It feels like it’s been ages since Justice League was announced in 2014. But time is passing, and on November 17, 2017, comic book movie fans will see the Justice League united on the big screen for the very first time! This is an event that shouldn't be missed, despite the negative rumors surrounding the film’s production.
Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman will join forces to defeat a villain who’s threatening the entire Earth. The first thought that comes to mind is that they’ll succeed in their task. But, given the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Knightmare sequences, and Flash's warning about the future, it’s not hard to believe that the Justice League may be outgunned in this first outing.
But this is just speculation! Would you like to know which important details about Justice League we’re certain of? Then check it out! And be warned: Minor spoilers will be revealed!
Joss Whedon takes over
Everyone has an opinion about whether Zack Snyder is a good director. But it can’t be denied that he has an eye for epic moving images. His movies always look good, although the plots sometimes leave fans bewildered.
Zack Snyder’s announcement that he’d hired Joss Whedon for extensive Justice League reshoots was a double surprise. His vision for the film was subject to change, and it probably wouldn’t be what most of us wanted. But then, given Joss Whedon's previous films, there was also a sigh of relief, because Whedon knows his comics and how to make an entertaining film.
We won't remind you of the reasons for this change. The reshoots have been in process for a couple of months, and it’s likely that the final Justice League film is going to be different from Snyder’s original vision. This is especially true since actor Joe Morton (Dr. Silas Stone) said that the purpose of the additional time spent on the set is to lighten the film.
Batman and Wonder Woman unite the League
It’s been evident since the end of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that if anyone can unite the League against a global threat, it would be Batman. Following the Knightmare, the Caped Crusader realized that Superman and the Kryptonians were just the first aliens to visit Earth.
He sought the help of Wonder Woman to help prevent major invasions.
And he sought the help of Amanda Waller, as seen in Suicide Squad.
And Diana Prince was there to answer the call.
So far, we’ve seen several Justice League synopses. And while the focus changes, the one thing that remains clear is that Batman and Wonder Woman are charged with bringing in all of Earth's metahumans to defend the planet. No matter how the movie ends, and no matter how many additional superheroes are added to the roster, they’ll be the ones to thank.
The trailers revealed that Bruce Wayne recruits Aquaman and Flash. It remains to be seen how Cyborg will enter the fold.
Flashback sequences
We don't know how long the first Justice League film will be, but we do know that it will be big in scope! The movie will showcase the history of Earth’s fight against Darkseid's Parademons, and based on what we saw in the trailer, it will be a fight akin to the LOTR battles. So it will be epic.
And we know that Men will ally themselves with the Amazons and the Atlanteans to defeat Darkseid's armies, and they’ll prevail. But we wonder whether they’ll have some help from the outside, as well.
In the latest Justice League trailer, the film’s villain mentions that the Green Lanterns will no longer come to Earth’s aid. Might this tease the appearance of the Corps in flashback sequences, or might it tease an even bigger cosmic war that our superheroes aren’t aware of?
These flashback fights might last for just a couple of minutes, but they’ll certainly provide moviegoers with some much needed backstory.
The Amazons are back!
Wonder Woman was a hit from all points of view, and the time we spent on Themyscira revealed that the DC Extended Universe can be a very beautiful place. So it’s no surprise that the Amazons are taking their place in the Justice League.
In Justice League, we’ll once again see not just Queen Hippolyta, but also Antiope, who died when the Germans arrived on Themyscira. Robin Wright, who plays Antiope, apparently revealed her Justice League appearance by mistake as she promoted Wonder Woman.
During the flashback scenes, we’ll see Hippolyta and Antiope in their prime, kicking some Parademon butt.
But the Amazons will appear in more than just flashbacks. The latest Justice League trailer revealed that Darkseid's forces will first arrive on Paradise Island. This could mean that the Amazons will meet defeat. What does that mean in the long run? We’ll have to wait and see.
Steppenwolf
We've known about Steppenwolf’s existence since Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Later, we learned that Darkseid's uncle and most trusted general will be the main villain in the first Justice League film. This was actually bad news for some fans, especially since casual moviegoers had never heard of him.
Ciarán Hinds, who portrays Steppenwolf, said that the villain may differ from the comic book character. In the movie, he leads the armies of Darkseid and attempts to create Hell on Earth, but he’s also old and tired of serving the ruler of Apokolips. Quite surprisingly, the actor said that Steppenwolf is still trying to escape his enslavement to Darkseid, even if he does stay in line with the others to conquer worlds in the name of their master.
