**SPOILERS FOR JUSTICE LEAGUE: WAR FOLLOW**
So, the premiere of JL: War happened yesterday and, like we all figured, it got good reviews. Now, as devastated as I am that this joke of a film got a good rating, part of me was happy to learn what followed. Like The Flashpoint Paradox, JL: WAR had a mid-credits scene. The scene shows an ocean devastated. Out of it rises a sub and out steps...OCEAN MASTER!(Surprisingly, from what I've seen, in a very NON-N52 looking Costume, which I hate I should add) He is holding a Dead Atlantian and says "The King is Dead" and blah blah.
So how does DC play this going forward and what is going to make me forgive them for JL: WAR? It is simple, but I have no clue what's going to happen. For instance it clearly has nothing to do with Vulko, the others, or the scepter anymore so will the Trench even be in it!? "The king is Dead?" The queen, Atlanna was forced into marriage and that was Orm's dad.If the king isn't Aquaman, which it isn't, then is it Orm's father? That means Aquaman hasn't even been king yet and possibly hasn't even visited Atlantis. So the plot will likely LOOSELY follow TOA but what does this mean? What does this movie need to be the Aquaman movie that we've all been waiting for?
AQUAMAN, AQUAMAN, AND MORE AQUAMAN!!!!
Firstly, we can all admit that in the animated department Aquaman has been given the short-stick...a lot. He appeared for cameos in New Frontier and Crisis on Two Earths and that's about it. Other than the evil, tiny head version from The Flashpoint Paradox, we have ssen very little of the King if the seas. Why is he mocked? Because the most screen-time he's ever had was in Super-Friends. You get a dumbed-down, kid-friendly version of the character and that's all that people see then you have a problem. If Aquaman is ever going to get out of this "lame" rut he is in with the public he needs to get out there. Of course, the only way he will finally escape the rut is when he appears in Justice League or his own Live-Action movie so the general audience can finally see him but animated movies are a great start. The animated movies Dc makes are all brilliant and through them it gains many fans, particularly younger ones. The thought of making hundreds of new Aquaman lovers is excellent and very achievable. To the fans new and old, what is needed is plenty of screen-time. We need to see him unleash sharks on his enemies, we need to see him for the powerful and noble character he is, and we need plenty of orange. Heck, there SHOULD be a Stand-Alone Aquaman film released before this that leads straight into TOA. That would be ideal, there's a lot to set up character-wise before this. The whole attitude should be...
FLASHPOINT DID IT RIGHT, FOLLOW THEIR LEAD:
What I mean by this is in terms of how it was handled. It was titled "Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox" but focused on the Flash. The Justice League was featured in their own little segments through the story, but it was ultimately a Flash story! It focused on his struggle and his weaknesses. That is what Throne of Atlantis NEEDS to do! The Justice League has had plenty of screen-time in WAR and now it is Aquaman's time to shine. We know about the League and what they can do, we've seen it, we need to know about the newcomer. Why wasn't Aquaman present during the battle against Darkseid? Why isn't he king of Atlantis? How has he proven himself? How WILL he prove himself? If the story features MORE Justice League than it does Aquaman this movie will suck. They can't just "SAVE" a character for a MAJOR role in a MAJOR story and then not use him! It's offensive to the character and all of his fans. This should be an Aquaman movie first, Justice League second.
