DC Extended Universe’s Justice League is slated to premiere on November 17th, 2017, marking the very first time the DC Comics’ most famous and beloved team of superheroes will assemble in a live-action big-screen feature film. Though originally envisioned as a two-part enterprise, this movie is now poised to stand on its own as the potential sequel was pushed back to make room for other DCEU projects.
Justice League will pick things up right where 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice left off, and will also feature characters that audiences have gotten to know in 2017’s Wonder Woman. The film was written by Chris Terrio and directed by Zack Snyder, though the latter has been recently replaced (due to a personal tragedy) by director Joss Whedon, who will wrap up the production.
As Wonder Woman was widely considered by the mainstream media as DCEU’s first unanimous commercial and critical success, the weight on Justice League’s shoulders is to continue riding that wave and deliver an equally exciting movie that will launch several of its heroes into their own live-action solo films and establish this cinematic universe once and for all.
In case you need a cheat sheet on who's who, this is Every Character We Know Is Appearing In Justice League (So Far).
19. BATMAN
Leading the Justice League pack and also acting in the role of recruiter, Batman – otherwise known as the billionaire Bruce Wayne – will be leaving Gotham City to meet with powerful meta-humans and convince them to join him and Wonder Woman in their fight against evil forces.
Since Justice League’s story will take place just a couple of months after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s ending, one can expect Batman to still be feeling the consequences of his fight against Superman in that movie.
Batman will be played by actor Ben Affleck, who will be reprising his Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice role. The actor was also poised to direct the upcoming solo film The Batman, but has recently pulled out of that responsibility.
18. WONDER WOMAN
Fresh off of her highly successful 2017 solo movie, Wonder Woman / Diana Prince will be one of the main characters in Justice League, co-leading and co-recruiting the team along with Batman.
As seen at the end of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and in Wonder Woman, Batman and Wonder Woman’s relationship seems to be healthy and of mutual respect, which means that their partnership in the recruitment of the Justice League will probably be smooth, leaving Batman to clash with other characters.
Though it’s only been less than two years since her DCEU debut, actress Gal Gadot will be reprising her role as Wonder Woman for a third time once Justice League premieres. A sequel to Wonder Woman is also already in the works with director Patty Jenkins.
17. AQUAMAN
A DC Comics fan favorite, Aquaman/Arthur Curry is finally getting the live-action big-screen debut he deserves. The character looks much grittier and feels much rougher than his comic book version; a change that director Zack Snyder seems to wholeheartedly believe in for the character to work in a cinematic context. In the Justice League trailer, Aquaman is seen clashing with Batman and being an overall bad-ass.
Essentially, Justice League will be setting up 2018’s solo Aquaman movie directed by James Wan, which is the next project on the DCEU slate to be released. The underwater kingdom of Atlantis and fellow Atlantians are expected to make their live-action debuts as well.
Aquaman will be played by actor Jason Momoa, whose previous high-profile role was as Khal Drogo in the first season of HBO’s Game of Thrones.
16. THE FLASH
The Flash/Barry Allen is poised to be the comic relief in Justice League. In the trailer, Flash is seen being snarky with Batman, showing a different facet of the character as he is adapted into the DCEU.
A lot of fuss was made about the casting choice of actor Ezra Miller for the role of The Flash in Justice League. Grant Gustin had already been doing a great job in the role in The CW’s television series The Flash, and fans felt like it was unnecessary to hire someone new for the movies. DC Comics, however, chose to keep its Arrowverse/TV universe separate from its cinematic/DCEU world.
A solo The Flash movie is currently in the works at Warner Bros, but the project has faced director changes and had to scrap its original plans for a release date.
15. CYBORG
A lesser known hero in the main Justice League lineup, Cyborg/Victor Stone is a robotically modified former athlete who can manipulate technology and fire cannons from his arms. For the sake of this movie’s plot, Victor will have been reconstructed with a Mother Box, which is a device that will play a huge role in the story.
Cyborg will be played by actor Ray Fisher, who had no previous film experience before joining the DCEU. Much of his performance was done through motion capture as the character’s entire body is robotic. While Victor Stone’s face is seen for the most part, sometimes it is also covered.
A solo Cyborg film is slated to be released in 2020, the same year as Green Lantern Corps.
14. LEX LUTHOR
Superman’s main villain, Lex Luthor, is poised to come back in Justice League. He will still be incarcerated in Arkham Asylum, where audiences last saw him in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Not much is known about Lex’s importance in Justice League. Whether he will once again be instrumental in regards to the events of the movie remains unseen. Most guesses, however, are that his role will be much smaller – and possibly simply a cameo – giving room for other villains to take over the film.
