EDITORIAL: Top "Must Haves" for the Justice League Movie

EDITORIAL: Top "Must Haves" for the Justice League Movie

What I believe a Justice League movie must have to be a success.

Editorial Opinion
By MJPETTY7 - Jun 09, 2012 07:06 PM EST
Filed Under: Justice League

As I'm sure most, if not all, of you have heard the news that DC Comics and Warner Brothers have finally decided to commit to make a Justice League movie after the success of the Avengers. Here are the top 5 things I think are necessary for this film.



1. The Original Seven -
The original 7, and founding, members of the JLA include Clark Kent/Kal-El aka Superman, Bruce Wayne aka Batman, Diana (or Diana Prince) aka Wonder Woman, Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern, Barry Allen aka The Flash, Arthur (A.C.) Curry/Orin aka Aquaman, and J'onn J'onzz/John Jones aka the Martian Manhunter (or the Manhunter from Mars). These 7 started something that changed the history of comics forever. Yes, the JSA and the Invaders were there first, but they were lost to time after World War II. The Justice League was the team that protected the world, not just one side. I think that in order to please fans (such as myself), DC and the WB need to examine what made this team great, and I believe it starts with these 7 heroes. Now, in the Post-Flashpoint continuity aka the New 52 (ugh!), Geoff Johns has replaced Martian Manhunter with a Teen Titan known as Cyborg. My fear is that Cyborg will be in the JLA movie instead of our favorite Martian. Without the original seven members, the JLA wouldn't exist, and I think that that would be a great disservice if their own movie didn't include those founding members, ALL of them.



2. Stay true to the characters -
Superman is the noble hero who will sacrifice himself for anyone, even the enemy, but he's also a powerhouse capable of leveling cities in a split second. Batman is a master statagist, detective, and fighter. He also is very paranoid and only trusts Superman. He also is able to make subtle jokes, something Nolan forgot. Wonder Woman is a strong woman. She, like Superman but not nearly as strong, is a powerhouse, but she also loves all creation and cares for all of it's people. That is not to say her fighting skills match even Batman's and she is a warrior in her own right. Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) wields the most powerful weapon in the universe. He's headstrong, cocky, and doesn't like being told what to do, but he also will never let an innocent life be put in danger and has more willpower than any other hero combined. Flash (Barry Allen) is a police scientist, so he has an interest and knowledge of crime. He doesn't like being called a "vigilante" and makes sure that he never breaks the laws he swore to uphold. Aquaman is king of the seas, he's a king so he wants to always be respected, but he's also protective over the surface world as he's an outcast of his own. Martian Manhunter is basically Superman and Batman combined, but he keeps to himself. He never takes credit for his feats, yet makes sure he has a say in any situation.

These are the traits that make the members of the JLA who they are. This is something that hurt Superman Returns, Green Lantern, and the Wonder Woman pilot of 2010. If the characters don't act like themselves (like "bad-boy" Superman in the New 52...) then it's destined to fail.



3. World-Wide Threat -
Now, yes, Loki and his army were a threat to the world, ultimately, but in the Avengers, the villain struck out because of a previous vendetta. In the JLA movie, we need a villain that doesn't need to attack the heroes personally, but can bring them together in a way like Geoff Johns' Justice League: "Origin" did. Personally, I want Darkseid as the main villain for the JLA movie, but I think if they did Lex Luthor and made him President of the USA, I think that could be good. Darkseid to me seems like the most logical choice, especially after Origins, but I could also see them going the route of Brainiac or White Martians as well.




4. Reference to the DC Universe -
This one is kind of a given. If 7 heroes team up to fight a villain bigger than themselves then of course there would be a universe beyond them. Amanda Waller would be a good one to have in this movie. Lex Luthor, Abin Sur, Alfred, Wally West, Tom Curry, Mars references would be good! Right? Also, there needs to be back-story to the characters, they can't just all show up! Bruce needs to mention his parents death, Clark needs to reference that he's from Krypton and that he's a country boy, Diana needs to talk about the Island, stuff like that. Hal could talk about "not being as good as his predecessor", Barry could say something about not wanting to be hit by lightning again. Obviously if Aquaman and J'onn are in the movie, we'll get some mentions of Atlantis and Mars. The Avengers did a great job recapping the characters origins and situations in their movie, why can't the Justice League?

Also, if they didn't want to "waist time" on origin stuff, then have Alex Ross or Jim Lee (preferably Ross) draw the origins and put them in the Main Titles Raimi Spider-Man style!



