The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown: The Future of Superhero Movies

[SapphireStar]

They said Aquaman was going to appear in Batman v Superman. He will be played by Jason Momoa (sp?). They've even had a poster of him circulating. He'll probably appear towards the end of the movie to set up events of the next movie.

[Drake Valentine]

They said Aquaman was going to appear in Batman v Superman. He will be played by Jason Momoa (sp?). They've even had a poster of him circulating. He'll probably appear towards the end of the movie to set up events of the next movie.

Something like....

THIS

[Mathim]

Something like....

THIS

Nah, more like THIS:

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

And when you consider Batman is appearing in BvS without even having his own stand-alone reboot, it's not that surprising there would be more cameos. This IS supposed to be Justice League 'Lite', as it were.

[TheGlyphstone]

One reason I am so frustrated with how DC seems intent on screwing up BvS is Aquaman. Between this and BBatB, this is the best shot poor Arthur's had in years of finally redeeming himself out of the Superfriends portrayal in the public eye, and it's going to be squandered.

[SapphireStar]

Batgirl is going to be in the movie too. She'll be played by Jena Malone. I don't see how they are going to be able to give proper development to so many characters. Some might be lucky if they get maybe five minutes. And, DC has stated that they will not merge the movie and tv universes.

[Mathim]

Batgirl is going to be in the movie too. She'll be played by Jena Malone. I don't see how they are going to be able to give proper development to so many characters. Some might be lucky if they get maybe five minutes. And, DC has stated that they will not merge the movie and tv universes.

You don't see it because they're not. They're not doing the Avengers approach and giving everyone either their own standalone movie OR having them at least be a cameo like Black Widow in Iron Man 2 or Hawkeye in Thor. This is not the right approach to be taking, and frankly having side characters from the mains' series when those two are the only names on the marquee is a really bad idea too. What's next, Krypto the Super-Dog making a cameo appearance and biting Lex Luthor on the ass, causing his wig to fall off?

If Batman himself isn't getting a standalone reboot then they have no business putting partners/sidekicks in it. Even the Avengers didn't put War Machine in it despite him being perfectly capable of making an appearance (same with Falcon in Age of Ultron in the finale). If it was more true to its name of Batman vs. Superman, I think both of those mainstays would benefit and we'd be more receptive as a result to the introduction of these many other characters we either have yet to see get the big screen treatment or, in the case of Green Lantern, positive big screen treatment. Instead, this shoehorning sends out an air of desperation on their part and doubt on the fans' (not sure about 'general audiences' though) part.

I may have already mentioned but I'm a little on the fence about Aquaman. He's always struck me as looking like the Aryan model of perfection Hitler could only dream of (and either being a Namor-style prick on Justice League or being a self-absorbed blowhard in the Brave and the Bold), but now with the actor portraying him, I'm not sure what direction they're going in with it (though I can't say I blame them since otherwise he'd either send out a negative message or be too reminiscent of Thor...or both.)

[SapphireStar]

They look like they might be using a blend of the Flashpoint Aquaman and the late 90s Aquaman where he became a bit more "hardcore" and eventually lost his hand which was replaced by the harpoon. Warner Bros. signed Ben Affleck to a 3 picture deal for his own Batman movies. Though, they appear to be having problems with Man of Steel 2. The sequel has been put on hold indefinitely. The movie just seems to try to throw as many characters into the movie as possible, which from bits and pieces of the plots I've read might possibly sink the movie.

The Marvel movies did the cameos right. They fit within the story and played an important role, and used when necessary. Characters like Falcon could have had earlier scenes, but were probably cut due to either time constraints, or the scene itself did not flow with the over all tone of the movie.

[Mathim]

They look like they might be using a blend of the Flashpoint Aquaman and the late 90s Aquaman where he became a bit more "hardcore" and eventually lost his hand which was replaced by the harpoon. Warner Bros. signed Ben Affleck to a 3 picture deal for his own Batman movies. Though, they appear to be having problems with Man of Steel 2. The sequel has been put on hold indefinitely. The movie just seems to try to throw as many characters into the movie as possible, which from bits and pieces of the plots I've read might possibly sink the movie.

