If WB wants a Justice League movie universe, then DC Comics just showed them how it's done. Obviously, making a shared universe work with movie versions of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman is a different challenge than launching a new Justice League comic book. But that's where this DC relaunch is different, since DC is using their best known characters to launch not one, but THREE Justice League books.
Based on three different teams, with three different strengths, and potentially three different genres, DC's New Justice League comics are spreading the spotlight across a truly diverse lineup. And when comic book fans are excited for a relaunch, those making comic book movies should pay attention.
Because the three new Justice League teams could be just what's needed to get the DC movie universe back on track. Let us explain how.
- This Page: Justice League Dark & A Cosmic Odyssey
- Page 2: Justice League/New Gods Crossover & Justice League 2
Wonder Woman Stars in: Justice League Dark
The fantasy and dark magic of the DC Universe may be less know than the superheroic side of things, but is just as important to cosmic stability. It's for that reason that a team known as Justice League Dark has been formed in the modern DCU, designed to tackle the mysteries and threats tied to the occult mystical underpinnings of this reality. And while a Justice League Dark movie has been in the works for some years, progress has been slow, if visible at all. A problem the comic is proactively avoiding, by putting a DC heavyweight as its main hero: Wonder Woman.
Movie audiences have been asking for heroines to claim more of the spotlight for quite some time, so it's no surprise to observe Diana in more and more leadership roles in the modern DCU. Not just for her abilities, but for her unique connections to magic, mysticism, and mythology (Greek, Roman, or any other variation). Her experience, power, knowledge, and intuition lead her to pair up with Zatanna against a coming magical crisis. And bring Swamp Thing, Dr. Fate, and more along for the ride.
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From a movie point of view, such a move could be what's needed to spark Justice League Dark into motion. Suicide Squad suggested that the powers of magic were rising on the DCEU's Earth, and Shazam will likely introduce more to the DCEU's mythology. Whether the movie chooses to introduce Zatanna, Constantine, or maybe even The Rock's antihero Black Adam, anchoring it to Wonder Woman would help its chances, as DC's clearest "winner" among general audiences so far.
Trying to get moviegoers to care about a "dark" Justice League might seem like a long shot. But put Diana front and center, and few would question whether the film is one they'll line up for.
Justice League Odyssey With Cyborg, Green Lantern & Darkseid
The "No Justice" event that has launched this new wave of Justice League books also did the impossible, breaking open the Source Wall that surrounds and protects the entire DC Universe from the mysteries that exist beyond it. The Green Lantern Corps are the only group plugging the hole in the wall, but it's not a permanent solution. Which leads to the formation of a cosmic Justice League team, charged with addressing the new threats coming Earth's way... while they're still millions of miles off.
If "a ragtag group of superheroes sent to investigate a cosmic threat" doesn't seem like a strong enough premise for a Justice League spinoff, then what they end up finding might tip the scales. Or not what, but who - as Darkseid shows up to help the Justice League against a resurrected villain. A villain who seems more and more likely to be Darkseid's vengeful father...
Page 2 of 2: The New Gods, DC's Own 'Infinity War,' and More!
The New Gods Movie/Justice League Odyssey Crossover
Even with the Justice League movie avoiding Darkseid despite Zack Snyder's original script, adapting Justice League Odyssey to film seems to check multiple boxes off the DCEU's to-do list. And wouldn't you know it, a DC movie already being developed could help make some of the same introductions Snyder was hoping to with Justice League...
From these details alone, casual fans can appreciate how well the Odyssey comic resonates with the forces and faces already alluded to in DCEU films. Introduce a new Green Lantern actor or actress, along with a mission calling on existing heroes of Earth? Check. Connect to a larger Green Lantern Corps active in the DCEU (assuming that movie is still being made)? Check. Shift focus from the Darkseid that might have been in Justice League by introducing an even bigger threat on the way? Check.
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With Ava DuVernay making a New Gods movie, that film could provide a perfect launching point to link the Justice League to the cosmic side of the DC Universe (hopefully still based on Cyborg's Mother Box metamorphosis). If Warner Bros. chooses, these separate movies could also set the stage for a battle or crisis calling on their biggest heroes. For many, the Justice League event movie DC has yet to deliver.
Justice League 2: The Classic Heroes, Villains & All
Finally, the tried and true Justice League heroes and villains are continuing their new adventures in the mainline Justice League series. Despite the different media, there will always be value to the core "Justice League" brand in particular, just like Marvel's Avengers. Exactly what story that sequel would tell... well, that's up to the studio. For all the Justice League controversy that took place after the movie was filmed, those events can and should remain canon. Not a problem, since the final scenes of the movie - just like the new Justice League #1 - wipe the slate clean for a fresh start. From which the studio's new leadership can take any number of options.
A direct sequel to Justice League's post-credits tease of Lex Luthor and Deathstroke? An ensemble story built towards by the heroes' solo films? Fallout from Flashpoint? Or possibly even a sequel stemming from a new Superman movie, with a Batman who may or may not be Ben Affleck. If the spinoffs succeed as well as they could, then whatever Justice League movie the studio chooses can make a strong statement about the vision for the DCEU's future.
A vision that, to this point, even those leading it seem to disagree on. If that isn't solved first... then giving room for these heroes to gather to their strengths may not be a bad idea.