Justice League Movie: 10 Things We Want to See

After the divisive reactions to Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, fans worried about Zack Snyder’s plans for the Justice League movie. But with the recent release of the Justice League trailer during Comic-Con, reaction to the DC superhero teamup film, Snyder, and the future of the DC Extended Universe has all begun to shift in a new direction.

The Justice League trailer demonstrated that Snyder is learning from some past missteps with fans: there’s a lighter tone, with more humor, and the characters seem like more faithful adaptations of the comic books. But a teaser trailer can only tell us so much, so here are 10 Things We Want to See in the Justice League movie.

Bat-Strategy

We’ve seen several different versions of Batman onscreen in live-action (some more beloved than others), and yet most hardcore fans of the character would argue that The Dark Knight has never fully explored onscreen. For one thing, Batman’s title of “World’s Greatest Detective” could be better utilized in the films – but Justice League will also give filmmakers the chance to show off Batman’s other underutilized trait: the master strategist. 

Batman is clearly not as powerful as his metahuman teammates, but as comic books and animated series have already demonstrated: Batman not having powers in no way makes him powerless. Batman is the warden of the Justice League with good reason: when it comes to strategy and tactic, none are better. The first Justice League trailer hinges on Batman’s Nick Fury-esque planning for Earth’s defense; hopefully, so will much of the film’s plot. Bat-strategy FTW.

Return of (the real) Superman

 

Zack Snyder has tried to bring Superman and his mythos into the 21st century by looking at the iconic character from the “real” and “modern” perspective of an all-powerful alien being trying to navigate his existence in a complicated socio-political world. Fans have been divided over that vision of Supes, but there is a silver lining for those who didn’t like it: that version of Superman is (quite literally) dead now. But just for now. 

With the inevitable narrative rebirth of Superman comes a chance for Snyder to give fans a thematic rebirth of the character as well. Batman v Superman has foreshadowed the possibility of a “dark Superman” returning to haunt the Justice League – but at the end of that arc, we could all stand to see the return of a Superman who’s brighter, more heroic, and the overall icon of hope we know him to be. 

A Complex Aquaman

Aquaman was a running joke for too long in the DC Comics Universe, but thanks to DC Creative head Geoff Johns, the character was properly rebooted in the 2000s to be a central player in the DCU, as a badass “Superman of the Sea.” Aquaman is getting a pretty drastic overhaul for his inclusion in the DC Extended Universe films, but those changes don’t have to be looked at as red flags. 

The Justice League trailer showcased Jason Mamoa’s Aquaman/Arthur Curry, and the character certainly looked interesting, to say the least. Brash, powerful, and obviously burdened by straddling two worlds (land and sea), Aquaman looks like he has the potential to be a standout character of the League – and like an iceberg, it seems like there is much more to him that is (literally) just beneath the surface. We want Justice League to introduce an Arthur Curry who is complex and awesome enough to make James Wan’s Aquaman movie a must see.

A Funny Flash

 

Whether you are a lover or a hater or (gasp!) a middling fan of the DCEU, we can all probably agree: these films could stand to have a bit more wit and humor. Early attempts at injecting Man of Steel and Batman v Superman with humorous moments and levity have fallen a bit flat – but Justice League looks like it will mix comedy and drama together a bit better. 

To that end, Ezra Miller’s Flash looks to be an early contender for some quality comedic relief – which would admittedly be distinct departure from actor Grant Gustin’s brooding gravitas on CW’s Flash TV series. DC fans grew up with actors like Smallville‘s Michael Rosenbaum bringing humor and wit to the animated version of Flash. If Miller does something similar with his performance, it will be good for the film, and for Flash fans. 

Smart Tech Cyborg

Cyborg is the one Justice League member that casual fans probably know the least about. He was a character mostly relegated to DC Comics books like Teen Titans, until the 2011 “New 52” reboot, where Cyborg was re-positioned as a main member of the Justice League roster. We already got a taste of Cyborg’s tragic (and gruesome) origin via the Batman v Superman Justice League intro videos, but the character has so much potential to wow audiences when Justice League hits theaters. 

