The Justice Leaue Movie
Main Cast
Superman
Will become the head of the Justice League and shares half of the leadership of the team along with an untrusting Batman, by far the strongest member and is a power house to behold, is trusting, dependable and honourable he is also trying to build on his image to the world as an alien having only recently revealed himself as the Man of Steel.
Batman
The Dark Knight starts off believing the worshipers of Apocalypse are nothing more than a cult and ignores the warnings from the mysterious Martian Manhunter, however in time starts seeing the potential off the other superheroes have and as the threat grows he accepts that what is coming is by far out of his league and agrees to join the movement.
Wonder Woman
The female of the group but by far not the weakest, her strength is close to that of Superman and fighting skills matches Batman, on top of that she has a mystical armoury and the blessings of the Gods, having entered the world of men and breaking up with the first man she ever saw Steve Trevor who wanted to settle down, Diana joins the team to expand her search for purpose and falls for another man…. Bruce Wayne.
Green Lantern
Having been part of the Green Lantern Corps now for just over a year Hal has spent a lot of his time away from Earth establishing the rest of his universal sector 2814 first, however after dire warnings from the Guardians that Earth is about to burn from the shadow and flame, Hal sets out back to his home world without the might of the corps behind him, however a new team on Earth awaits.
Flash
After Barry Allen is one night struck by a strange lightning bolt in is research lab he gains the power of the Speed Force and dons the identity of the Flash, whilst juggling his relationship with Iris West, discovering he extent of his powers, parading himself as a hero not a vigilante to the public and establishing a strong friendship with the Hal Jordan, Barry has had a lot to deal with all at once and has a hard time accepting these changes and instead prefers to run away then deal with them.
Aquaman
Never knowing his mother, Arthur has always had a strong affinity to the water, however when his father is attacked by something out of the water and later dies in hospital, Arthur begins to learn that he is in fact the lost heir to the city of Atlantis and learns of his destiny to forever become King and protector of the seven seas, although he accepts his role as an Atlantean he instead has chosen to remain on the surface world to protect humanity from the evils in the deep.
Supporting Cast
Martian Manhunter
Lois Lane
Mera
Jim Gordon
Alfred
Jimmy Olsen
Villain Cast
Darkseid
The Cult of Apocalypse (human)
The Army of Apocalypse (parademons and other allies loyal to Darkseid)
Granny Goodness
Lex Luther (minor role)
Now before we begin there is something that I would like to address, even though this is a superhero team movie I think it would be important to have sections of the movie told from just one of the members point of view whilst still giving each team member of the team their own chances to shine, much like Whedon chose the Avengers to be told from Captain Americas perspective the Justice League should be seen through the eyes of none other than ….. Batman.
Now I know what you’re thinking, ‘big surprise on it being DC’s money maker superhero’ but that’s not the reason why I’d choose him, I chose him because even though all six are awesome Bruce is perhaps the most relatable to us the audience in terms of being a mere human, a mortal and of course has different relationships and opinions with the other members and so is a good focal point.
However that is by no mean to say that this is going to be Batman’s movie and the other heroes are just in for the ride, hell no going back to the Avengers and Captain America even though it was from his point of view Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye and Black Widow all had epic moments in their movie along with interesting relationships (Stark and Banner or Hawkeye and Widow as an example) and this could be repeated in the Justice League, Hal Jordan and Barry Allan having a buddy friendship and know each other’s identities, Clark and Diana realising a similar style to one another where a great respect is formed between the two and of course Bruce and Orin bond a friendship also.
Hal and Barry have the best friendship in the team whilst Superman and Batman are more at ends with each other the entire movie and do not have the bond they will have in the years to come
The cult of apocalypse starts out as the enemy then to small waves of apocalypse minions with Granny Goodness and finally the whole attack on Earth is led by Darkseid himself.
The final battle is fought first in Metropolis and finally on Apocalypse itself between Darkseid and Batman and ultimately Superman in which they both lose however as the three once again return to Metropolis the Justice League comes together in as a team defeat Darkseid and send him and his army back and seal the doorway.
All Six of the heroes’ origins are shown during a full length opening credits starting with Clark’s arrival to Earth, him discovering his powers, claiming his suit and finally taking to the skies of Metropolis.
We then have Bruce with the murder of his parents, him training around the world and getting top end degrees and finally him standing one night in the Wayne Manor gardens following a small shadow in the night air, suddenly he jumps back as a swarm of bats dart out of the darkness past Bruce and into the night sky as Bruce looks up he spots one flapping its wings towards the moon (this should be clear that this is the moment where Bruce realises who he is meant to become).