5. Leave it open for spin-offs and sequels -
If only a Justice League movie was made, then how can you measure it's success, especially against the Avengers?!?! If Man of Steel starts this "JLA Movie Franchise", then we know there will be more. Heck, if Green Lantern started it and they make a GL2 that's better than GL by a lot, I'll be happy as a lark! But WB should not make the mistake of just making one movie. Spin off origin movies afterwards would be good. I want to see Wonder Woman and Flash (along with GL2 and Aquaman) soon, don't you? And a Batman reboot? Just put him in Justice League and give him and Superman a World's Finest movie together, then we don't have to mess with Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy just yet.


These are my thoughts guys, I'm sure we all have a lot more where this came from, comments are welcomed as always and until next time!
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95
95 - 6/9/2012, 7:41 PM
Okay. Yeah, I agree -- but there's nothing new here. These are ideas a lot of people have said already.
Ghostt
Ghostt - 6/9/2012, 7:46 PM
good write up dude
JMESS
JMESS - 6/9/2012, 7:46 PM
yep
TheMyth
TheMyth - 6/9/2012, 7:57 PM
Nice! I think if they had to they could nix Aquaman and Manhunter. Not that I don't like the characters, just that I don't think they'd be necessary for a part 1 especially. Bring the other 5 together to start it off. God knows Supes and Bats together is enough to put asses in seats. Darkseid is blowing the load a bit early, like if Thanos were the first Avengers villain or Apocalypse the first X-Men villain for movies. I feel like a Luthor plot or Brainiac would better serve the role for starters.
ryansorensen12
ryansorensen12 - 6/9/2012, 11:06 PM
As far as movies are concerned, Lets Keep Whats existing and build.

Green Lantern wasn't the best, but its still a scaffold to build on. Mark Strong was fantastic as Sinestro, and even i didn't even mind Reynolds as Hal. He is a dedicated actor (as seen by his desire to "do deadpool right") who just had to make due with a bad script. Perhaps in a Green Lantern sequel they could explore Sinestro's home world of Korugar and the injustice there. More emphasis could be put into the actual Corps such as Kilowog, Tomar Re even others like Salakk etc. The second movie could follow a modified version of Emerald Twilight with a villain such as the Anti Monitor or Hank Henshaw destroying coast city, evoking Paralax's return within Jordan. This could lead to Parallax/Jordan teaming up with the villain(s) and Sinestro and the rest of the corps having to take them down. Sinestro could be dragged into the antimatter universe (as a hero still perceived by the Corps) and Hal is left as parallax in the films ending. The ending scene in Green Lantern with the yellow ring could perhaps be a flash forward to the events of the justice league movie.

Nolan's batman universe could be interpreted depending on what happens to wayne in TDKR.

The Man of Steel movie could simply be extended upon for the Justice League.

Flash could be adapted to a film, as his backstory is very detailed and probably requires a film to demolish the concept that he's just a "hero that runs fast".

Wonderwoman movie is definitely a MUST.

Finally, they could bring in Aquaman and Martian Manhunter during the events of Justice League (similar to Hawkeye and Hulk in the avengers). Perhaps their movies could be released after.

So essentially, they could use a Green Lantern 2 movie to set up everything for the Avengers.

In opening of the Justice League movie, Sinestro's antimatter universe banishment makes him question the Guardians and the corps, the lack of justice on Korugar, the treatment of his people and finally the stupidity of Jordan leading to his exile and hatred for Earth. VILLAIN MOTIVES DONE!

Concurrently, the Justice League forms on Earth with the absence of Hal Jordan, in order to take down Parallax/Jordan. They succeed in separating Jordan from the entity of fear which in return breaks Sinestro out of his banishment to the antimatter universe who now can harness the power of fear (steals the ring from the central powerbattery referencing the scene from the end of green lantern). Sinestro in his exile has formed the Sinestro Corps through fear and begins his quest to destroy Earth and command control of Korugar.

And so the showdown for the Justice League movie begins...
Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonderwoman, Flash, Martian Manhunter and Aquaman are now up against a larger enemy than Jordan's parallax. The likes of Sinestro, Anti Monitor, Hank Henshaw, Superman Prime and others (maybe scarecrow etc) up against them, wielding the rings of fear. Maybe Guy Gardner could be employed during Hal's parallax episode?

As for casting choices...

Henry Cavill (superman), get a new batman because Christian Bale wont if Nolan wont. Reynolds as GL, someone like Neil Patrick Harris or Ryan Gosling as Flash, Bradley Cooper as Aquaman, Kate Beckinsale as wonderwoman, Laurence Fishburne as Manhunter. That would be my ideal.

