Firstly, forgive me; I get this is like the billionth article posted on Batman v Superman (or whatever it's called), but this is something I had to get off my chest.
So, by now we all know Batman v Superman is happening, and unfortunately, whilst many are excited for it, many more believe it will be a disaster that will destroy any chance DC has of building a cinematic universe. There have been all kinds of complaints, i.e. they cast the wrong actors, they have no plan, it’s too rushed, it’s too overcrowded, Snyder’s a hack, Goyer’s shit, etc. Whilst some of these complaints could be valid, none of us actually know what is going on to predict what could happen in the sequel; admittedly there is somewhat of a taint present given the mixed reaction to Man of Steel, but personally speaking, that film gets far too much flack than it deserves and despite that, upon a second (or even third) viewing has actually shown itself to be filled to the brim with teases and easter eggs, suggesting that there is a certain ‘method to the madness’, and that maybe, just maybe DC do have a plan in motion after all.
Now, with my theories, I’ve collaborated to degree with another CBM user TheManWithBigEars in regards to what I believe to be the plan for the DC cinematic universe (click here to see his theories) and believe he pretty perfectly summed up what we could expect in the upcoming team up film, however, given that since his editorial it was announced Wonder Woman would be featured in the film, I have since done a little digging myself and have essentially expanded on his theories to determine what we can expect in the first ever team up of the World’s Finest. Alongside this, given that we recently learnt we won't be seeing the film till 2016, I personally think my theories hold a little more weight, so would appreciate if you guys took your time to give this a read.
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What We Know
So, what do we know? As of right now know the primary cast from
Man of Steel will return, but they will also be joined by Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Now what part they will play in the sequel is pretty much a mystery absent a few rumours here and there, however as proposed in
TheManWithBigEars editorial, I believe Batman or rather Bruce Wayne’s involvement in the story will revolve around some kind of partnership with Lex Luthor and the reconstruction of Metropolis. As for Wonder Woman? Well, as it has been rumoured that she’d have a part as big as Black Widow’s in
Iron Man 2, I assume that she will be introduced in the latter half of the film as a means of further establishing the DC cinematic universe.
Moving on, it’s also been confirmed that Lex Luthor will play a big part in the sequel. Alongside this though, it has also been highly rumoured that Luthor will be accompanied by another villain, with more recent rumour suggesting Metallo in the form of Callan Mulvey or even Lobo in the form of Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson. Now, this makes sense to me; one cerebral villain and one physical villain, a nice balance for more than one villain- whilst I’m obviously not too sure how it will all play out, this is not something that worries me nor do the numerous rumoured cameos from other heroes and villains alike, as mentioned before, I do believe there is a plan in motion.
The New 52
Now with all the rumours surrounding
Batman v Superman, it must be asked; is the New 52 the influence behind it? Most recently, Greg Pak introduced readers to the first ever team up of the World’s Finest within the New 52 in
Batman/Superman (issues 1-4 in particular) prior to the formation of the Justice League. Here, we were not only introduced Batman (who has actually since been established as being older than Superman and having started off a little earlier in the New 52) and Superman in their earlier days, but also featured Wonder Woman (in a relatively small action based role- essentially what I imagine of Gal Gadot at the moment) and most notably a tease towards Darkseid in the form of his daughter; Kaiyo.
In this story, Pak had the Earth 1 World’s Finest meet their more established (and traditional) Earth 2 counterparts by crossing dimensions and unwittingly letting Kaiyo get her kicks by seeing which universe had a greater chance of surviving her father’s wrath. Now, personally speaking, interdimensional travel seems a bit too much to touch upon so early, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was present in some form or another given the potential scope of ‘world building’ Zack Snyder so subtlety loves to do. Regardless, one factor that I definitely believe will come to play from this story (outside of Wonder Woman obviously) is the character of Kaiyo. Whilst a relatively unknown (and assumable new (by me at least)) character, as Darkseid’s daughter she represents the perfect catapult in launching the cinematic universe especially given the way the Justice League formed in the New 52.
So, what about Metallo and Lobo? Well, whilst their roles are still little more than rumours, alongside Lex Luthor, none of these characters are actually featured in the story, but rather as mentioned, before, if the interdimensional travel aspect is removed from the story, I can still see them working in the story in some form or another, i.e. Lex and Bruce team up to rebuild Metropolis whilst Batman investigates Superman, with the destruction of the city/battle of the Kryptonians attracting Kaiyo and maybe even Lobo, or if not him, Metallo, as the military’s insurance policy against Superman. Hell, with the potential threat of someone like Kaiyo involved, and rumours of the damage left behind from the world engines, I'd even say there's plenty of justification for any other extended cameos from (other) new heroes and maybe even villains who are cropping up.
The End Goal
Now, moving on once more, as seen per the pages of Geoff John’s
Justice League in the New 52 it was established that Darkseid was the threat which brought the League together. Here, it was also established that Darkseid actually came to Earth in search of his daughter, Kaiyo; who in issue 4 of
Batman/Superman had taken a shine to Earth 1, leading to her slyly deciding to hide away there.
Whilst little else of the character has been featured within the New 52 from this point, Johns has built on this idea alongside Andrew Kreisberg, as it was shown in the pages of
Justice League of America’s Vibe (issue 1) that Darkseid’s daughter has since been locked away in ARGUS (DC’s equivalent of SHIELD). Now this as I mentioned above, represents the perfect catapult in launching the cinematic universe and teasing the Justice League- if at the end of whatever conflict Batman and Superman (and Wonder Woman) face in the sequel, Kaiyo is locked up in ARGUS, then this is a perfect set up for the League given that Darkseid will be coming for her. Regardless of that, the very potential presence of ARGUS itself also represents a much larger DC universe as well, namely in the form of Amanda Waller (and the potential presence of the Suicide Squad as rumoured) but also given the fact that ARGUS essentially interacts with all facets of the DC superhuman community, we will be given the chance to potentially be teased with a rich and deep universe on par with the Marvel cinematic universe and a unique and different way to experience it as opposed to the Marvel method of world building.
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So, should we be worried about the upcoming
Batman v Superman? No! If anything we should be excited, I mean a few years ago it would seem like a pipe dream to see the DC Trinity on the big screen, but now it's happening; I’ll admit Snyder and Goyer's ideas are often better thought out than they are executed, but I do believe they and DC do actually have a plan in motion and aren’t just shoving any and every character they can in the sequel, but rather are taking on a different and smart approach to establishing a rich and diverse cinematic universe, ripe to be explored. Hell, with the recent news of the delay and rumours of this film setting up a cliffhanger to be continued with in
Justice League (which is rumoured to be shot back to back) I personally believe the New 52 will hold a very strong influence with the DC cinematic universe and that in turn my theories will hold much more weight. So, all that needs to be said, is sit back, relax and wait and see what happens!