Next of course we see shots of Themescara and Diana’s life there quickly switching to her fighting in a Greek mythological battleground and finally her first days in the world of men.
After that we get a few shots of Arthurs origin his arrival to the surface world as a baby, him being raised by his adoptive father and his ascension as the destined ruler of Atlantis.
Next we see Oa and both Hal and Sinestro in the Guardians chamber with Hal uttering the Lantern Oath to recharge his ring whilst Sinestro looks on menacingly.
And finally we see Barry Allan in his lab and being struck with the infamous lightning bolt .
The world that we are introduced to is a world that has only been introduced to the existence of superheroes (inspired by me from the new 52 Justice league comics) Superman has only just revealed himself for a few months and people are unsure who or what he is, Batman is believed by many to be a myth or a superstition rather than known as the world’s greatest detective, Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern have hardly even been heard of and in a way are introduced to the public in this movie and Flash is seen as an untrusted and unknown entity however by the end not only will the world know about their existence but will accept them as their heroes.
Martian Manhunter will also play a fairly big role and will part wisdom to all six of the main cast, he imparts his resemblance to Superman as being the last of an alien race and embracing Earth as their true home, with Bruce he tries to help Bruce overcome his pain as a child and tries to convince him that his parents death was not his fault however Bruce declares that he can never let go of the pain as it’s his anger that reminds him what he must do. To Diana he shares knowledge of love and that when his wife was alive it was the greatest time of all his years he had lived and reminds her that she must choose her own belief about the world of men and not that of her people, to Hal Jordan he informs him to never lose faith in the power of Will and to watch his back in the fearful days that are coming (by this he means Sinestro’s betrayal which would come in a Green Lantern sequel after this movie).
And finally to Barry Allen he shows Barry that no matter how fast he moves he can never run away from his problems and must learn to embrace the many changes happening in his life.
The reason why John Jonzz is enlightening the group is crucial to the story as when the team falls apart and claim they will stop Darkseid but on their own John is at one point confronted by Darkseid and though fights valiantly is (spoiler alert) killed at the hands of the God of Apocalypse.
This reason is what makes the heroes come together and agree to avenge the kind Martians sacrifice.
Another big moment in the movie would have to involve a conflict between two of the League members and of course the one’s I’d choose would be the big two themselves Superman and Batman.
With Flash and the Green Lantern having an established best friendship going on Superman and Batman I think shouldn’t have a similar relationship to over shine them at least not in this movie, we all know that the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight will one day have one of the greatest partnerships in all DC but they also have very different views about the world and this is one of the things that should be brought up in the movie as the team is being formed early on.
At one point a disagreement between the two could get so strong that the pair actually come to blows, at this point this could be one of the first times they have met so know very little about the other then from tabloids and the news the disagreement could be many things but for me I can see the two arguing about who should lead the team with Superman declaring him to be the best for the job, Batman could proclaim he doesn’t trust him and that he is much more capable to lead, the fight doesn’t have to be long but it does have to be epic and with Superman easily getting the upper hand with his strength, speed and ability to fly this would light Clarks compassion to not go overboard with his powers and tries to be humble as he is clearly the better, however the tables can soon turn and with Bruce’s strong will, agility, strength of mind and perhaps a certain little green rock Batman could soon bring Superman to his knees and as the two continue to test each other they would have to be broke up by Martian Manhunter before one ends up killing the other.
Now even though the pair will come to a mutual understanding in the movie by the end they would have once again clashed but the door will be open for the pair to have their friendship explored in another movie (I’ll get more into that in a bit).
Next I want to go into Barry Allen now I’m a huge fan of the Flash and of Barry however I am more of a Wally West fan, even though for good reasons I agree with what I’ve read in Flash article comments about Barry should be the Flash in a movie not Wally I think that the actor should portray Barry with a little of Wally’s comedic immaturity to separate the character more from the others.
Now onto love interests, now I’m a fan of a bit of romance in any film especially in comic book movies, plots can be made funny, charming and heart breaking however if overdone can be very soppy and dull and with six heroes taking the lead all with love interests themselves it can be easily overdone if not thought about carefully. For me there’s no need for Iris West or Carol Ferris to appear in the movie for Flash and Green Lantern they can be involved enough in the movie, Lois Lane should make an appearance however in no way a main part and her scenes should be very brief, we can see more from her in a Superman sequel after the League movie but not in this one. The one and only love interest that should be explored should be that between Bruce and Diana aka Batman and Wonder Woman, they both could have been recently made single after Bruce mentioning him dating Vicki Vale and Diana and Steve on a break. Not to say they should instantly fall in love, be forever soul mates and make plans to marry, no no but instead have the two constantly flirting with one another in their own way and making a clear attraction to one another.
