The animated universe for DC has always been more well-received than the live-action. They seem to understand the characters better, doing a better job of having everything flow together. Whereas the DCU has been a hot mess since the start, the plan seemed to be simply introducing as many characters as they can at once.
That said, the animated universe hasn't been perfect. It's done well by plenty of characters, most of them in fact, but not all. There's been a few who truly got the shaft, having their stories abridged so the focus could go elsewhere. Thankfully, that is few and far between.
10 Improved: Hank Henshaw
Cyborg Superman or Hank Henshaw is a character that has sort of fallen by the wayside since his introductory arc. It's a shame since he can be such an interesting foe to both Superman and just the cosmic universe of DC in general. It's what made his role in Reign of Superman so interesting.
He was the primary villain, even if he was brainwashed by Darkseid. Hopefully, it serves as a reminder that the character can be just as useful in comics as he was his two-story arc in the films.
9 Worse: Ra's Al Ghul
Ra's felt rather wasted in the entire universe, only there to be the backstory for Damian. For as well done as Damian is handled through most of the animated universe, Ra's deserved a far bigger role than the spark behind Son of Batman and being a minion of Trigon in Justice League vs Teen Titans.
A lot of this is due to just how mismanaged Son of Batman was, easily one of the weaker films among those made. Ra's or even Talia could have been a far better foil than Deathstroke.
8 Improved: John Constatine
No one can deny that Matt Ryan is the pinnacle voice of John Constantine. He fully understands the character and gets all of his personality ticks down perfectly. It's a shame the live-action show never took off, but at least we have his roles here.
He's been allowed to be a centerpiece in multiple films, even having his own solo title. While he's always been popular, it's rare for DC to ever trust a hero that isn't one of the big three to carry a film. Yet, that's exactly what they did with Constantine, showing off just how well crafted the character was.
7 Worse: Barbara Gordon
It's hard to improve on a character when she's hardly ever in any of the films. It's one of the drawbacks to Damian being as prevalent in this universe as he is. He saps so much of the screen time that characters like Barbara are just afterthoughts.
It's rather sad that a character as pivotal as hers was reduced to nothing but a background character, one who's only real contribution was her death at the hands of the Paradooms.
6 Improved: Trigon
Trigon is utterly fantastic in this universe, given the staring role that he excelled at in the Teen Titans cartoon. He's such an imposing and looming force that it's surprising he's not used more often in the comics.
Usually, he's only ever used when a writer decides to make Raven the focal point of a Teen Titan story. That isn't the case here though. He's treated like the world-spanning threat that he is, even battling Darkseid in the newest and final film.
5 Worse: Court Of Owls
No character or organization took a bigger punch to the gut than the Court of Owls did. Not even the switcheroo they pulled with Hush could compare. They were utterly wasted in the animated universe. Not only have they pushed aside for Damian drama, but they were also forced to have a greater interest in him than they did in the comics.
Batman vs Robin was the height of this universe's need to shove Damian down everyone's throats. Everything that made the owls cool got stripped away in that movie.
4 Improved: Deadshot
It isn't that they turned Deadshot into a different character or even-handed him a bigger role than the comics. He was only in the Suicide Squad movie, but he made such an impact in that movie, one that is a ridiculously fun romp (much like the first was). It's an utter shame that DC can put out stuff like Hell to Pay, but have such a massive misstep with the live-action version.
That aside, this movie managed to show Deadshot at his best, an assassin with a code of ethics. The ending sequence of the film showing why Floyd can be such a cool character.
3 Worse: Deathstroke
While Floyd was done excellently, every assassin was not given the same treatment. The Deathstroke in Son of Batman was an utter abomination of the character, making him seem like a child that didn't get his way rather than the world-renown badass he is meant to be.
There was no need to tie him to the League of Assassins as they did. It's made even more egregious when the character is fairly well done in Judas Contract. Unfortunately, you can't undo the stink of his first post Flashpoint appearance.
2 Improved: Raven
Raven is one of, if not the most improved character in the whole animated universe. She gets the screen time that she rightfully deserves, easily being one of the most interesting members of the Teen Titans team. Her heritage plays a huge role in her time on screen, and her relationship with Damian is very well done.
While some may be upset she doesn't end up with Beast Boy, the way they handled her budding feelings with Damian is exceptional. They were smart to slow play it rather than trying to rush.
1 Worse: Wonder Woman
To preface here, it isn't that Wonder Woman is an awful character by any means. She stars in more than a few of the films, and none of them are particularly bad. Where she suffers is the inconsistent voice acting. Unlike many of the other characters, she doesn't have a distinct voice until Rosario Dawson comes aboard.
The constant shifts in her vocal talents until Throne of Atlantis were jarring, especially in Justice League: War.