeth Olsen , Robert Downey Jr. , Scarlett Johansson , Mark Ruffalo , Sebastian Stan , Paul Rudd , Chadwick Boseman , Don Cheadle , Samuel L. Jackson , Josh Brolin , Tom Holland , Evangeline Lilly , Paul Bettany , Chris Evans , Jeremy Renner

Runtime 149 minutes

The CGI in Avengers: Infinity War is wildly impressive. However, there is a brief moment that could have been done better. When Thor arrives in Wakanda, Bruce Banner pulls back his helmet in the Hulkbuster suit to deliver a hilarious one-liner. Unfortunately, it’s glaringly obvious that Mark Ruffalo isn’t in the suit, and it looks like somebody photoshopped the actor’s head. It’s an awkward-looking effect, but one that can go unnoticed since everything else looks great.

9 Reed Richards’ Arms Don’t Look Fantastic

Fantastic Four (2005 & 2015)

Creating the effect of an elastic man is hard to do, especially with 2005’s CGI. Ioan Gruffudd did look the part as Reed Richards, but things fell apart whenever he showed off his powers. The lackluster elastic effects were present in Fantastic Four and its sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer. Things didn’t get much better 10 years later when Miles Teller took on the role of Mr. Fantastic, as the CGI still looked off. Hopefully, the MCU can find a way to make Mr. Fantastic’s arms look fantastic in the 2025 movie.

8 Black Panther’s Final Fight Almost Ruins The Finale

Black Panther (2018)

Black Panther

Release Date February 16, 2018

Director Ryan Coogler

Runtime 134 Minutes

Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger is an excellent villain and viewers were anticipating the final fight between him and T’Challa. However, the fight is a CGI mess, as the two don different colored Black Panther suits and hop around trains, punching and clawing at each other. In a finale that included battle rhinos, it’s surprising that this fight looked as bad as it did, especially for a film that is one of the best in the MCU.

7 Catwoman’s Climbing Makes The 2004 Movie Even Worse

Catwoman (2004)

2004’s Catwoman is already heavily criticized as one of the worst ever superhero movies, but the CGI didn’t help the movie. Anytime the titular hero did any climbing, it looked straight out of a cartoon and made each scene goofier than the last. Halle Berry’s Catwoman suit was insulting enough, and it didn’t help that the CGI made the character look even worse.

6 Wolverine’s Claws Don’t Do Hugh Jackman’s Character Justice

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

X-Men Origins: Wolverine shows how Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine got his adamantium claws, but the CGI looks wildly out of place. It’s hard to believe how bad his claws looked at that moment, since he had played the role for years, and they’d more seamlessly fit into his scenes in previous X-Men movies. Thankfully, the iconic aspect of Wolverine has looked better in movies both before and since.

5 Green Lantern’s CGI Suit Still Gets Made Fun Of

Green Lantern (2011)

Green Lantern

Release Date June 16, 2011

Director Martin Campbell

Green Lantern relied heavily on CGI effects, but making Ryan Reynolds’ suit fully CGI was a mistake. He is in the suit a lot, and it’s hard to take him seriously when his suit looks so fake and luminescent. This decision was so bad that Reynolds himself often rips on it, even throwing in an insult in Deadpool 2. Fortunately, things worked out better with the Canadian actor’s second superhero and, hopefully, DC can learn from their Green Lantern mistakes.

4 MODOK Is An Unfunny Joke That Haunts Viewers

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

MODOK is a character that’s almost impossible to adapt from the comics. Marvel deserves credit for trying, but even their visual effects couldn’t make this abomination work. MODOK is so uncomfortable to look at, especially with how uncanny Corey Stoll’s face looks in that egg-like suit. While Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania tries to play it off like a joke, the CGI character is nonetheless unsettling to look at in the movie.

3 Ang Lee’s Hulk Looks Like A Cartoon

Hulk (2003)

Hulk

Release Date June 19, 2003

Director Ang Lee

Cast Eric Bana , Jennifer Connelly , Sam Elliott , Josh Lucas , Nick Nolte , Paul Kersey

Runtime 138 Minutes

Hulk debuted in 2003, perhaps a few years before a CGI Hulk could look acceptable. Ang Lee treats the character seriously, but it’s hard to be invested in the green rage monster when it looks so cartoonish. The pre-MCU movie is filled with comic book panels, and it feels like viewers are still in one whenever Hulk appears.

2 Henry Cavill’s CGI-Removed Mustache Is Distracting

Justice League (2017)

Justice League

Release Date November 17, 2017

Cast Jeremy Irons , Gal Gadot , Amy Adams , Jesse Eisenberg , Ciarán Hinds , Ben Affleck , Henry Cavill , Ezra Miller , J. K. Simmons , Jason Momoa , Ray Fisher

Runtime 242 minutes

For Justice League’s extensive reshoots, Henry Cavill couldn’t shave his mustache that he’d grown for Mission: Impossible – Fallout, so DC had to figure out a way to get rid of it. The studio decided to turn to CGI, and the results were anything but super. From afar, Superman doesn’t look too bad, but up close, the CGI is very noticeable and makes any dramatic scene with Cavill fall flat. Right from the first scene of Superman, it’s clear something was off about his mouth, and it didn’t get any better.

1 The Speed Force In The Flash Doesn’t Do Right By Its Cameos

The Flash (2023)

The Flash

Release Date June 16, 2023

Director Andres Muschietti

Runtime 2 hours 24 minutes

The Flash has an interesting concept for its time travel mechanism, called the Chronobowl, with Barry Allen able to see time move by in a stylized animation. However, it gets worse when the multiverse comes into play. The cluster of CGI heroes and villains is a visual mess. Not only that, but the Nicolas Cage and Christopher Reeve cameos are ruined by poor CGI and come off as cheap and insulting to the legacy of these actors. Director Andy Muschietti said the effects were a creative choice to make things seem distorted from Barry’s view, but that doesn’t excuse these atrocious effects.