SPOILERS: 10 Awesome (And Surprising) Ways BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE Sets Up The DC Films Universe
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice dropped some massive hints about the future of the DC Films Universe, and not just in regards to Justice League! There are all the major reveals you missed...
While it was nowhere near as bad as Iron Man 2, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice still spent an awful lot of time setting up both the Justice League and future of the DC Films Universe. I'm not talking about just the obvious ways either like all of those cameo appearances. No, there were actually a lot of other very subtle winks and nods to what the future holds in store for this new shared universe.
From plans for certain characters to the return of Superman and the direction of that planned solo outing for Batman, Dawn of Justice most definitely lived up to its subtitle. So, with that in mind, what were the best - and most unexpected/easy to miss ways - that the Zack Snyder helmed release set the stage for the way this world is going to develop from here? Click on the NEXT button below to find out!
10. Romance Between Bruce And Diana
DC Comics stirred up a fair bit of controversy a few years back when they had Superman and Wonder Woman embark on a romantic relationship, but if there's one power couple fans would be ok with seeing become a reality, it's Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince.
It's clear throughout Batman v Superman that he's rather taken with the Amazonian, and while it's hard to say whether or not the feeling is mutual, I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised to see these two grow closer over the next few years as they work together to form the Justice League.
After all, it's been rumoured that the Caped Crusader is going to show up in Wonder Woman, so these two will clearly be spending a fair bit of time together on the big screen. Throw in the fact that Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot share a massive amount of chemistry, and both Warner Bros. and Zack Snyder would be foolish not to capitalise on that.
9. Lex Luthor In Suicide Squad
Warner Bros. pretty much spoiled the end of Batman v Superman the second they released the image above, but we were still never 100% sure whether if it was just a promotional photo or a first look at Lex Luthor in prison.
We now know that it's the latter, and that makes those reports about the villain making a cameo appearance in Suicide Squad all the more believable! Of course, there's still two ways this could go; if Suicide Squad is set between the events of Man of Steel and Batman v Superman, we'll get a pre-prison Lex, but if it's after, the villain led release will obviously follow up on what's next for him now that he's behind bars (the more interesting of the two options).
If Amanda Waller also hates metahumans, perhaps Lex will be able to earn his freedom by providing her with advice?
8. No More Clark Kent
Zack Snyder's decision to kill Clark Kent and have an open casket funeral for him makes it pretty much impossible for the character to ever return.
Had Lois and Bruce decided to cover up his demise (which would have been relatively easy after he went missing following his falling out with Perry; they could have just said he'd skipped town) then a resurrection for Clark would work, but they had no reason to do that, and that definitely complicates things.
The director has confirmed that Superman is coming back, but how is he going to cope after losing his human side and having to remain in his heroic persona permanently? Perhaps Snyder has a way to address this, but it definitely looks like we may only ever have the one movie to look back on with Clark serving as a reporter for The Daily Planet.
7. Darkseid Is Coming
While rumours initially pointed to Brainiac being the villain of Justice League Part One and Darkseid turning up in Part Two, the fact that the two movies aren't being shot back to back (Chris Terrio has even confirmed that he's only written the first one) could be an indication that plans have changed and Darkseid will be used from the very start.
Batman v Superman certainly dropped enough hints that he's on the way anyway, while it definitely sounds like it was him Lex was talking about following that tense confrontation with Batman in his cell.
Seeing as production on Justice League begins next month and we haven't heard anything about the movie's villain, we'll likely learn more about Snyder's plans soon, but if it doesn't end up being Darkseid, he's definitely being lined up to appear soon.
6. The Batman Will Be A Prequel
We still know very little about Ben Affleck's plans for The Batman, but I would say that Batman v Superman made it obvious that the movie will be a prequel.
Lingering shots of the destroyed Wayne Manor, talk of a fruitless twenty year battle to protect Gotham City, and Bruce Wayne stopping to look at Robin's defaced costume all indicate that there's a story which needs to be told there, and Affleck is definitely the kind of actor who could play ten years younger with relative ease.
Seeing as the Caped Crusader is about to step into the spotlight as the leader of the Justice League, going back to the days when he was still considered a myth would arguably be a lot more interesting, just like how Wonder Woman will explore her origin story. Even if I'm wrong, I'd expect plenty of flashbacks!
5. Cyborg = Part Man, Part Mother Box
While Batman v Superman never identified it as one, the mysterious device being inspected by Silas Stone was most definitely a Mother Box.
The fact that it's then used to transform the wounded Vic Stone into Cyborg is obviously a departure from the comic books (in those, his father uses various forms of other technology to rebuild the youngster's body), but this is a much simpler way to give the hero a link to Darkseid and the ability to use the Mother Box's powers to his and the Justice League's advantage.
This method of transformation is particularly interesting because of the way it potentially changes Cyborg; is he now susceptible to falling under Darkseid's control? Just how much knowledge will the alien device give him about the otherworldly threats facing the team?
4. Wonder Woman, Daughter Of Zeus
Other than the fact that it will briefly touch on her early years and that the majority of action takes place during World War I (there may be some present day bookends), we know very little about what to expect from Wonder Woman next year, including which villains she'll be squaring off against.
Batman v Superman may provide at least some clues though, with the moment Diana Prince rolls her eyes at Lex Luthor's mention of Zeus possibly very telling. Was she just sick of his tedious speech or does she have some history with her father and threats from Olympus?
I'd be willing to play money on the latter option, especially as Wonder Woman later tells Batman and Superman that she's taken on threats from other worlds before. This would follow "The New 52" comics too.
3. The Importance Of Lois Lane
With Lois Lane set to return in Justice League, she's clearly going to remain an important part of this world for the foreseeable future. That's evident from The Flash's message to Batman in which he talks about her being the key to...something.
While it could be argued that she already played too significant a role in the finales of both Man of Steel and Batman v Superman, Snyder is clearly a fan of the character, and I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up playing a large role in Superman's resurrection and possibly even rescuing him from the control of whatever villain makes their presence felt in this superhero ensemble.
After all, no one seems to have considered the possibility that Justice League's big bad will be Superman himself! We'll have to wait and see, but expect much more of Lois Lane.
2. Time Travel
Even for comic book fans, the message that The Flash delivers to Batman from the future is pretty confusing. Did Bruce putting his differences aside with Superman and deciding to embark on assembling the Justice League stop that from ever coming to pass? Or, is that future an inevitability?
In that "Knightmare" vision, Superman has turned to the dark side after Lois was killed, but what if he's under the control of Darkseid? (the presence of that omega symbol certainly pointed to that being a possibility) We've basically been left with almost countless questions, but the fact that The Flash was able to travel back and deliver that message definietly points to time travel being part of this world.
Hell, he may even be able to travel between worlds, making a crossover with The Flash TV show possible!
1. The Wedding Of Superman And Lois Lane
Batman v Superman ended with a funeral, and it wouldn't be remotely surprising for Justice League to end with a wedding. After all, Lois discovered at the end of the movie that Clark was planning to propose to her, so why wouldn't they make their way down the aisle as soon as possible upon his return from the dead?
Similar in some ways to the hero shot in that ceremony at the end of Star Wars: A New Hope, this could be one of those really awesome scenes featuring all of the heroes gathered around and watching on as Superman and Lois tie the knot, a memorable piece of imagery and a cool note to potentially bring the trilogy which began with Man of Steel to and end.
On an unrelated note, what do you think the odds of Superman coming back to life with a mullet are?
Are you looking forward to Justice League? How do you think Batman v Superman best sets up that movie and the rest of the DC Films Universe? Let us know your thoughts in the usual place.