Actor Jesse Eisenberg, who had already played another rich billionaire in The Social Network, will reprise his Batman v Superman role as Lex Luthor. There are no reports confirming if the character will also be featured in the upcoming Man of Steel 2.
13. LOIS LANE
Lois Lane had a much bigger role in Batman v Superman than most audiences foresaw, and she will once again be back in Justice League. The DCEU has been very active in giving this character true importance, branching off of her usual love interest position in regards to Clark Kent/Superman.
As Superman’s fate remains unclear after the events of Batman v Superman, Lois Lane is poised to once again play a role in the movie which has her act independently from him. She remains a journalist at the Daily Planet, but will also probably be involved in helping Batman and Wonder Woman with the Justice League.
Three-time Oscar-nominated actress Amy Adams will once again star as Lois Lane. Her DCEU debut was in 2013’s Man of Steel.
12. MARTHA KENT
Superman / Clark Kent’s adoptive mother, Martha Kent, played a major role in the events of Man of Steel, but had a much smaller role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The character is poised to once again only have a short appearance, possibly in relation to Superman’s return to life.
Martha Kent is absent from all the Justice League trailers that have premiered so far, which is in line with the absence of Clark Kent and Lois Lane. The DCEU team is actively trying to leave this part of the story unrevealed so that Superman’s return can feel surprising and exciting.
Actress Diane Lane will return to her role as Martha Kent. Like Amy Adams, Diane made her DCEU debut in 2013’s Man of Steel.
11. STEPPENWOLF
According to reports and the film’s premise, unless there is an unforeseen plot twist, Steppenwolf will be Justice League’s main villain. He has come to Earth from planet Apokolips with his army of Parademons, hunting three Mother Boxes that have found themselves in our world.
Steppenwolf was the alien that Lex Luthor was communicating with during the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The character is briefly seen in the Ultimate Edition cut of the movie. He is of the New Gods alien race and has links to Darkseid.
Giving life to the character of Steppenwolf will be Irish actor Ciarán Hinds, who portrayed the Devil in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, and took over the role of Aberforth Dumbledore – Albus Dumbledore’s brother – in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2.
10. HIPPOLYTA
Though we did not see Diana returning to Themyscira at the end of Wonder Woman, there is some hope that she will return there in Justice League since her mother, Queen Hippolyta, is set to make an appearance in Justice League. However, the character will likely be featured in a flashback scene.
Little is known about Hippolyta’s role in the DCEU slate of upcoming films. She has never been directly involved with the Justice League, but she has occasionally come to her daughter’s defense in situations where Diana had to prove her worth to join the team. That scenario, however, does not seem to fall in line with the plot of 2017’s Justice League.
Actress Connie Nielsen will reprise her role as Queen Hippolyta after the character’s very successful live-action debut in 2017’s Wonder Woman.
8. ANTIOPE
Unlike Queen Hippolyta, who left the Wonder Woman film unharmed, General Antiope had a different fate. The announcement that this character will be in Justice League is surprising on a continuity level, though of course fans will be happy to see this beloved Amazon return to the big screen.
The news that Antiope will be in Justice League suggests that the interactions Diana will have with the Amazons in the movie will probably come from a flashback sequence. Otherwise, DCEU will have a lot of explaining to do. The film will probably also set up the Amazons for Wonder Woman 2, which has recently been announced.
The phenomenal Robin Wright will return as General Antiope in Justice League. Her exact role in it, however, remains a mystery, just like Queen Hippolyta’s.
7. ALFRED PENNYWORTH
Pop culture’s favorite butler, Alfred Pennyworth, will return in Justice League. From the trailers, Batman indeed looks like he needs all the help he can get in recruiting this team of heroes, and Alfred has always played an essential role in the hero’s support system.
This DCEU version of Alfred skews much younger than audiences were usually accustomed to, but it was well received in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. 1989’s Batman and 2005’s Batman Begins chose to go a more traditional route, while the DCEU turned Alfred into more of a hands-on professional assistant.
Actor Jeremy Irons will reprise his Batman v Superman role as Alfred Pennyworth in Justice League, and is already confirmed for the upcoming The Batman solo film, which should be starting production in 2018.
7. JAMES GORDON
Commissioner James Gordon is a staple character in the Batman mythos who just so happened to be absent from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The character played an essential role in The Dark Knight trilogy and has been the protagonist of the television series Gotham since 2014.
