Who’s in the Justice League Movie? Part 1
By Skip Harvey
Now that the Justice League movie has been announced as the direct follow up to Batman Vs Superman, it’s time to start speculating on who the cinematic Justice League will be. These character profiles come from DC Comics.
The Obvious:
"SupermanThe most recognized superhero in pop culture, Superman has been elevated to mythic folkhero status. Rocketed to Earth from the dying planet Krypton, baby Kal-El was found by a farming couple who named the boy Clark Kent and raised him as their own. Discovering his enormous powers, they instilled in him strong moral values—and inspired him to become a hero.Superman has super-everything—strength, speed, flight, invulnerability as well as his renowned X-ray and heat vision. The most powerful being on the planet, his amazing abilities are also a melancholy reminder of how different he is from the people he’s dedicated to protect.A universal icon, Superman means different things to the many diverse people he inspires: He’s an alien; an immigrant from a faraway land just looking to help; a country boy fighting the never-ending battle for truth and justice. And recent comics have truly spotlighted his role as the people’s hero: Following a neophyte Man of Steel still learning his powers’ limits, Superman fights the evil corporate tycoons and corrupt one-percenters that have overwhelmed the establishment.BatmanMillionaire Bruce Wayne was just a kid when he watched his parents get gunned down during a mugging in Gotham City. The crime would define his life, as he dedicated himself to becoming the world’s greatest weapon against crime—the Batman.Forget his Batarangs, Batmobile, or Utility Belt filled with high-tech weapons. Batman is the most feared superhero of all, because he’s pushed himself to the absolute pinnacle of human achievement. He’s a brilliant detective who’s mastered fighting techniques the world’s barely heard of. An Olympic-caliber athlete with a plan for every occasion, Batman’s seemingly always five steps ahead of his foes. But in his crusade against injustice, two questions always loom: How far will he go to protect the innocent, and will he sacrifice his humanity along the way?Wonder WomanWonder Woman is Princess Diana of the immortal Amazons from Greek mythology. (Except in the cinematic universe where the Amazons are rumored to be an offshoot of the Kryptonians) When army pilot Steve Trevor crashes on the warriors’ secluded island paradise, Diana wins the right to escort him home and make her people known to the world. Entering our cynical world for the first time, there’s a lot she must wrap her head around, especially our ways of war, hate, and, well… dating. Helping her are her superhuman strength and speed, as well as the trademark bulletproof bracelets, but it’s probably her Golden Lasso of Truth most people really wish they had.Torn between a mission to promote peace and her own warrior upbringing, Wonder Woman fights evil while hoping to unlock the potential of a humanity she doesn’t always understand."
The New:
"CyborgAlthough a star athlete, Vic Stone only yearned for his father’s approval. But Dad was too focused on his scientific career to notice… until the day Vic became his greatest experiment. After Vic suffered a grave injury, his father saved him by replacing over half his body with cybernetic parts.Now Cyborg is plugged into every computer on Earth, and no firewall—or brick wall—can keep him out. While his cybernetic enhancements provide superhuman strength, speed, and endurance, that same technology destroys his chances to live as a professional athlete. Now flourishing in the digital realm, Vic is desperately alone in the physical world—and still longs for his father’s affection. Hungry to find purpose again, he fights alongside the World’s Greatest Super Heroes.The addition of Cyborg is relatively new in the DCU. Vic Stone was a long time Teen Titan, but received a promotion during Brad Meltzer’s run on JLA several years ago."
The Possible:
"Green LanternImagine if the ring on your finger was more than a piece of gaudy jewelry. Instead, it’s the universe’s most powerful weapon. It can create whatever you wish out of pure energy, its might limited only by your imagination and will. And with it comes exclusive membership to an exclusive intergalactic police force with alien officers spanning the cosmos.The only catch? Mastering that power and being a Green Lantern means facing your fears, and for headstrong Hal Jordan, that’s something he’s been avoiding his whole life.When just a boy, Hal witnessed his greatest nightmare—his pilot father dying in a tragic plane crash. Nevertheless determined to follow in his footsteps, Hal repressed his fears, becoming a reckless, defiant test pilot. But when a dying alien crashes on Earth, the irresponsible Hal is chosen to be that alien’s successor in the Green Lantern Corps, a universe-wide peacekeeping force over 3,600 members strong.And his life only gets wilder from there. Alien romances. Intergalactic wars. Power-hungry super-villains. Wielding a Green Lantern power ring—a weapon fueled by willpower—he can fly and create constructs made of pure energy, generating anything from massive green fists to emerald rifles that can snipe from a planet away. But while Hal tends to ignore his fears, he’ll learn the only way to truly master his ring’s power is by confronting and overcoming them.It’s hard to imagine a Justice League without a Green Lantern of some sort. He’s a staple of the DCU, but one has to wonder if the poor reception of the Green Lantern film will prompt them to reboot, or if they’ll just move ahead with Ryan Reynolds. The FlashYoung Barry Allen’s life stopped the minute his mother was murdered. The true killer never found, its mystery obsessed Barry, driving him to become a forensic scientist. Consumed by his work, he spent his life chained to his desk, solving every case that flew across it. But when a freak lightning bolt hits a nearby shelf in his lab, Barry receives super-speed, becoming the Flash. Now, he’ll race up buildings, across oceans, and around the world to get his man—while getting introduced to a world so much bigger than his old life of microscopes and cold cases.Able to run at near light-speeds, his powers provide the ultimate caffeine kick: He can run up buildings, move so swiftly he phases through objects, create sonic booms with the snap of his fingers—and never need to order delivery. Despite his speed, Barry can become so obsessed with crime-solving he can still lose track of everything else around him, leaving the fastest man alive constantly running a minute behind.Another of DC’s fabled Big Seven, The Flash is a lock for the Justice League Film. Big question is whether they will reinvent him for the film, or use the canon from the upcoming Flash TV show. Green ArrowWhat was the last thing you took home from an island getaway? A tacky souvenir? A great tan? More boring slideshows than you have friends to show?Spoiled billionaire Oliver Queen came home with an entirely different personality—and a newfound purpose in life. Completely self-absorbed and never caring about anything but himself, Queen was on a leisurely sailing trip when his assistant betrayed him, leaving him for dead on a desolate remote island. Stranded, he survived by, amongst other things, mastering a bow and arrow. When he eventually discovered the primitive locals that shared the island with him, he uncovered a large conglomerate sadistically exploiting and enslaving them. Ollie used his new skills of survival and archery to lead a rebellion— only to realize how similar his opponents were to the man he used to be.Returning to civilization only meant more opportunities to watch greed and corruption strangle Joe and Jane Average. Outfitting himself with arrows that shoot tear gas, smoke, nets, and more, Green Arrow has a trick shot for every obstacle. A modern-day Robin Hood, he constantly fights for the little guy as a crusading symbol for revolution. And his days on that island, filled with sweat, blood, and desperation, are a testament to what it takes for someone to answer that wake-up call, change their ways, and fly straight.As straight as an arrow.Green Arrow often serves as the moral compass for the Justice League, but he faces the same issues as the Flash with Arrow still being on the air."
Tune in tomorrow for part 2 of Who’s in the Justice League movie?!
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