AQUAMAN "I CAN MATCH YOUR STRENGTH." SUPERMAN "ALMOST"
Aquaman is an INCREDIBLY powerful character who's powers are NOT LIMITED OUTSIDE THE WATTR! This NEEDS to be shown. It will help crush the misconception people have of Aquaman as the "Fish-Guy". In Family Guy they showed the one scene where a woman was getting assaulted on a beach and Aquaman just threw Starfish. This is not the case. Aquaman NEEDS a throw-down with the League! The Avenger's Earth's Mightiest Heroes I remember very well doing what I think they should with Aquaman. If Aquaman is going to join the league he needs to prove himself. Black Panther and Captain America all wiped the floor with the team before they joined and it showed they were worthy and foes to be reckoned with. So, if Aquaman fights the League and holds his own what happens to his "lame guy" perception? Shattered. If we get the scenes from the comics where Aquaman punches Superman, tackles Wonder Woman through a wall, and where he holds Batman by his throat you think, "wow, this guy's a bad@$$!". The only reason Aquaman didn't start a true "fight" with the league in TOA is because he was already a member and was friends with everyone on it. Well guess what? He's no longer a member and if anything the only thing he feels for the League is respect, but that means he doesn't have to hold back. Aquaman vs the League has the potential to be one of the coolest scenes in any DC animated movie yet.
SHOW HIS HUMAN SIDE AND SHOW MERA
Aquaman may be superhuman and Atlantian but one of the best things about the character, if not the best, has been the fact he has ALWAYS been torn between the Surface and Atlantis. His relationship with Mera is a close second. At the beginning of the New 52 he tells Mera that he's done with the ocean and wants to start a life on land with Mera(This could explain why Aquaman was absent from JL: WAR, he just wanted to stay with Mera and if it looked like the league could handle it why would he need to bother?). He has always had the responsibility of being Atlantian royalty hanging over his head and the weight of keeping the surface safe on his back. People say Aquaman has it easy protecting the oceans but he protects everything. The WHOLE WORLD became his birthright! The seas are the responsibility of an Atlantian heritage and the surface of the other side. Many times in comics he's been shown making a decision between surface and land and he always learns that he can't focus on one. It's his burden to take care of both. He's not a simple character by any stretch of the imagination and needs to be represented as such. He needs to show all of his emotion in this movie especially when he fights Orm, the League, and when he takes on the role of King and as a member of the Justice League. This is why he needs Mera. In the comics, when he lost Mera(she blamed him for the loss of their son) he lost it and became a dick. That would be the 90's Aquaman for you. With Mera at his side he, ironically, manages to hang on to his human side and his heroic perception. Mera is also just a cool character in herself. The strength of Wonder Woman plus the ability to, forgive the avatar reference but, "Waterbend" is pretty cool and would look pretty cool in the movie.
"THIS IS WHY THE JUSTICE LEAGUE EXISTS"
This should be an Aquaman movie first, Justice League second, but it is a true story of why the justice league is here. It needs to show that in the face of utter devastation the world has heroes that will ALWAYS stand for it and protect it. Superman needs to be heroic and kind, Wonder Woman needs to be inspiring, Batman needs to smart, the rest of the league is all guess work but the Flash needs to be human, Green Lantern needs to be funny, Shazam needs to be innocent, cyborg needs to be calculating, and Aquaman needs to be noble. The Justice League is who they are because of the things they can do and the way they interact with each other. They aren't always "Super-Friends" but there are times when they need to be. There are times when Hal needs to be at Bruce's throat and there are times when they need to fight back-to-back. I haven't seen it yet but from the trailer and clips I can assume this is the one thing JL: WAR does that I can approve of. They are a team, and they need to inspire.
Some quick little things they also need to follow:
-DON'T MAKE ARTHUR A DICK
-DON'T MAKE SUPERMAN A DICK
-MAKE SURE THAT CYBORG CALLS IN SOME "REINFORCEMENTS" FOR SOME COOL CAMEOS.
-SOMEONE SHOULD LEAVE THE LEAGUE
-SHOW THE PUBLIC'S RESPONSE(LIKE TO THE JUSTICE LEAGUE, AQUAMAN, AND ATLANTIS, ESPECIALLY THEIR OPINIONS ON AQUAMAN)
-SHARKS...SOMEWHERE WE NEED THE SHARKS JUMPING OUT OF THE WATER SCENE!
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That is all, Thank you. Oh, BTW...
I know, hate the 90's Aquaman but hey, that's how Aquaman fans feel...all the time...