David Bowie’s legacy reaches even into the heart of superhero showdowns. In the final Justice League trailer, Warner Bros. matched the epic imagery of The World’s Finest to Bowie’s legendary song, 'Heroes.' The movie studio is even calling it their “Heroes Trailer,” and it features the perfect tune to set the scene. The last major film to take advantage of the track was Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor, which employed Peter Gabriel’s emotional cover of the song.
There’s just one month left to go before Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Cyborg and Wonder Woman face-off against Steppenwolf and his Parademons. To amp up the audience, Warner Bros. is pulling out all the stops. Featuring a cover by Australian indie rock group, Gangs of Youth, this fresh take on Bowie’s classic tune adds a synthy, grungy vibe to the original. While adding some violin and orchestral backing, this new generation of 'Heroes' gets belted by frontman David Le’aupepe.
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As he sings, the visuals echo the message in flawless synchronicity. From Wonder Woman standing tall above her cityscape to the Batmobile leaving total carnage in its wake, 'Heroes' carries the torch: “I, I can remember…standing by the wall…and the guns shot above our heads.”
Alternating between song lyrics and Bruce Wayne’s monologue, the trailer shows each member of the Justice League resisting the parademon invasion as the chorus resumes, “We can be heroes, just for one day.”
In the lyrics, “Heroes” boldly weaves battlefield imagery with romantic expression. Though certain lines in the song may seem more affectionate than anything the Justice League members share, the message encapsulates their trust in one another and their (likely) total reliance on the imminent arrival of Superman.
'Heroes' is a marked departure from the previous Justice League trailers, which featured more aggressive and pulse-pounding tunes. While the Comic-Con sneak played The White Stripes’ 'Icky Thump' in all its glory, the next two trailers relied on a cover of The Beatles’ 'Come Together.' Thanks to the reimagining of guitarist Gary Clark Jr. and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice co-composer, Junkie XL, the results were memorable.
While each of these rock classics has defined the marketing for Justice League, the musical attention will now shift to veteran superhero composer Danny Elfman. As the man behind the original Batman theme and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man scores, fans are waiting with bated breath to see how he handles the maany new characters and the previous musical themes introduced in the DCEU.
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Justice League opens in theaters on November 17, 2017.
