The Ideal Justice League

If you follow the Simpleton’s Entertainment page, you know that I recently published an article about Aquaman and his relationship with the Justice League of America (JLA). Shortly after I posted the write-up, though, I realized I had more to say about the team. This modern raid of Superhero’s flying, swinging, or launching themselves through the big screen is about fan opinion, right? So let me give some fan opinion in what I want to see in an upcoming JLA film.

If the Warner Bro’s rumors are right about the movie dropping in 2015, it HAS to be an origins episode, like what Disney did with The Avengers. That being said, they will probably use the original seven members of the JLA team established in 1960 (Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, The Flash, Aquaman, The Martian Manhunter, and The Green Lantern). The biggest concern of mine with looking at the entire lineup is that there has been an incredibly lacking amount of individual hero movies. They simply cannot rush into The Justice League movie without spending a proper amount of time on each character, or it will turn out to non-superhero nerds as DC’s version of The Avengers, something everyone wants to avoid. Done properly, a good Justice League movie could give the box-office record-breaking Avengers a run for their money. I’d like to take a chance right now and, as a fan, go through and give my voice on how the studio should go about each character, leading up to the highly anticipated team-up movie. Here goes nothing.

Superman: Man of Steel was great (well, it worked at least)! Shoot on over to the Culture section of the Simpleton to check out a review of the movie. The people like Henry Cavill, and, though the movie was flawed, it’d be pointless to reboot the hero just to put a different actor on the team anyway. This is the man that will lead the rest of the heroes, and I think they picked the right actor to do the job. But, because Superman is the main honcho, we need a sequel to the Man of Steel before the JLA. We need to give the audience a chance to get to know Superman even better, and that will give the writers a chance to explore the no-killing quality of Superman and sort out some things that viewers didn’t like before he teams up with the others.

Wonder Woman: The fans need need need a Wonder Woman origins movie. Why three ‘needs?’ There have been multiple TV shows of the equality-themed Amazonian princess, even one just a couple years ago. The 70’s rendition supposedly did well (though it was before my time), but it flopped when brought to this generation. With a proper budget and writers, though, we need to see biggest female-hero icon in America to the big screen before she teams up with the rest. Period. And please, for the love of God, don’t affiliate with any form of storyline or actors from the horrendous CW Wonder Woman TV pilot released in 2011.

Batman: We have Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy. This is awesome. And though Christian Bale has confirmed that he will NOT be back to portray Batman, a new actor is not necessarily a bad thing. Though the new Bruce Wayne will be different, this generation has seen how Batman’s origins episode can be properly created, and we don’t need to see it again before the JLA. But to get to know the new actor playing Batman, the confirmed World’s Finest movie will be great. It’s a NEW story that combines Superman and Batman (this will hopefully be after Supe’s sequel, of course) before the JLA. It will give the audience a chance to visualize the characters working together, and it’d be more realistic to team up a couple at a time, rather than all seven at once.

The Flash: Yes – origins movie. Sorry to delay The Justice League from 2015 even more, but there’s no way we can bring this character’s battle of wits to the other Super’s before the an origins cast. The Flash is quick, both physically and mentally. That means he’s witty, charming, and… hilarious. If executed properly this bomb-dropping superhero with an “eh…whatever” personality might draw an even bigger fan base than the quick-wits of Tony Stark by the time the big ensemble movie takes place. IF!

Aquaman: Well, I’ve probably emitted more of my opinion than ever wanted of this Superhero on the Simpleton. To check out my article solely on Aquaman, simply scroll down the Entertainment page. But if you are too lazy, let me summarize. Aquaman has a ton of great powers and in modern comics is an all-around badass. But unfortunately, since being out of water drains his powers, he’s become the butt of a lot of DC-centered jokes. He’s a cool hero that this generation hasn’t seen properly, so by all means give the character his own movie. But don’t put him in the JLA – he can’t possibly be prominent enough. Throw in Hawkgirl or Cyborg, other heroes that have stepped in as the seventh member in comics and cartoons.

The Martian Manhunter: J’onn J’onz, or The Martian Manhunter, has more of a compelling back story in my opinion than most of the other supers. He comes from a slaughtered planet, being the only survivor, and spends months being tested on by the US government. He has more than twelve unique powers. Superman himself even once said “he is most powerful being on the face of the Earth.” No joke! He’s also indubitably good-hearted and modest. He feels bad when he puts others in harm’s way and a lot of his powers (including mind-reading) he opts not to do to respect others (even villains). Why he hasn’t been a star on the big screen yet boggles me. He must have his own movie before the JLA.

The Green Lantern: Okay, let’s face it. The 2011 Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern movie did not do as well as we all hoped. It left comic fans with a bad taste in their mouth, making a mockery of the GL universe. But good things did come of it. Let’s put it this way – sure the movie was a bust, but it introduced fans into that world on the big screen. There have been many human Green Lanterns in the comics, and though the Hal Jordan (Reynolds) played a roll in the original JLA, instead of recasting Reynolds, throw in a Green Lantern sequel with a storyline similar to the comic ,Green Lantern vol. 2 #87, where Hal Jordan and fan favorite John Stewart team up, with Stewart eventually taking over. Sure there have been other Lanterns between Jordan and Stewart, but go to any forum – the fans want to see Stewart on the big screen and he might just be the trick of saving the GL franchise and be the right guy for the Justice League movie.

As one fan, this is what I would like to see on the big screen for the upcoming DC Universe movies. As another, what is your opinion? Did I make good choices? What do you think would be a good fit? This is a place to share!