A movie is only as good as it's villain, and with an eventual announcement of a
Justice League film being expected by the CEO of Warner Brothers (and the fans), I decided to examine the villains that I think are the most likely candidates for a
Justice League film. Shall we begin?
DARKSEID
One of the most well known Justice League villains and arch-nemesis to the New Gods, Darkseid is the reason the JL exist in the New 52. Darkseid is so powerful that it takes the entire League to fight him. The only member to survive a one-on-one fight is Superman. An easter egg in
Man Of Steel pointed to a Superman villain named Morgan Edge, who is known for his connections to Darkseid, so this fascist dictator has a very high chance of being the baddie that brings the team to theatres.
TRIGON
Trigon is a demon conqueror and a Darkseid-level powerhouse. Trigon has conquered and slaughtered entire dimensions and is more than a match for the JL. Also, the idea of a team of super heroes stopping an invasion of demons from turning Earth into a living hell hasn't been done in a comic book movie yet. The only reason I can think off that Trigon CAN'T be the villain is that he seems more like someone the Justice League Dark would go up against, and a JLD movie is in development.
SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPERVILLAINS
The JL assembling to battle an organization of their villains also hasn't been done in a comic book movie yet, making the Secret Society perfect candidates for a JL film. Of course, there would need to be set up in previous films before just throwing in a bunch of villains in a movie. Secret Society leader Lex Luthor is being introduced in
Batman Vs Superman and other villains were already referenced via easter eggs in
Man Of Steel, so this organization is definitely a candidate.
THE CRIME SYNDICATE
The Crime Syndicate is a version of the Justice League from a parallel universe reverse to the mainstream. In this universe, all of the heroes are villains and all of the villains are heroes. While this concept was touched upon in
Smallville and
Injustice Gods Among Us, it hasn't been fully explored in a movie. So pretty much, the JL would assemble to battle evil versions of themselves.
DOOMSDAY
While Doomsday is actually a Superman villain rather than a Justice League (or general DC Universe) villain, he is extremely powerful to the point where he killed Superman in his first appearance (which is, of course, the graphic novel
The Death Of Superman). We know Doomsday exist in the DC Movie Universe because he was mentioned in a
Man Of Steel viral video. The thing is, Doomsday is a killing machine without much intelligence. If he is the villain, someone else will likely be pulling the strings.
AMAZO
Amazo is an android who, in his prime, has the abilities of every super-powered being in the Justice League. This automatically makes him a potential candidate for the JL film, despite a version of him appearing in
Arrow.
CHECKMATE/NOWHERE/CADMUS/ETC.
Organizations such as CHECKMATE, NOWHERE, CADMUS and related are perfect candidates for many reasons (One or the other, though. We don't need all of them as villains in the same movie). It would show just how much the government doesn't trust metahumans, which was shown in
Man Of Steel. It could also set the stage for Deathstroke (via his daughter, NOWHERE member Rose Wilson), the Suicide Squad, Superboy, Bizarro, Raven, ETC. Amanda Waller and Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenburg) will almost certainly be connected to this, assuming one of these organizations takes the role of the villain.
VANDAL SAVAGE
Vandal Savage is an immortal who has been around since nearly the beginning of the DC Universe, and has manipulated history to his will. An example of this is that Savage was either Jack The Ripper or a close associate. Vandal Savage is vital to the history of the DC Universe. He was a member of the Demon Knights (the medieval Justice League). Savage would be the perfect villain candidate for a JL movie because, not only is he a great villain, but it would give us a look at the history of the DCU.
ANTI-MONITOR
Sure there are CMB's where the entire world is at stake, but how many are there were the entire Universe is at stake? The Anti-Monitor is a candidate because not only did he nearly destroy the DC Universe but he is responsible for the deaths of more people than any other character in the DCU. He was effortlessly able to murder Supergirl. If that doesn't tell you how powerful he is, I don't know what will. The Anti-Monitor would probably make JL a larger scale film than any other CMB and would provide a reason why people like Martian Manhunter, Hawkman and/or Hawkgirl, and the Green Lantern Corps would get involved.
BLACK LANTERN CORPS
The BLC are candidates for a lot of the same reasons as Anti-Monitor. With the BLC, the film would be very emotional due to the fact that the dead are rising, and they would be a real challenge for the JL to overcome. Also, who doesn't want to see the likes of Batman and Superman battling an army of zombies?
STARRO
Last but not least, Starro. Starro is the very first villain the JL ever faced in the comics. His first appearance is their first appearance. Starro The Conqueror is an extremely powerful and intelligent giant, alien starfish who conquers planets. He sends smaller clones of himself to other life forms. When they attach to the life forms, Starro has full control over that life form. Starro has nearly taken over the world on many occasions. Having Starro as the villains adds a level of suspense to the film. Who's being controlled? Who isn't? Who can be trusted?
Agree or disagree with any of these villains being candidates for a JL movie? Do you think there are any other candidates that I left out? Sound off below!