Last year, after the crash-and-burn of Green Lantern, I lamented very publicly that DC’s foray into superhero films aside from that of Superman and Batman was officially over. I was certain that the only lesson WB would take away from GL was that it would be better simply to play it “safe” and not rock the boat. That we were doomed to endless replays of Superman and Batman over and over and over again until I finally snapped and walked into WB headquarters with a shotgun and a bomb strapped to my chest. I surmised that DC and WB were somehow “satisfied” in playing second-fiddle at the box office to Marvel Studios and Sony/Disney. After all, nothing saves one’s bacon quite like the words: WE SURRENDER!!!
As convinced as I was that DC/WB had pulled its pants down, lubed up, and stood akimbo to better facilitate Marvel/Disney/Sony screwing it into the ground roughly, I watched “The Avengers” this past May with a certain amount of glumness.
Oh, and incidentally, I was struck with AWE at how utterly fantastic the movie was! How it neatly tied together all the individual superhero movies that built up to it; how each and every hero in the movie got a chance to shine in battle; how well the story flowed from one plot point to the next like… Just like “that river” twists across the dusty land (Duran-Duran reference). And when it shined, it really showed you all it can. (Okay, I’m done. Really.)
Truly, I was blown away by “Avengers.” I can’t think of a single human being who saw that movie who wasn’t. If ever there was a “perfect” Action Movie produced, “The Avengers” fits that description. From a stand-alone aspect, it rates up there with Terminator 2, Predator, and The Dark Knight! It was also, in my own opinion, the last nail pounded into the coffin of DC. There was no way DC/WB would have the GUTS to try to equal this feat pulled off by Marvel Studios. I was convinced of this.
But then, just last week, out of nowhere, I return here to Comicbookmovie.com to read up on some “Amazing Spiderman” opinions… WHEN WHAT, TO MY WONDERING EYES, SHOULD APPEAR?!!?
AN ARTICLE ABOUT HOW DC/WB WATCHED THE SUCCESS OF THE AVENGERS AND DECIDED TO MAKE THEIR OWN SUPERHERO TEAM-UP EPIC TO RIVAL MARVEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (there aren’t enough exclamation points in the entire world to underline my excitement here, so we’ll just leave it at thirty-five.)
Some knee-jerk reactions elicited from this wonderful news:
A) BETTER LATE THAN NEVER, YOU JERKS!!!!!
B) Hey! Look! DC/WB found its manhood!!
And finally;
C) Dear God! I hope they take their time to hash out a coherent story progression and get all the right Directors/Producers working on this project! (As an honest aside, I’m not terribly confident that DC/WB can manage this one based on past performances, BUT there’s always hope.)
Alright, now that the initial gut reactions are out of the way, time to really break this stuff down.
First of all, I am SO GLAD that I was wrong in my assumption that DC/WB was simply going to play it safe and let Marvel/Disney/Sony take over the movie-making business. It seems that, rather than be actively discouraged by the success of “The Avengers” project, DC/WB was INSPIRED! As well it should be. “Avengers” showed everyone the correct formula for selling Superheroes on the big screen: by weaving a storyline so intricate it had to be built up over the course of five films before coming to fruition in a “super-film” that combines all of the previous work. DC/WB, take notes! THAT’S how you do it! Now take that formula, add your own elements, and create what you were always meant to create!
Let me give you a little help with that.
Take what has already been produced so far this decade and begin weaving your story from there. What do we have so far?
Batman Begins/The Dark Knight/The Dark Knight Rises/Superman: Man of Steel/Green Lantern.
Okay, that’s a solid base. You have three of the biggest protagonists in the DC Universe established. That’s half the foundation of the Justice League right there.
Now follow it up. Who, of the remaining members of the JLA, deserve their own titles? The answer is simple. There are three: Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and The Flash.
Additionally, who needs sequels? Well, you can probably put Batman to rest for the next few years. Christopher Nolan has spun a grand yarn with that character. Rebooting Batman would not only be futile (as I believe Batman cannot possibly be any better than what Nolan has given us), but it would generate the usual rolling of eyeballs from the movie-going crowd that has already been sparked by the “Amazing Spider Man” reboot. America, it would seem, is already growing tired of the “reboot” trend in Hollywood. Trust me, you DO NOT want to be the straw who broke the camel’s back! LEAVE BATMAN ALONE!!
Back on task. I don’t yet know enough about “Superman: Man of Steel” to really gauge whether or not it will need a sequel, but chances are, it will. Superman would also be the perfect platform from which to generate a villain worthy of a Justice League movie. Seeing as Superman always fights the biggest and the baddest of baddies. The pool of worthy adversaries is deep: Darkseid, Brainiac, Lex Luthor, Doomsday, General Zodd, or Mongul (who doubles as a Green Lantern villain. See? Tie-ins already!), and that’s just off the top of my head.
