Potential spoilers follow for “Justice League” and other DCEU films.
Earlier this year, DC released the live action movie, “Wonder Woman.” This movie was received with positive reviews and was considered a step in the right direction for DC films. This month, the long awaited “Justice League” film will be released to be public.
This movie follows the chronology of the “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” film, which was released last year. Since Batman stepped back from fighting crime, the level of violence and crimes have skyrocketed.
Steppenwolf is the villain of the film, and is portrayed by Ciarán Hinds. Steppenwolf is a formidable opponent for the super team, as he is an immortal with super strength and speed. He also controls an army of alien monsters called Parademons.
Batman and Wonder Woman recruit some help in fighting against Steppenwolf. In the trailers Batman and Wonder Woman team up with Aquaman, the Flash and Cyborg.
In the popular early 2000’s “Justice League Unlimited” animated series, the Justice League has been established for several years. However, in this universe, it appears that they could all be fighting against evil for the first time together.
In the different trailers released, there have been several Easter eggs about the return of Superman, who was killed by Doomsday at the end of “Dawn of Justice.”
There is one clip in the trailers where Aquaman, Wonder Woman, The Flash and Cyborg are staring up at something, or someone. There is a police car behind them that says “Metropolis,” and a bunch of flowers behind them. This could indicate that they are at Superman’s shrine.
Another hint of Superman’s return is a scene of Bruce Wayne looking at a hologram of Superman. Some fan theories speculate that he could be developing a new suit for Superman. It is confirmed that Bruce also created a new suit for The Flash. This is why fans are speculating that is what Bruce is looking at in the trailers.
In the different trailers, Alfred is working on a car when he looks up and sees someone standing in front of him. The camera angle makes it impossible for the viewer to know who it is. Alfred obviously knows who it is and tells the stranger that he hopes they are not too late. Could this indicate a possibility of Superman coming in at the end of the movie to face off against Steppenwolf?
There will be several debut characters in this film. It is the first feature length film appearance for Steppenwolf, The Flash, the debut of J.K. Simmons’ portrayal of Commissioner James Gordon and Cyborg.
Cyborg has been popular among the younger generations as a cartoon in the “Teen Titans,” and “Teen Titans Go!” series on Cartoon Network. He is the first “Teen Titans” character to grace the silver screen. (not counting Robin’s appearance in the 90’s “Batman” films)
The previous DC films beginning with “Man of Steel” have been building to “Justice League.” This is similar to how Marvel gave several heroes their own films before putting them together for “The Avengers” in 2012.
DC films differ from Marvel in that they have many different canons and realities that their characters live in. This is called the DC Multiverse.
The idea of the Multiverse is that there are alternate realities in the same universe. It means that the reason something might be canon in one series and not canon in another series. An example would be the difference in the Teen Titans on Cartoon Network and in the Teen Titans in the animated movies.
Another example of the Multiverse would be the different actors playing The Flash. Fans of Grant Gustin, who portrays the character in the CW TV show, were confused as to why he was not cast as The Flash in this movie. Zack Snyder, director of the film, explained that he felt that Gustin’s version of the character did not fit in his DC universe.
The filmmaking process for the movie was disrupted when Snyder’s daughter Autumn committed suicide on March 12, 2017. Snyder and his wife Deborah, who is a producer of the film, left the production to be with and console family members.
Joss Whedon, director of “The Avengers” and creator of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” TV series took over Snyder’s role and saw the film through the post-production process. This included some reshoots of scenes, some being brand new and written and directed by Whedon.
The film is reported to run under 120 minutes, and will be the first DCEU film to do so.
“Justice League” will be released this Thursday, Nov. 16 and is expected to earn $100 million in its opening weekend.
Paige Rogers
Reporter