The Marvel movies did the cameos right. They fit within the story and played an important role, and used when necessary. Characters like Falcon could have had earlier scenes, but were probably cut due to either time constraints, or the scene itself did not flow with the over all tone of the movie.

I'm just saying, if War Machine could have been shown shooting Ultron drones out of the sky to keep them from escaping and propagating all over again, there's no reason Falcon couldn't have been working in tandem with him.

While it may not hurt BvS or the DCCU financially, having side characters shoehorned in for no real good reason certainly has great potential to harm critical reviews. I don't think it's under quite as much scrutiny as Fant4stic with all its controversy but things definitely are going on that would raise an eyebrow or two.

[SapphireStar]

True. But, it wouldn't set up events for Civil War to pit hero against hero after what happened.

It would depend on several factors. For the most part, DC has kept a tight wrap on what exactly all the plot entails. There are just so many things which don't make sense. Batman pretty much having given up the cape and cowl, only to fight crime through use of drones. Waller using the Joker in the Suicide Squad movie to draw out Batman. Lex Luthor manipulating both Batman and Superman into fighting each other. Superman killing Zod.

As it stands now, Deadpool is being released on Febuary 12th 2016. Divergent: Allegiant comes out on March 18th. And Batman vs Superman on March 25th. Plus a few other movies. It will be close especially if Deadpool carries over in the top three spot for at least three weeks. Even when Dawn of Justice comes out, there is also word of mouth. If it is not good, people won't go to see it after the fourth week. Granted, they could still do over 300 million total worldwide, but doubt it would come close to what some of the marvel movies have done.

Mini Update: According to a website, Cyborg is also in Dawn of Justice played by Ray Fisher. It is also reported that Cyborg will have his own movie in 2020 as well as appearing in the Justice League part one movie.

[Mathim]

True. But, it wouldn't set up events for Civil War to pit hero against hero after what happened.

It would depend on several factors. For the most part, DC has kept a tight wrap on what exactly all the plot entails. There are just so many things which don't make sense. Batman pretty much having given up the cape and cowl, only to fight crime through use of drones. Waller using the Joker in the Suicide Squad movie to draw out Batman. Lex Luthor manipulating both Batman and Superman into fighting each other. Superman killing Zod.

As it stands now, Deadpool is being released on Febuary 12th 2016. Divergent: Allegiant comes out on March 18th. And Batman vs Superman on March 25th. Plus a few other movies. It will be close especially if Deadpool carries over in the top three spot for at least three weeks. Even when Dawn of Justice comes out, there is also word of mouth. If it is not good, people won't go to see it after the fourth week. Granted, they could still do over 300 million total worldwide, but doubt it would come close to what some of the marvel movies have done.

Mini Update: According to a website, Cyborg is also in Dawn of Justice played by Ray Fisher. It is also reported that Cyborg will have his own movie in 2020 as well as appearing in the Justice League part one movie.

I take it he's only going to be appearing as Victor Stone, though, and not actually becoming Cyborg until later on? Or maybe he'll have his fateful accident that damages his body and makes him a subject for cybernetic enhancement? Probably a result of Luthor's doing, whether causing him to become a guinea pig for it, or being the one to supervise the project (or both). With the exhumed body of Zod and everything, like that big chunk of Kryptonite, one wonders just how much influence Luthor will have. I always hated that he never had powers of his own and yet still managed to give the heroes so much trouble. That's why I liked his Justice League version so much. He was basically Iron Man sometimes, or merged with Brainiac in others.

[SapphireStar]

It looks like he will be both, Victor Stone and Cyborg. He'll probably already be Cyborg. And, Zod is in the movie too having been experimented on by Lex. Cyborg will probably be loyal to Lex as he probably saved Victor's life. Won't be till towards the end that he turns on Lex. And, now apparently Zack Synder is saying that Dawn of Justice is also Man of Steel 2. And, it doesn't look like Superman will get another standalone movie.