Green Lantern NEEDS a sequel! For two reasons: (1) Because you can’t just leave audiences hanging after that little tease you put on at the end of the GL Credits with Sinestro putting on the Yellow Ring and showing us the ever-so-awesome “Sinestro Corps” uniform for the first time. And (2) because nothing short of a well thought out and executed sequel will do to wash the bad taste out of our mouths from the first movie! Green Lantern needs a sequel that will BLOW AWAY the original film and put the franchise back on track. Lesser movies have been salvaged before by great sequels. The list is short, but it CAN be done.
Additionally, The Flash and Wonder Woman will need sequels. Aquaman is good with only one movie. I recommend adding additional supporting cast in these supplemental movies in the same way Marvel did. Remember that Marvel introduced Black Widow in “Iron Man 2,” and introduced Hawkeye in “Thor.” Who would be worthy as supporting characters in a Justice League movie? I’m SO glad you asked (which you didn’t, but we’re pretending you asked)!
I have THREE supporting characters in mind that the Justice League “power cast” simply can’t thrive without:
1) Martian Manhunter-- This guy is the SOUL of the Justice League. Say what you want about the importance of Superman and Batman, they’re the bricks. But J’onn J’onnz is the MORTAR! Manhunter has very little individual appeal (hence why making a movie solely about him would be a potentially bad idea), but when he’s operating within the structure of the Justice League, he not only shines as a character, but he is indispensable to the team. He coordinates, he provides wisdom and leadership (even to Superman), and, in a pinch, he is a powerful reinforcement should the battle against the forces of evil go awry. Also, he shape shifts. He’s like Professor X and Mystique rolled into one… But not as sexy as Mystique.
2) Green Arrow-- You need this guy for comic relief. But also because he’s an “everyman” superhero character. Every superhero team needs an “everyman.” And yes, I know there’s Batman, but Batman fails as an “everyman” for two reasons. First, he’s filthy, bloody rich and only about 1% of Americans can ever hope to identify with that lifestyle. Secondly, though Batman has no superpowers, his money provides really a limitless supply of innovation and technology to help augment his crime-fighting power. Without Bruce Wayne’s riches, the Batmobile, the Utility Belt, even the distinctive costume, EVERYTHING is impossible and the Batman character is rendered unable to exist in his true form. Green Arrow is… just a guy with trick arrows and deadly aim who fights crime with really nothing more than his wits and his Wit. He’s a modern day Robin Hood (he even sports the Errol Flynn costume, God bless him, I would never have the guts to dress like that in public) robbing from the rich to feed the poor. In today’s political climate, he would be the perfect character to appeal to the crowd that struggles to find and keep jobs, who struggle to feed their families, and yes, who struggle to get to the movie theatre to pay for the ridiculous movie prices. He’s a Liberal, rich-hating character for an increasingly Liberal, rich-hating America. In other words: HE’S PERFECT as a supporting cast member.
(Besides, The Avengers had “Hawkeye.” You need to counter that with your own guy who can shoot trick arrows. You just have to. Trust me on this!)
3) Zatanna Zatara-- Wonder Woman can’t be the only woman on the team. If I had one “complaint” about “The Avengers,” it’s that they didn’t have another woman in tights with super abilities. “The Avengers” suffered from a dramatic lack of sex appeal! Where was Ms Marvel? Where was Mockingbird? WHERE WAS THE SCARLET WITCH?!!?
This is a chance for DC to provide a secondary female character to a dynamic superhero team. Not only that, but Zatanna provides one element that was sorely missing from “The Avengers.” Magic! Sure you had the mythological Thunder God, but slinging lightning bolts is a one-dimensional ability. You need a SORCERER! As an avid player of Warcraft and Final Fantasy, I can tell you that the value of someone who can hang back and cast various magical spells to augment the strength of one’s team is essential! Zatanna not only provides the feminine touch, but provides the versatility of a skilled mage who can throw a little random hocus-pocus into a given situation. (Plus, you can’t discount the drawing power of a female magician in a bunny costume, with fishnet stockings.)
As I was saying before, you introduce the secondary characters within the framework of the primary films. Have Superman cross paths with Martian Manhunter in “Man of Steel II.” Have Green Lantern run across Green Arrow and strike up that famous friendship between the two (for those who don’t know, Green Lantern and Green Arrow actually are very close friends. Downright “bro-mantic” sometimes but that’s another story for another article). And have Zatanna make a cameo in either The Flash or Wonder Woman. Doesn’t have to be exactly that way. You can mix and match with even more interesting results.
What you want is basically the following:
Three Batman movies (already done)
At least two Superman movies (one is already coming out next year)
One Green Lantern sequel (As stated above, Green Lantern NEEDS a sequel to redeem itself)
At least one Flash movie
One Wonder Woman flick
And one Aquaman
Followed, at last, by “Justice League!”
I will write a “Part 2” later on this week to go into further details about how the buildup to the Justice League should go about, and what classic JLA storyline would be the best for adaptation to the big screen. Stay tuned.