I've really wanted to get that idea off my chest for a while hahaha
Alphadog
Alphadog - 6/10/2012, 12:15 AM
First of all the first seven should be together in this movie, because they make sense for my choice of villain. Second, the new 52's superman isn,t a douche. Third Darkseid shouldn't be the villain because it doesn't make any sense that the justice league are the only heroes in the world at that time that notice that tried to fight him. So my choice of villain would be Despero because he's certanly powerfull and he could have a connection to the martian as being the one that destroyed mars.
Advocate
Advocate - 6/10/2012, 1:07 AM
I think an additional thing to have as a must in the JL movie is a good villain. And I hate to say it, but I think an invasion style plot is something that could be expounded upon.

First, before anyone says this is simply copying the Avengers, or any other movie, I'd like to say that in my opinion, the JL has always been more complex than the Avengers. So if anything, this invasion could be led by Despero or some other minor cosmological player (similar to Avengers). But I think the movie can one-up the Avengers by not only having one of the members (possibly Martian Manhunter) perceived as the actual villain, along with the humans (Lex Luthor, Cadmus labs, etc.) behind the invasion.

Still, there's something about the word invasion that makes me feel odd when talking about a JL movie. I guess what I imagine is a War of the Worlds, Avengers, TF3 kind of thing on some epic scale.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 6/10/2012, 8:09 AM
davidpds
Despero hasn't been to Mars, hasn't done anything to Mars, has no interest in Mars... completely unrelated.

Malefic or Ma'alefa'aek, J'onn's brother, was the one who killed everyone. The only outside connection he'd have that would related to Mars' destruction is Apokalips, Darkseid, and Kanto. They performed experiments on the Martians, and J'onn's father died as a consequence. It was a marker for Malefic going full-blown nuts, although J'onn chalked it up to Kanto's influence.

I have different ideas for a Justice League movie, but none of them matter. I don't trust DC to do anything "correctly" or faithfully, but it could end up cool anyway. We'll see.
MJPETTY7
MJPETTY7 - 6/10/2012, 8:46 AM
For those who say that there is no original 7, in the JLA's first appearance in Brave and the Bold #28 (I think that's right) Superman and Batman are in the issue and are part of the original teams formation. This is clearly sh
MJPETTY7
MJPETTY7 - 6/10/2012, 8:47 AM
Sorry, this is clearly shown in the issue if you've actually read it.
MJPETTY7
MJPETTY7 - 6/10/2012, 8:58 AM
@Just1Superguy

1) See my above comment or read Brave & the Bold #28.

2) Have you even read Action Comics or the Superman book? Johns writes him fine in JL, but in the other books... Meh. And btw, i have read the New 52 Superman books, I hate them! Also, Pre-Flashpoint Batman and Superman trust eachother, idk if you've read any of the Superman/Batman series, but that hits the nail on the head with their relationship. As for Wonder Woman, she's not as strong as Superman (no one is), but she can hold her own in a fight with him, same with Batman.

3) I'm not completely sure how to respond to this to be honest... Darkseid, if you've read John's JL book, Final Crisis, the Great Darkness Saga, or Legends, is a DC Universe villain. Sure he fights Superman a lot, but he's not limited just to him. Also, Lex Luthor is Supes ultimate for, not Darkseid.

Thanks for your thoughts, I don't mean to be hostile with you or to start an argument, but the article does say "my thoughts". Thanks!
MJPETTY7
MJPETTY7 - 6/10/2012, 9:04 AM
@Just1Superguy All I'm saying with regards to Superman's character is for the film to work, we need a Superman who can inspire the other heroes to work together and who would rather work things out than fight, but can and will if need be. This is something that I'm not seeing in the New 52's Man of Steel and if you do, that's great, it's just I don't. Lol
soundwave129
soundwave129 - 6/10/2012, 10:40 AM
Just1Superguy, Darkseid is not a Superman villain. They've fought before, yes, but if you're going bu that logic you might as well throw in Batman and Green Lantern.
MJPETTY7
MJPETTY7 - 6/10/2012, 11:11 AM
@Just1Superguy Look, i've been reading the New 52 and I've read DC all my life (Marvel on and off, but always DC) and the DCnU Supes, in my honest opinion, doesn't feel lie Superman to me! He may to you and that's fine, but he doesn't to me. The New 52 may say things that the other comics didn't, it's a reboot it changes things I think we both get that and should leave it as that. You have your opinions, I have mine, that's the whole point of this article.
MJPETTY7
MJPETTY7 - 6/10/2012, 11:14 AM
Also, I'm not saying that Supes is a bitch, he's not, we all get that, but he is (like you said) a Boy Scout! He always tries to find another way if he can. He doesn't go looking for a fight and he doesn't start one out of suspicion (like in Justice League #1 and 2). That's what makes him Superman.
MJPETTY7
MJPETTY7 - 6/10/2012, 3:01 PM
@Just1Superguy I see what you're talking about now. I'm a huge Smallville fan, so I'm used to a certain kind of Superman/Clark Kent, that's all I'm saying. lol
ralfinader
ralfinader - 6/11/2012, 12:08 PM
My response to this article:

1. The Original Seven - Agree that they should shoot for that, but expecting them to add a female or racially diverse charactor.

