The hotly-anticipated Justice League has finally arrived, and it succeeds for the most part in bringing legendarily beloved characters together for the first time on the big screen in an exciting epic that is sure to satisfy a good swath DC fans and beyond, even if there are some rough patches.
The Flash and Cyborg leave excellent impressions, and fit right in with the established Batman and Wonder Woman. Aquaman also makes a memorable appearance, despite definitely not talking to fish (sorry, Bruce).
Seeing this classic line-up meet and do battle together for the first time on the big screen is worth your time, but, while the majority of the film does an admirable job wrangling in brand new characters, origins and situations, there’re a few big moments that didn't make sense, made us scratch our heads, or just made us beg for more.
Because of that, we’ve compiled a list of 15 Burning Questions We Had After Justice League, where we're taking a deeper look at these unanswered inquiries, plot inconsistencies and tantalizing Easter eggs the film left for us.
Be forewarned, though, because if you have yet to see the movie, we’re diving dangerously deep into tremendous spoiler territory.
What Happened To "Unite The Seven?"
The original marketing slogan for Justice League was “unite the seven.” This made sense, because the original Justice League's make-up featured seven characters. However, the final film shows us a mere six heroes, with no real mention of a seventh. Why?
There are a few prevalent theories, many dealing with the reshoots helmed by Joss Whedon after Zack Snyder’s departure. A significant retooling of the film was definitely possible, and the product as a whole feels like a lot of fat was cut out.
Another populare theory is that “the seven” refers to the seven seas, and has more to do with Aquaman and his own film than the Justice League.
Either way, it’s certainly an oddity that such a prominent piece of advertisement completely disappeared, leaving its original intent shrouded in mystery.
Why Were Mother Boxes Misused?
Justice League’s macguffins were the Mother Boxes. These three alien devices were sought by the villainous Steppenwolf in order to conquer and transform the Earth. The manner in which this process supposedly works ends up as a truly head-scratching re-appropriation of the original concept entirely.
In the traditional fiction, Mother Boxes are more-or-less sentient computers with a variety of functions, namely the creation of “boom tube” portals, transform technology, change gravity and so much more. There are also far more than three of them.
In the context of the film, it’s heavily implied only three exist, and even if there are more, Steppenwolf needed these specific three to terraform the planet using a concept called “unity.” It baffles the mind as to why Mother Boxes weren’t just used in the context of the animated film Justice League: War, where they were covertly being placed by Parademons in order to invade the Earth.
Oddly enough, that seemed to be the implication in BvS, but it looks like that was retooled for JL. At the very least, Cyborg’s origin being the result of the Mother Box’s influence were right on the money, and used to great effect.
Who Was That Green Lantern?
A longtime member of the Justice League has been the viridescent hero known as the Green Lantern, a member of the Green Lantern Corps of galactic defenders, who wields a Power Ring which allows them to construct just about anything in their fight against tyranny. Earth’s most famous wielders have been the test pilot Hal Jordan or US Marine John Stewart. Neither one appeared in JL, but a Green Lantern certainly did.
During a flashback where we see an ancient war between the Amazonians, Atlanteans and Man against the forces of Steppenwolf, a lone Lantern charged into battle with them. Although he was soundly defeated, and his Power Ring sent back into the cosmos, we couldn’t help but wonder who he was.
If the Lanterns were aware of the threat Steppenwolf posed in the past, why didn’t they send another champion in the present? Even more interesting was who the fallen Lantern’s ring went to. Could it have been Abin Sur, the GL who would eventually crash on Earth and deliver the ring to Jordan? While we can’t say for sure, it’s safe to assume DC has planted the seeds for the future appearance of the Lantern.
Where Was The "They Said You'd Come" Scene?
The most talked about sequence in the Comic-Con Justice League trailer was where a frazzled Alfred, tinkering away in the Batcave, confronts a mysterious figure whose soft-focus shoulder was the only discernable feature.
Many speculated that it was the obvious choice of Superman, while others held out hope for a Green Lantern or even the Martian Manhunter. Unfortunately for everyone, that question was never answered, as the scene failed to appear at all in the finished product.
While it’s an easy and safe bet to assume that it was indeed a resurrected Superman in this scene, it doesn’t exactly fit anywhere within the context of the finished product.
Of course, the possibility exists that this scene was only shot for the trailer, or that it will be part of some future extended edition of the film. Until then, the best we can do is continue to speculate.
Who Made The Flash's Costume?
Barry Allen, also known as the Flash, is easily one of the stand-out characters in the film. He’s lovable, he’s funny, and you can’t help but be drawn into the infectiously endearing performance by Ezra Miller.
Interestingly, this Flash is more of a petty vigilante than superhero, and he makes this abundantly clear.