James Gordon is returning to the big screen in Justice League and, judging from the trailers, will once again play an important role in the life of Batman. DCEU is possibly also including the Commissioner in order to set up the upcoming The Batman solo movie.
The incredible J.K. Simmons will play Commissioner James Gordon. The actor is making a comeback to live-action superhero movies since his role as J. Jonah Jameson came to an end in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy.
6. DR. SILAS STONE
Cyborg/Victor Stone’s father, Dr. Silas Stone, was shown briefly in Batman v Superman and will reappearing in Justice League. Just like in the comic books, Silas will be a scientist at S.T.A.R. Labs, which is an institution that has had facilities in numerous cities across the DC Comics universe. Since so much of The Flash television series revolves around S.T.A.R. Labs as well, it will be interesting to see how the DCEU will place this organization within its cinematic universe.
Justice League has the simultaneous responsibilities of not only introducing Cyborg, his father, and the particular context they exist in, but also setting these characters up for the Cyborg solo film scheduled for a release in 2020.
Dr. Silas Stone will be portrayed by Joe Morton, who is mostly recognized for his role as Olivia Pope’s father in the TV show Scandal.
5. NUIDIS VULKO
Nuidis Vulko is a staple character in the Aquaman mythos. He is a wise advisor of the Kingdom of Atlantis, and quite a political figure. Justice League will mark the character’s live-action big-screen debut, but he will probably also play a huge role in the solo Aquaman films that are planned for the DCEU.
In the comic books, Nuidis Vulko has seen Aquaman be born and grow up to be the King of Atlantis. He’s a family friend and a trusted advisor who will probably have something to say about the hero’s involvement with the Justice League.
Actor Willem Dafoe will play Nuidis Vulko in Justice League. Like J.K. Simmons, Willem was last seen in a live-action superhero property in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, where he played the villain Green Goblin.
4. MERA
Mera is a warrior, sorceress and, in the comic books, also Aquaman’s wife. DC Comics has shared very little about her role in the DCEU, but she is already confirmed for Justice League and the upcoming Aquaman solo movie. On occasion, the character of Mera was in the Justice League team herself, though that does not appear to be the case in the 2017 film.
Before becoming Queen of Atlantis, Mera was born into the royal family of Xebel, which for a while existed in a different dimension. She has an evil sister, Hila/Siren, who has not been confirmed for Justice League but will probably make at least an appearance in Aquaman.
Mera will be played by Amber Heard, who will be the first actress to bring the character to life in a live-action, big screen project.
3. HENRY ALLEN
Dr. Henry Allen is The Flash/Barry Allen’s father, and he appears to have in Justice League a very similar story as he does in the comic books and in The Flash television series: as Barry’s mother, Nora, dies, Henry Allen is unjustly framed for her assassination.
The Flash is one of the characters in Justice League that audiences will be the most familiar with, and Dr. Henry Allen will play a huge role in the development of DCEU’s take on Barry Allen. In one of the trailers that have been released, Barry was seen visiting his father in prison.
Actor Billy Crudup will play Dr. Henry Allen in Justice League, but nothing has been confirmed about his involvement in the upcoming The Flash solo movie. Fun fact: the actor also played Doctor Manhattan in Snyder's Watchmen movie.
2. IRIS WEST
The journalist Iris West, who also happens to be the Flash’s love interest (and future wife), will have her big screen debut in 2017’s Justice League, though it is unclear how developed her relationship with Barry Allen already is during the movie.
Iris West is not expected to have a significant role in Justice League, but her appearance will probably be instrumental in the setting up of the upcoming solo The Flash movie. Iris is already a very popular character in The CW’s Arrowverse, but this will be her first appearance in the DCEU.
23-year-old Kiersey Clemons will play Iris West. The actress made a big splash for portraying the character “Diggy” in the 2015 comedy Dope, but Justice League will be her very first blockbuster project.
1. SUPERMAN
Though the ending of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice left the fate of this character unresolved, Superman/Kal-El Clark Kent is poised to make his return to the DCEU in Justice League – even if he’s not present in any of the trailers or marketing materials so far.
Rumors have been swirling around the Internet that Superman might sport his infamous black suit in Justice League. There are no reports in regards to if the character will appear early in the movie or if he’ll only show up towards the end, like Diana in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Actor Henry Cavill will reprise his role as Superman. While there are apparently no immediate plans for the character in the DCEU for a couple of years after Justice League, there are reports that Man of Steel 2 is in the works.
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Which characters are you most excited to see in Justice League? Who else do you think could still be confirmed to appear? Let us know in the comments!