2. Stay true to the characters - Agree, and attempt to stay true to their origins as well.

3. World-Wide Threat - I agree they need a worldwide threat, but think it would be better served by having the Legion of Doom be the antagonists, and taking over the world. Beat Marvel to the costumed villian, and get away from alien invasion theme we have seen so much of lately.

4. Reference to the DC Universe - This one is likely a given, but they are not setting up a shared universe like Marvel has, so not that important, just easter eggs.

5. Leave it open for spin-offs and sequels - No worries there. Everything any movie company spits out is in the hope that it can be made into a trilogy at least. Spin-offs likely will not happen though, not directly, anyways.
Advocate
Advocate - 6/11/2012, 12:53 PM
@ralfinader

I think the Legion of Doom would be too soon if they don't really flesh out the villains in movies leading up to a JL movie. It sounds great to get the costumed villain on screen and I'm not saying they shouldn't do that, but for the first JL movie, there's got to be one unifying threat that brings them together. Maybe there are other players in the field for this, but if an alien invasion is done as large-scale as possible, I think it could seem different enough to audiences.

The way I see it is that the Avengers was a two-layer villain plot. You had Hawkeye initially, and Loki/his army. This allowed for more on-screen time for the multi-layered Cap/Hulk/Iron Man/Thor/Fury/Coulson/Widow/Hawkeye team-up so that nothing felt rushed.

The more layers you do, the harder it is to keep a story in tact. Presumably, the superheroes are implied as easily done layers. But the villains end up being the hardest part because you don't want them (in their grand scale) to be one-dimensional. Or essentially two villains embodying one dimension in spite of the possibility of combining motives. Kind of like how Crimson Dynamo and Whiplash were fused for Iron Man 2.

I think what would benefit a JL movie is if they take Marvel's idea one step further (or more). While Hawkeye was a nice way to have some conflict within the team, Loki had intentions of releasing the Hulk. And I for one thought the Hulk was going to be under some mind control or something, which would have been the Iron Man/Thor fight on steroids. This is why I feel having the Martian Manhunter as a misunderstood intruder could result in something as epic as what Marvel could have done.

And on top of that, you could still have other villains. Some I had in mind were Lex Luthor, Sinestro, Gorilla Grodd, Black Manta, and Ares, but the thing is they aren't uniting as a common interest. Plus, this selection is based on my intended route for DC movies. A big part of the movie would still be a white martian invasion, but these supervillains are all separate components of that invasion.
AC1
AC1 - 6/12/2012, 9:16 AM
6 heroes is enough IMO, it'd be hard to balance any more in one film, especially the film origin of the team. Martian Manhunter/Cyborg is the member who should be cut, apart from it keeping the 6 remaining members of the team as the originals in all incarnations from the comics. They also need a villain/threat to unite them, one that is connected to them all in some way, but they should not use Darkseid too early in the series.
postmortem01
postmortem01 - 6/14/2012, 12:54 PM
A few things I'd like to see since this would be my ultimate movie...EVAR!

1. Superman - Can we make him more of a man than a kid? He can be a bit more gritty and less boy scout. Leave that for Shazam.

2. Batman - He can't be the Nolan Batman for obvious reasons plus the Nolan Batman is really just a rich ninja. Let's make Batman the super detective he was meant to be. It's the only real way he can 1-up everyone with super powers.

3. Lantern - Not gay! I'd be okay with Jon Stewart if they referred to Hal Jordan being called away or something that tied in with the Green Lantern series of movies.

4. Wonder Woman - Lynn Colins (the chick from John Carter). She should probably be a total baddass. They are going to have to dumb down that costume a bit to have people take her seriously.

5. Martian - Hmm. That's a tough one...

6. Flash - One of my favorite characters of all time but difficult to depict without cheese. Ryan Reynolds would have been a better Flash than GL.

7. Hawkman/Hawkwoman? - Dear Lord No!

In the end, DC really needs to tread lightly and be careful how they and who they introduce as far as characters in this movie. They could easily destroy the market for more DC based films of this sort. Maybe they shouldn't introduce the entire League in the first film. I would be happy seeing Batman and Supes teaming up to solve a giant problem and an introduction to Wonder Woman at the end leading into JL2.
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