In his own words, he generally just “pushes people” and runs away, leaving him with little battle experience and a self-admittedly large amount of phobias. If that’s all true, why did he make a superhero suit? Actually, scratch that, who made this suit?
Bruce Wayne is noticeably impressed with its construction and the materials used, all of which are part of space shuttles’ hulls for re-entry. How did Barry come across this stuff? Did he steal it? And even if he did, are we to believe that he had the skills to craft this thing?
This same could be said with certain Spider-Man costumes, but the incongruity is swept under the rug and quickly forgotten since the question is never raised.
In JL, the quality of the costume’s construction is addressed directly, and there’s no real answer to explain it away.
Is Wayne Manor The Hall Of Justice?
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice was beyond a divisive film for many reasons. One of its strongest points, however, was the incredible wealth of world-building that left the film’s universe feeling like a real place with a real history. Tidbits were strewn about that helped flesh out the universe while offering intriguing Easter Eggs and talking points.
For example, we saw a Joker-defaced Robin uniform, implying that a Death in the Family situation had occurred in Batfleck’s 20-year stint as the Caped Crusader. Another stand-out detail was the burned-out Wayne Manor. Never directly explained, this husk of a building haunted the Wayne properties and captured the imaginations of many.
By the finale of Justice League, no questions regarding Bruce or his backstory are explored or answered, but it’s heavily implied that the remains of the Manor are going to be retrofitted into the iconic Hall of Justice.
While that’s awesome in its own right, we’d still like to know the full story of what happened there before the likes of the Wonder Twins sully its hallowed ground.
Why Was A Mother Box Needed To Resurrect Superman?
In Batman v. Superman, two of DC’s most iconic and legendary heroes duked it out, but not to the death. Instead, they were interrupted by the abomination known as Doomsday, born from General Zod and Lex Luthor’s DNA. This rampaging titan posed an extreme threat to the combined forces of Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman, but was eventually defeated despite the Man of Steel giving up his life to do so.
A funeral was held, and Clark’s friends and family said their goodbyes as his casket was lowered into the ground. There, we saw that Superman might not be dead after all, as the dirt on the casket's lid started to rise in the same fashion that it did when Superman prepared to take flight.
If that was the case, why was a Mother Box needed to revive the Big Boy Scout at all? The movie itself seems to be unsure whether or not Superman was even actually dead, going back and forth between explanations. In the end, the revival sequence was certainly cool, as was the ensuing chaos, but was it worth it to sacrifice so much logic in order to have a water-cooler moment?
Will Danny Elfman's Musical Ideas Carry On Through The DCEU?
Danny Elfman is a composer who has delivered some of the most iconic film scores to date. Reliably creating melodic masterpieces for a variety of movies, Elfman also has a special history with comic book adaptations.
His 2000s Spider-Man scores remain beloved pieces of music for fans even today, but it was his 1989 Batman theme that so perfectly defined the Dark Knight for years to come, with his work even being adapted and expanded for the entirety of the Batman: The Animated Series run.
For Justice League, he revisits his ’89 Batman score, using it as a core motif through the film, but he also picks and chooses pre-existing themes for the majority of the other heroes as well. Wonder Woman gets her ferocious motif from Hans Zimmer, the Flash has an orchestral rendition of his TV theme song, and Superman gets a triumphant return to John William’s original Superman score.
Most of this is a major departure from BvS’ musical groundwork, so one can’t help but wonder if these characters will now retain some of their most iconic and relevant theme motifs within the DCEU going forward, or will they all be redefined once again?
Why Does Steppenwolf's CG Look So Terrible?
Justice League had a lot of fantastic and memorable moments. Its main villain, Steppenwolf, was neither fantastic nor memorable. He also had a terrible case of awful-looking CGI.
A big baddie from Apokalips, and conqueror of worlds, Steppenwolf seemed to be on par in terms of power with Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and so on. In fact, the only one who could really take him on and overwhelm him was Superman. You’d think that someone that powerful and dangerous wouldn’t look like a cutscene from World of Warcraft, or worse.
His cartoon-like face never moved right, and whatever gravitas or presence the character would have had was immediately discredited anytime we saw the horrendous close-ups of him which, inexplicably, happened very often, almost as if the filmmakers were proud of how he looked.
We live in an age where Disney can literally bring dead actors back to life in nearly photo-realistic detail, and we’re supposed to accept that DC can’t even nail a monstrous, humanoid face?
Is This The New Tone Of The DCEU?
Marvel movies have almost always been lighthearted comedies with a good share of fighting and pathos thrown in to make them well-rounded. This formula has resonated well with audiences everywhere, and has lead Marvel to great cinematic successes.
DC, on the other hand, stood in stark contrast to the Marvel formula, delivering exceedingly grim and depressing films. While there is certainly an audience for this stark tone in the crowded superhero genre, DC was harshly criticized for it and, instead of sticking to their guns, they decided to lighten the tone dramatically moving forward, and it shows in Justice League.
