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THE GAME HAS CHANGED

Avengers 2 Marvel Movies Discussion

The most obvious monkey-wrench in this whole crossover design would be creative vision: Nolan got to make his own vision of Batman, and Snyder could arguably want the same for Man of Steel (as will a fair portion of fans, I suspect). But as the header would imply: the game has changed.

Marvel showed the industry the billion-dollar possibilities of something like The Avengers - and all the brand-loyalty, merchandising and licensing still that comes with it. More to the point: expectations amongst moviegoers is now different. People have been successfully transitioned into a system of movie making in which they are, upfront, investing themselves in multiple film properties, following cinematic storylines a chapter at a time... as a comic book fan would do.

With that kind of precedence, it's unlikely that Zack Snyder's creative wishes will override the larger plans of the studio (especially when he's yet to prove that he can successfully relaunch the Superman franchise). So if WB isn't planning this kind of a cameo showstopper, and Superman is all we get, it would be an indication that they A) don't understand the audience for these films, and B) haven't yet caught on to how this game is now played.

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CONTINUITY IS EASIER

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake

Look, the reality is that the wider moviegoing audience is NOT made up of comic book geeks - it's not even necessarily made up of movie geeks. Words like "reboot" can easily confuse the general masses when it's used in the context of an upcoming film - let alone when it applies to re-launching an established cinematic character in a new cinematic universe.

In the minds of most moviegoers, Christian Bale is Batman - or at least was Batman until he handed off the reigns to Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character, Detective John Blake, at the end of Dark Knight Rises. One monumental hurdle facing the Justice League film universe is  how to incorporate Batman; do they go with a new actor, who has to sell audiences on a new version of the Dark Knight? Or do they incorporate Nolan's version into Justice League?

Batman Reboot Justice League Movie Discussion

Nolan has said he's done with the character, and franchise star Christian Bale has said he's done if Nolan is done. That leaves John Blake (and JGL) - which is why recent rumors of the studio angling to bring Blake into the Justice League fold aren't at all surprising.

From a business standpoint, using the momentum of The Dark Knight Trilogy to sell a shared movie universe is not just practical - it's smart. Fans will go crazy seeing Batman and Superman onscreen; they'll go even crazier if they see the Batman they already know, sharing the screen with the Superman they've just gotten to know while watching Man of Steel.

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SHOULD BATMAN APPEAR IN MAN OF STEEL

Release Dates for Batman 3 and the Superman Reboot

I'm going to go ahead and say... yep. Definitely. As evidenced by our Screen Rant Podcast regarding Justice League, our staff is as split as the rest of the Web over whether or not DC leading with a team-up film first is a good idea. I believe it can work, and one way to make it work right out of the gate is by making this move.

You don't even have to answer all the looming questions about what Batman we're getting (Nolanverse or not?) - or who is playing him (Bale? Levitt? New guy?). You just need Batman  -somebody just wearing the costume onscreen next to Superman - and the goal is accomplished. Of course, a Man of Steel cameo would also be a hell of a way to debut the next actor taking on the role...

I've made my case - share your feelings on the matter by voting in the poll below:

[poll id="479"]

Man of Steel will be in theaters on June 14, 2013.

Justice League will be in theaters some time in 2015.

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