As modern franchise filmmaking, especially shared universe filmmaking, become larger and more connected, worldbuilding efforts get more and more attention. From extra sequel establishing scenes to post-credit stingers, almost every modern blockbuster is already doing its best to convince the audience to come back for the next episode.
When it comes to the DCEU, these efforts have come from a variety of methods, some more successful than others. Man of Steel established aliens and the introduction of superheroes; Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice established Batman and his history while detailing the way the world has responded to the emergence of Superman, as well as the introduction of the metahuman thesis, teases of other Justice League members, time travel, and the multiverse; and Suicide Squad brought in even more backstory with some existing Batman villains, shady government organizations, more metahumans, and magic.
As a prequel, Wonder Woman appears to be the most character focused of the series since Man of Steel, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be establishing some concepts that will be significant later on. We won’t know the full scope of the movie until it lands in theaters, but Wonder Woman is poised to introduce a whole new branch of the DC universe: gods. Sure, Suicide Squad dipped a toe in that realm with Incubus and Enchantress, but when lore surrounding Zeus and the Greek gods is introduced in Wonder Woman, Incubus and his sister will look more like mystical con-men.
DC Comics lore has always had significant crossover with more ethereal beings, specifically the New Gods. With Justice League set to introduce Steppenwolf, Mother Boxes, and Darkseid and his Apokaliptian forces, the DCEU is about to be knee deep - at least - in New God lore.
What does that have to do with Wonder Woman? Well, if you’re going to work with New Gods, the first thing you need to understand is what makes them “new.” What about the Old Gods?
Old Gods
The mythology of the Old Gods isn’t something DC comics ever delve into in much detail since they really only exist as a means of establishing the New Gods and everything that comes with them. As such, the lore here shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone since it’s fairly similar to the gods people have worshipped in the real world, hewing most closely to Norse mythology.
The Old Gods got their power from the ambiguous fount of all things, The Source. They made their home on GodWorld, AKA Asgard. GodWorld existed in a state of near constant advancement in both social and scientific capacities, but that peace was eventually disrupted by Ragnarok. GodWorld was destroyed, unleashing a “Godwave” across the universe.
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New Gods
As the Godwave spread, it left divine energy on every planet it touched. The first pass left seeds of energy that would eventually create the New Gods before it eventually reached the end of the universe, splashing back and distributing the power that would eventually make metahumans possible. The Godwave is also responsible for other forces such as the Speed Force and the energy used by various Lantern factions.
Like the schism that resulted in the Godwave itself, the New Gods immediately found themselves split. The remnants of the GodWorld had formed two new planets: New Genesis and Apokolips, with the more benevolent of the New Gods living on the former, and the malevolent faction, led by Darkseid, occupying the latter.
It was the New Gods that invented Mother Boxes, blending advanced technology with the divine energy of The Source to fulfill a variety of purposes, from simple computing to summoning boom tubes to healing wounds and many other mysterious abilities.
Olympian Gods and Wonder Woman
Also created by the effects of the Godwave, the Gods of Olympus came to rule Earth after clashing with and eventually defeating the ancient Titans. The history of the Olympians and their ruler, Zeus, can vary from story to story in DC comics, but they are always directly responsible for the creation of the Amazons.
Again, the backstory varies, but the Amazons were brought into existence to safeguard “man’s world” from threats, typically that of Ares, the God of War. Despite this divine calling, the Amazons came to find themselves isolated from the rest of the world on the island of Themyscira. This has been shown to be either a rejection of man and/or an act of protection from Zeus.
With the Wonder Woman trailers revealing that Zeus is in fact the father of Diana, the Olympian Gods are set to be players, in some capacity, in the larger DCEU, even if it’s only in small part. Diana’s line in the Justice League trailer referring to “the age of heroes” suggests they won’t simply be fading into the background, though.
What Does This Mean For the DCEU?
So what does all this mean for Justice League and the future of the DCEU? It could mean any number of things, depending on where they want to take it, but with Darkseid, Amazons, and Mother Boxes all coming into play in one way or another in various movies, the New Gods are likely to be a factor. Zack Snyder even referenced them directly during the Justice League set visit.
The focus of Justice League so far appears to be on Steppenwolf and the Mother Boxes. Since Steppenwolf is really more of a stepping stone (Steppenstone?) to Darkseid, the Lord of Apokolips is likely getting set up as the villain of Justice League 2. There are a few Darkseid vs Justice League conflicts to choose from, but two of the bigger ones are Final Crisis (Grant Morrison) and Darkseid War (Geoff Johns), both of which lean heavily on the New Gods.
Since Darkseid is an actual New God himself, he may benefit the most from their introduction, providing the seeds of his larger backstory. The DCEU isn’t likely to do anything so overt as a Death of the New Gods arc leading into Justice League 2, but sewing the seeds of the New Gods in Wonder Woman would be a major backdoor to begin laying the groundwork for the Speed Force, the Green Lantern Corps, Mother Boxes, and a whole host of cosmic and supernatural concepts that make up the fibers of the DC universe.