Characters regularly quip and joke, the crushing consequences of actions are largely absent, and there’s an overall sense of frivolity that accompanies the League’s first adventure together. While there’s nothing wrong with this, it runs the risk of feeling like a knock-off Marvel movie.
It will be interesting to see if future DCEU productions will find a better balance between light and dark, or if they’ll go to the far points on either end of the spectrum.
What's The Deal With The Atlanteans?
Justice League took on the impossible task of having a team-up movie where multiple new characters are introduced and featured and, for the most part, they did this incredibly well.
The Flash nearly steals the show, and Cyborg has one of the best arcs in the entire film. One character gets slightly left out of the limelight, though, and that would be Jason Mamoa’s Aquaman.
While he’s still cool and has great moments, we barely learn about him (aside from one incredibly humorous moment). Worse yet, we know even less about the Atlanteans.
For fans, it’s common knowledge that Arthur Curry is from Atlantis, and that there is an entire race of people living beneath the seas. Casual moviegoers are told and shown this, but only in the barest sense.
We know much about the Amazons, but we know next to nothing about the Atlanteans. We barely see his world. We barely see his people. We legitimately know nothing about this culture.
Weirdest of all, there’s a permeating sense that we should know more, as if there were significantly cut portions of the film that would have satisfied this curiosity, but were seemingly left out in order to shorten runtime.
Will Ben Affleck Be Back?
Ben Affleck was faced with overwhelming criticism when it was announced that he would be playing Batman in the DCEU.
Similar to the way that Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker was decried by fanboys until the finished product revealed the genius of the casting choice, Affleck’s Batman proved to be an awesome take on the vigilante, bringing a beaten-down, maddened edge to the character.
While some of the more dangerously brooding aspects of his characterization were lifted in Justice League, we still saw a mere man in the presence of gods who was not unaware of his physical limitations, or the effect that it had on his psyche.
Regardless, there seems to be an undying rumor that Affleck is on the verge of exiting the DCEU. It’s been shot down repeatedly, even by Affleck himself, yet it continues to rise back from the grave.
After seeing Affleck in JL, along with all the talk about Batman's his body giving out, it definitely made us wonder if this dialogue might be an "out" in case Affleck really does want to leave, after all.
Lex Luthor's Post-Credits Plans
Lex Luthor remained absent for nearly the entire runtime of Justice League. That all changed in the final post-credits scene.
Shockingly, after the reveal that Lex somehow escaped Arkham Asylum, we saw Wade Wilson AKA Deathstroke pull up to a gilded yacht belonging to the young sociopath himself and the two engaged in an intriguing conversation.
Bemused that Earth’s defenders were forming a league, Lex suggested to the infamous assassin that perhaps they should form a league of their own. This is a tantalizing concept, and means that in Justice League’s sequel, we may see a team of villains brand new to the DCEU or the silver screen in general.
An alliance between Jesse Eisenberg’s unsettling Lex Luthor and Jared Leto’s creepy Joker would be worth the price of admission alone, but now that Deathstroke is in the mix, it’d be interesting to see who else has been hiding in the shadows.
Deathstroke himself offers the best hint of Lex’s plans, as he was a founding member of “Secret Society of Super Villains,” but we’ll have to wait to see what the future holds.
Where Was The Martian Manhunter?
For fans of the Justice League animated series, the titular league was comprised of Batman, Superman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman and the Martian Manhunter. While a Green Lantern appeared in JL, there was no tease for Hawkgirl, nor of the Martian Manhunter.
While Hawkgirl is one thing, despite appearing in Legends of Tomorrow, the absence of the Martian Manhunter is a little more bizarre, considering that the character, who is currently on Supergirl's TV series, is an original, founding Justice League member.
An iconic member of the League in the cartoon and comics, our fingers are crossed that’ll he make his appearance in a future film.
His backstory, status as a Martian, mind powers and shape-shifting abilities would all be fascinating to see on the big screen, but without a single hint towards his existence, it’s possible we’ll just have to get our Martian fix through Supergirl.
Who Is Faster?
The mid-credits scene in Justice League is an adorable character moment between Superman and the Flash.
The two meet on a desolate highway and decide to have a race to determine who really is the fastest of all. There are no winners and no losers, per se, although the Flash will have to engage in the awkward social event that is brunch if he fails to come out on top.
The two superheroes trade barbs and jokes and then dash towards the screen. The only problem is that we don’t find out who really is faster.
While we know this scene is just a cute joke, the question still remains. If we had to pick a winner, though, our money would be on the Flash, who is able to harness the Speed Force and travel at the speed of light, something that Superman seemingly hasn’t been able to do. Yet. Looks like brunch will have to wait.
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Can you think of any other burning questions you had after watching Justice League? Sound off in the comments!