Surely by now most of you have seen the following image, which gives an interesting comparison of the Avengers and the Justice League:
Now, whereas this seems like a very accurate comparison, there may be a better way to look at the Justice League. It’s been said that Warner Bros. is going to approach the Justice League film by first showcasing the team and then spinning off into solo films. This will be interesting to see, but it might be more interesting to further look into the Avengers scenario (where the members are given solo films before teaming up). Going through with this, the above image might seem inaccurate in the end, but further similarities can be explored.
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Where to Start:
Clearly, the starting point for a DC cinematic universe is The Man of Steel. This immediately presents a problem, as we’ve yet to see where Superman’s film is going to lead. The best way to move forward with an Avengers-like lead up is to try to look past what current influence would have on this hypothetical.
So, where to start? In the Avengers mindset, there’d be a “Phase One” before the Justice League film. Clearly, the most popular and, more than likely, most profitable way to start is with DC’s holy trinity: Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman.
Superman is starting this hypothetical “Phase One” with The Man of Steel, so that’s accounted for. Batman is also well established in everyone’s mind from the recent end of The Dark Knight trilogy. Therefore, the first phase for the Justice League, to a certain degree, is already in progress. Nolan’s trilogy is separate from the universe to be created, but the importance here is the familiarity the character has with audiences.
This leaves Wonder Woman, for the most part, to close out Phase One. As the image above suggests, the best way to approach a solo Wonder Woman film is in the template of Thor. Think about the story in Thor and the central character, and the similarities will start to show. If the image above isn’t enough, it might be more helpful to break things down and take a closer look:
Wonder = Thor
Ares = Loki
Hippolyta = Odin
Steve Trevor = Jane Foster
Given the four characters would have similar roles, the success of Thor shows that this story could work. This isn’t to say, though, that the film should be a scene-for-scene rehashing of Thor. Throw in Wonder Woman’s own mythology and you have an effective formula for introducing the character to a cinematic audience.
After Wonder Woman is given her own film (hypothetically between 2015 and 2016), the DC trinity will have been established (much like the MCU has Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor).
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The Next Step:
So, is the first phase done now? Well, the trinity has been established, but there are other key characters that would need their own films. At the very least, Green Lantern needs a reboot and the Flash needs introduction. Bringing in these two characters next would round out the Justice League.
The Green Lantern film was a travesty. One big issue was lack of payoff. Oa was introduced but never truly established, and a number of supporting characters were introduced there only to be disregarded as Hal Jordan immediately flew back to Earth to do Ryan Reynolds things.
The reboot for Green Lantern (likely to fall around 2017 at this rate) needs to address what the original film ignored: establish a stronger villain and supporting characters. As far as story goes, it’d actually be beneficial to look at Captain America.
Bear with this.
Hal Jordan is a pilot, but compared to the rest of the Lanterns he’s just a guy. His super soldier serum? The ring. Abin Sur is the Dr. Erskine to Hal, taking him from relatively ordinary to extraordinary.
Much like Steve Rogers, after given his power Hal Jordan becomes a part of a new world and a community of interesting supporting characters. Colonel Phillips’s doubt of Rogers is much like the Lanterns’ doubt of Hal upon joining the corps. The team that Rogers frees from HYDRA can also be related to the few friends that Hal finds in the corps.
Villain? The Red Skull is the trial and error of the original super soldier serum. In the same light, Sinestro can be viewed as the trial and error of the Green Lantern Corps.
Again, a direct attempt to recreate Captain America: The First Avenger through Green Lantern is not suggested, but the similarities are worth looking into to fix the problems of a character that struggled with story his first time around.
As far as the Flash goes, I think an Iron Man approach is appropriate. It’s the stripped story of Iron Man, with all mythology thrown aside, that applies. An ordinary man with a higher-than-average intellect is opportunely given a chance to make a difference in the world.
On a side note, the Flash needs a little reimagining. In Injustice: Gods Among Us, Flash wears an armor-like costume (pictured above). What could be done with Flash is a lot more similar to Iron Man than what one would initially think.
Barry Allen is covered with chemicals and struck by lightning (or some other such freak accident involving electricity); the basic origin needs to stay the same. Does this give Allen his speed? No. Now, before getting outraged, consider this: Allen’s body holds a ridiculous level of static electricity due to his accident and he builds a suit that can harness that electricity. This suit, powered by Allen, allows him to run at incredibly fast speeds.
Boom. Iron Man.
The Flash film would likely come out the same year as the Green Lantern reboot.
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How the Justice League Comes Together:
Throughout Marvel’s Phase One, S.H.I.E.L.D. acted as the connecting web between the films and resulted in the Avengers coming together. Does DC have a similar agency to S.H.I.E.L.D. that could be used in the same way? Not exactly. However, DC does have one character that can walk in the shoes of both Nick Fury and Agent Coulson…
J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter.
Throughout the Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Flash films, and the likely Man of Steel sequel to fall within the same period, J’onn would take on a role similar to Coulson or Fury, appearing in each film to connect the world. This would be stroking DC fans more than anyone else. In this role, J’onn would be more effective in his human form as John Jones (who wouldn’t be as recognizable by his name alone).
Why J’onn J’onzz? Considering these hypotheticals are all leading to an Avengers-like film, the threat to Earth would need to be equally similar. Therefore, the logical enemy for the Justice League would be the White Martians, a race that J’onn would be aware of as a threat.
Aside from trying to be a copy of the Avengers, the first Justice League film needs to be conservative with its villains. Coming out of the gate with Darkseid or some other villain of phenomenal proportions doesn’t leave much room for a sequel. At the least, Starro could serve as the alien threat forewarned by J’onn.
With all of these elements, one can easily put things together and see how the Justice League film would work with this formula (likely to happen in 2018 or so). However, one thing has yet to be addressed…
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How Batman Fits Into the Justice League:
As stated before, Nolan’s Batman trilogy is in no way a part of a greater universe. Again, though, The Dark Knight trilogy was a great way to establish the character for cinematic audiences. So, if this hypothetical “Phase One” is lacking Batman it’s because he’s already an assumed element in the universe. He’s the goddamn Batman.
Considering the true character of Batman, he isn’t one to play well with others (getting dangerously close to a Tony Stark quote). Batman wouldn’t willingly be involved with the Justice League. Someone would need to go out of their way to find Batman (who is very elusive) and ask for his help; this is almost like S.H.I.E.L.D. hunting down another Bruce for his help.
So, like the Hulk in the Avengers, Batman ends up as the reluctant member of the Justice League who shows up in the end and outshines everyone else.
Batman’s return to solo work in the DC cinematic universe would likely come after the Justice League film. The rebooting of the character would likely start at the origin of Robin, who opens up a broader universe with his future Teen Titans connections.
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The Future of the DC Cinematic Universe:
After Justice League, the universe would likely broaden with sequels to solo films, a Robin-driven reboot of the Batman franchise, and the solo films of other Justice League members. Again, this is all hypothetical and fantasy, but the formula presented could yield a successful and fan-pleasing push forward for DC in film.