We saw Steppenwolf at work in the latest Justice League trailer. However, we didn’t get a clear look at his face. But we’re certain that he can’t be any more different than he was in the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Communion clip.
The Mother Boxes
Returning to the Communion clip that was released before Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the Kryptonians had files on Steppenwolf, along with three Mother Boxes. And, as it turned out, there are three Mother Boxes on Earth. The Mother Boxes are essentially the MacGuffins of Justice League. They’re the objects that bring Steppenwolf and his armies to Earth.
The Mother Boxes will figure in both the Justice League timeline and the flashback sequences. After the first war against Darkseid, the Men, the Amazons, and the Atlanteans each keep one artifact.
We saw in Wonder Woman and the Justice League trailer that the Amazons keep their Mother Box in their armory; the Atlanteans have theirs hidden (since Steppenwolf will also have some underwater fight scenes); and the Men have buried theirs.
Why did the Men do that? We’re not sure. Maybe they simply buried the Mother Box because they aren't as advanced as the other races. But their Mother Box will prove to be the most important one of the three.
Cyborg's importance
Back to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice! More precisely, back to the videos teasing the other superheroes!
In the film, we saw Cyborg’s creation, which involved fusing a maimed Victor Stone with a Mother Box. But we didn't see how it all ended, so we don't know whether he became one with the Mother Box, or if it just created him.
According to Zack Snyder, Cyborg's story is at the core of the first Justice League film. Victor Stone is a reluctant superhero who’s coming to terms with his own condition. He has a poor relationship with his father (actor Joe Morton), and must deal with Steppenwolf and the Parademons.
The trailers also revealed that we'll see Victor Stone before his transformation. Does this mean that we'll also witness his accident? It’s possible. Thanks to Morton, we know that the reshoots will depict his story more effectively, and also make it less dark.
It's fun!
After Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros. realized that the deconstruction of superheroes doesn't work. It may have been too late for Suicide Squad, but it wasn't for Wonder Woman, which is regarded as a celebration of a character everyone knows and loves.
The first Justice League teaser made it clear that the studio wanted to make its superhero movies more fun, even if some of the quips did fall flat.
In the second full trailer, the movie’s tone is obvious. At first, it’s dark and gritty, but other moments make it obvious that the lesson was learned. Even Batman makes a joke that actually sticks.
From this point of view, Aquaman has to be the MVP. He surfs on the Batmobile, digs Batman's outfit, shrugs in the face of annihilation, and rides a Parademon as he falls from a building! So, yes, this movie is going to be fun!
But we hope that the bigger ideas won't be obscured.
It's a standalone movie
When Warner Bros announced the full slate of DC Extended Universe movies in 2014, this year's Justice League was just Part One. However, time passed, the studio lost its trust in Zack Snyder's vision, and the Part One concept was dropped.
Although it appeared that Justice League Part Two would still happen, it was also possible that it wouldn’t. Originally slated to come out after Justice League, Part Two was postponed indefinitely, and Zack Snyder was removed as director. Although we were first meant to believe that Steppenwolf's arrival would be followed with Darkseid's appearance, the studio has changed its plans.
We can be certain that Justice League will be a standalone movie, so we can also be certain that it won't end with a cliffhanger, as two-parters often do.
The Flashpoint announcement reinforces our belief that the DC Extended Universe is heading toward a soft reboot. So we may have to wait several years before we see Darkseid wage war to find the Anti-Life Equation (Zack Snyder teased this before dropping out of Justice League).
Superman will be back
Lastly, if you haven’t heard, Superman will be back! But you knew that, although he was nowhere to be seen in the trailers! As Henry Cavill teased some time ago, he might even wear the black suit. None of this is certain, but what do you make of it?
Superman's return seems to be the biggest Justice League secret, and we hope the details aren’t revealed until the movie comes out. Whether he’s still a good or bad guy remains to be seen, as Zack Snyder teased:
There's the birth, death, and resurrection thing. And when you bring him back, who knows what he is when he comes back (via Screen Rant).
But we don’t expect to see Superman until later in the film. Maybe he’ll save the Justice League. Maybe he’ll bury it. Who knows? But again, we really hope that this secret will be guarded until the movie’s released!