As Cyborg, Vic Stone is living alien technology (he’s merged with a “Mother Box,” small supercomputers belonging to the New Gods alien race), and the potential for some innovative design, cool scfi-fi geekery, and unique action filmmaking is substantial. Cyborg is trying to go from being an unknown to a potential leader of his own blockbuster franchise. Justice League needs to give him a debut worth remembering. 

General Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman showed off her warrior prowess in Batman v Superman, and her 2017 solo film looks like it will add depth and dimension to the character of Diana Prince (Gal Gadot). And yet, at the same time, it also looks like Wonder Woman will be a goddess amongst men for most of her solo movie, which is a good debut for her, but still leaves much to be explored.

With Justice League, we want to see Wonder Woman leading soldiers who match her power into battle, and really standing out as the brilliant battle commander that she can be. Batman can handle the battle plan, but when it’s time to execute it, The Bat needs to move aside and let an Amazon lead the way. 

 

A Better Lex Luthor

Lex Luthor is a iconic and respected DC Comics bad guy; Jesse Eisenberg is not quite as iconic or respected, after playing the DCEU version of Lex in Batman V Superman. Even with the BvS: Ultimate Edition showing us that Lex is a much more methodical and maniacal evil mastermind than the theatrical version let on, Eisenberg’s choices in tone and mannerisms remains… off the mark from what fans consider to be a proper Lex Luthor. 

Like Superman, Lex has a chance to be rebooted in Justice League, since his transformation from hi-tech billionaire to incarcerated mad villain will offer opportunity for a much different approach. Perhaps Eisenberg can turn around some of the bad feedback and give us a Lex who is a little more even-keeled, a little more menacing, and a little bit clearer about his machinations. 

The Fearsome General Steppenwolf

 If there is one thing that is generally true for the new era of comic book movies, it is that they are (in general) weak on the villain front. Whether its forgettable CGI hordes, or monsters that all seem to resemble one another, or just thin versions of so many supervillains who were rich and interesting on the page, both DC and Marvel have wasted some good baddies. 

Steppenwolf may not be the most famous DC Comics villain, but he’s been developed enough on the page to potentially carry a feature film pretty well. However, so far, what we’ve seen of Steppenwolf (in holographic projection during the third act of BvS: The Ultimate Edition) makes us worry about fans could get another disposable CGI monster – complete with hordes of CGI monster henchman, such as the parademons who haunted Bruce Wayne’s dreams in BvS. Hopefully, Justice League will make Steppenwolf and his soldiers into interesting foes that actually challenge the heroes strategically, as well as physically. 

A Proper Darkseid Reveal

Like we said: Neither DC nor Marvel has been all that savvy about getting memorable or interesting villains into their respective film universes – yet both studios are angling their superhero universes toward upcoming showdowns with some pretty big cosmic tyrants. Marvel will have The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and everyone in between battling Josh Brolin’s Thanos; Justice League will introduce Steppenwolf as a stepping-stone to a much bigger threat: Darkseid, lord of the planet Apokolips. 

DC fans haven’t been over eager to get Darkseid onscreen; most of them want the iconic villain to be a slow build to a big and proper reveal of a frightening and militant cosmic despot. To that end, Justice League doesn’t need to over sell us on Darkseid just yet, but a proper teaser intro (read: Omega Beams) would serve things well. 

Better Action Than Avengers

Finally: Justice League needs to have much better action than Avengers did.

Yeah, I said it. Not trying to start yet another DC vs. Marvel flame-war, but there are two things to remember: 

1. The superheroes of Justice League are (in total) more powerful than the characters on the Avengers roster (save Hulk and Thor), so with more powers and tech at their disposal, their battle sequences should be more epic. 
2. Justice League will hit theaters half a decade after the first Avengers movie. It had better deliver better designed and better looking action sequences. We need the wait to have been well worth it. 

NEXT: Justice League Trailer Top 5 Reveals

Suicide Squad blasts into theaters August 5, 2016; Wonder Woman is coming on June 2, 2017; followed by Justice League on November 17, 2017; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League 2 on June 14, 2019;  Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and Green Lantern Corps on July 24, 2020.