A scene for this I came up with is when the team breaks up before they even began and just before Martian Manhunter dies at the hands of Darkseid, Diana could go out to seek Batman out in an attempt to convince him to change his mind and so attends the Wayne Charity Ball in Gotham (a scene before hand Batman let slip something about him being rich and Diana filled in the pieces that he is Bruce Wayne).
We get a scene with Bruce pretending to be the arrogant playboy starts dropping subtle hints to government officials who have attended the function about extraterritorial activity however the army joke it off not realising the threat approaching much to Bruce’s annoyance, until suddenly he spots Diana walking through his guests and an entranced smile spreads across his face.
Now this scene is the perfect opportunity to show the people behind the costumes, yes Bruce’s priority’s are all about the protection of others and self sacrifice but he is still a man and the same with Diana she may be a Amazonian princess and warrior but she is still a woman and there is a lot of chemistry between the two. We can see Bruce’s softer and more charming side and Diana with her guard down. Now I don’t want the scene to sound sappy but it should have a feel good appreciation about it.
Ok now more about the villain, for starters I think the most effective way is to not bring in Darkseid onto the screen until the final battle, have him mentioned throughout the movie and maybe a clip here and there and of course his quick fight with the Martian Manhunter in which he kills him but only in the final battle should he be in full view and him stretching his godlike power to its limits. So how to make Darkseid threatening for the first two thirds of the movies without him hardly having any screen time, well first we could have his human worshippers the Cult of Apocalypse. Though they don’t pose much of a threat being human and all they could possess a small amount of magic and led by the creepy Granny Goodness they ultimately opens up the Boom tubes allowing Darkseid’s army to enter into our world.
And of course the majority of this army are the Parademons and pose a much bigger threat to the Justice League and takes place in Metropolis which is soon a battlefield.
However as the fight starts to head in the Leagues direction the Parademons open up a giant Boom tube and with it enters Darkseid and once again all hope seems lost.
Now first to take him on is of course Superman, however in moments he is soon defeated by the Dark God and at the beckoning of his servants a unconscious Superman is carried through the Boom tube and to Apocalypse while the battle on Earth rages on (again an inspiration from the 52 but just the kidnapping)
With their leader gone Batman takes control and starts making more strategic positions for the League and U.S army to fight the alien army however he soon spots the device that opened the Apocalypse Boom tube and tells Wonder Woman she is now in charge and that he is going to rescue Superman, as he heads towards the machine, activates it and passes through it he ends up on the raging surface of Apocalypse.
Whilst their Bruce could spy on a ceremony taking place in which Darkseid is preparing to kill the last son of Krypton in front of his followers to mark the beginning of his victory over Earth however during this Bruce could have learnt how the Boom tubes work and is able to send what followers at the ceremony there are left of the planet and with them gone and the rest of the army fighting on Earth against the army and the remaining Justice League members it leave’s just Batman, Darkseid and an unconscious Superman on the surface of the burning planet.
Bruce is able to equip himself in the armoury and takes on Darkseid alone but with no avail, however even though his strength of body is no match for the God his strength of mind is far superior and continues to rise to his feet every time he is knocked down, however his plan is soon revealed and quickly Superman wakes up, and just before Darkseid deals the killing blow to a broken Batman, charges towards his enemy and fight him on a match more equal level, as the two titans trade blow after blow Batman crawls to a control panel and just before losing consciousness from the pain activates it sending the three of them back to Earth.
With his army defeated Darkseid now has to take on the full might of the Justice League and is finally defeated and him and his army are blasted back to Apokalips but this time unable to return.
Now in the movie and vitally at the beginning it is important to establish the characters as heroes in their own right before having them come together, it has to be made clear that the heroes aren’t just powerful when they come together they are already awesome it’s just by joining together they become truly unbeatable. To show this each character at the beginning should have each their own little thing going on showing their personal abilities.
These don’t have to be story related scenes and can be very simple for example Superman stopping a plane.
Or Batman doing what he does best and using his hi tech toys.
And of course perhaps the character who needs some good scenes to prove his skills…. Aquaman.
Soundtrack
1. The Avengers Theme (I know it’s a bit of a cheat to pick but I love the main theme in the movie and can see it working for the Justice League just as much).
2. The Da Vinci Code (this theme I can see working in the opening credits scene when showing all six of the heroes’ origins and how they came to be).
3. Superman Theme (this is a given at some point during a Superman save have Williams music booming in the background).
4. Immediate Music Serenata Imortale (I’ve seen these kind of soundtracks in fan made comic book movie trailers on YouTube and this one especially is very epic and should be part of the final battle in Metropolis with the army of Darkeid vs the Justice League and the U.S army.
5. Immediate Music An Epic Age (again another great piece of music)
6. Two Steps From Hell ‘archangel’ (this is perhaps my favourite pick and should be Darkseid’s main theme and also in the final battle on apocalypse between Darkseid and Batman and Superman which could be one of the greatest ever math ups in movie history.
Potential after the League movie, having the team up movie to start the franchise is I think an interesting idea and I think it can work, by doing it this way you can establish the characters without having to go through a whole origin movie for each of them because if we’re honest which would you prefer a movie telling another origin of another superhero or another reboot of an origin we have already seen before or a full blown movie dedicated to an established superhero…. I thought so, the origins can be explained in this movie as I’ve already sad in a lengthy opening credits, everyone knows Superman is an alien, that Batman watched his parents die at a young age etc. as for Flash, Wonder Woman and Aquaman if done right enough information about their pasts can be detailed enough in the credits so that the audience can get a good enough idea about them and maybe even a few flashbacks here and their during the centrepiece of the movie.
Moving on after the League movie we can then have five or six sequels giving each League member their own solo movie, Aquaman finally choosing to take the throne to Atlantis, Sinestro’s betrayal in a Green Lantern sequel and even combine the Superman and Batman flick together as a much wanted World’s Finest movie and finally having Clark and Bruce form that brotherhood that they are legendary for.
Another perk here is the shared universe is already done so there is no reason why Hal Jordan couldn’t show up in the Flash solo movie or Bruce having a cameo in Wonder Woman’s flick as she struggles to choose between him and Steve Trevor.
And lastly it can open up other DC characters to have their time to shine on screen, of course there would have to be a reason as to why them and a story behind it but we could have the likes of Green Arrow, Red Tornado, Black Canary, Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Cyborg, Booster Gold, Zantanna the possibilities here are endless and from an investors point of view profitable.
What kind of comic book movie would it be without a few easer eggs to tease us fans, like Iron Man had Captain America’s shield, Iron Man 2 had a Wakanda tease and of course Thanos appearing in the Avengers so what could be sneaked into this Justice League movie without involving the plot here are some ideas I have.
1. Oliver Queen
Now when I first began writing this article I wanted Green Arrow to be one of the founding members however after I kept thinking about it I realised that it wouldnt work, having an expert archer in the team would be too similar to Hawkeye in the Avengers and as great as Arrow is the sad truth is Marvel got there first, also Green Arrow is to similar to Batman in status and would affect the originality of the team however that’s not to say he can’t be an easter egg, my idea is a Boom tube could open in the middle of the ocean during the invasion and Aquaman heads out to fight the army wave however off in the distance we get a close up of a small tropical island and standing their watching the action could be Oliver Queen himself.
2. Lex Luthor
Yes Lex has to be in this move however his role is very minor but as Darkseid’s invasion approaches he could offer his financial and newly discovered alien crated technology to aid the president and the U.S military as they become desperate to form a solid defence, however Lex asks something from the President in return, what he asks is not revealed however its clear the President is a little reluctant to give it to Lex.
3. Mid credit scene the Martian survives
Since I mentioned his death at the hands of Darkseid earlier on I’m sure some reading this would be saying ‘kill the Martian terrible idea’ but wait at the mid credits scene it reveals that the Martian had in fact survived his encounter with Darkseid and by using both his telepathy and shape shifting abilities was able to fake his own death, even tricking Darkseid but goes on to say it was needed so that The Justice League of America could be formed and he will only return when the time is right
4. After credit scene
This can make the perfect end to the movie and this credit scene I was inspired by the ending of a Doctor Who episode called The End Of Time part 1 in where the plot of the episode is revealed to be nothing more than the master plan of a much higher being now in the Doctor Who episode it is the return of the Time Lords however in the Justice League it is revealed the guy pulling the strings is ….. Brainiac!
Well there it is just a few ideas I have if I were to make a Justice League movie hope you enjoyed the read and would be interested any otherideas anyone has in he comments below