[Drake Valentine]

Personally if anyone should cameo in BvsS it should be Batgirl, Robin, and/or good ol Nightbat.

Other hero/ines popping all over place doesn't make sense. Wasn't under the impression Hall of Justice was already up and running.

[Mathim]

Personally if anyone should cameo in BvsS it should be Batgirl, Robin, and/or good ol Nightbat.

Other hero/ines popping all over place doesn't make sense. Wasn't under the impression Hall of Justice was already up and running.

Well there was already the Robin costume looking like during Batman's previous tenure, he lost one of his associates. That kind of spoils the notion of a Batman reboot since it's not an origin story in any real sense. There's got to be tons of vague history to find out about since he doesn't start from the beginning like in Man of Steel.

[SapphireStar]

From looking through a few sites and a list of the cast which is incredibly large even with extras. It totals well over a hundred roles which includes the minor speaking parts and uncredited parts. Among the cast list is Jeffery Dean Morgan listed as Thomas Wayne. So, we'll probably see some of Batman's origins in Dawn of Justice in flashbacks. Probably triggered by events of Man of Steel when a Wayne Enterprises building was destroyed and part of the reason Batman goes after Superman with a vegenance. The other part being manipulated by Luthor. So, in essence Batman v Superman appears to be a two in one. A Batman origin and Man of Steel sequel.

[Mathim]

From looking through a few sites and a list of the cast which is incredibly large even with extras. It totals well over a hundred roles which includes the minor speaking parts and uncredited parts. Among the cast list is Jeffery Dean Morgan listed as Thomas Wayne. So, we'll probably see some of Batman's origins in Dawn of Justice in flashbacks. Probably triggered by events of Man of Steel when a Wayne Enterprises building was destroyed and part of the reason Batman goes after Superman with a vegenance. The other part being manipulated by Luthor. So, in essence Batman v Superman appears to be a two in one. A Batman origin and Man of Steel sequel.

So maybe both BvS and Civil War will both end up suffering the overbloatedness of Age of Ultron.

[CaptainNexus616]

Ok gang...how many here who knows the Civil War storyline inthe comics...thinks it was a good story? I REALLY don't think so.

[Drake Valentine]

Ok gang...how many here who knows the Civil War storyline inthe comics...thinks it was a good story? I REALLY don't think so.

I thought it was an AMAZING story.   ::)

[CaptainNexus616]

Oh the sarcasm lol

[Mathim]

I know She-Hulk was involved with the Fantastic 4 for a while, and she's a playable character in the Playstation F4 video game. Anyone know if that's why there hasn't been any mention or use of her in the MCU yet? Is she currently in Fox's pocket right now or is she still exclusively Marvel?

[SapphireStar]

She's probably exclusive to Marvel since The Hulk is part of the MCU. It was mentioned in an article posted last night that Spider-Man will be age 15 in his movie. I guess they're going for a more kid-friendly movie.

[Mathim]

She's probably exclusive to Marvel since The Hulk is part of the MCU. It was mentioned in an article posted last night that Spider-Man will be age 15 in his movie. I guess they're going for a more kid-friendly movie.

That was one of the biggest problems about Iron Man 3, though, trying to appeal to the "target demographic", without being necessary, by inserting someone of that age. I mean, we never saw the little boy in the trailers so nobody in that age group even knew or cared ahead of time, and it's not the kids that are going to see these movies that make them successful anyway, it's the people who grew up with the comics and don't want to see something less mature than their old Saturday morning cartoons where the superheroes were STILL all grown up. Funny how simple logic seems to be outlawed in Hollywood. I just don't see a Spider-Man who has to be home by whatever hour because he's a teenager fits into the Avengers logistically, nor how he will mesh with a group that sees him as a little twerp. It's insulting to the character and works only in the cartoons where they're not meant to be taken as seriously.

[CaptainNexus616]

Who knows maybe they can work it out to make it one of Spidey's strengths. Yeah he's in this universe with all these big heroes that have saved the world so many times and they will of course look down on him as a kid. While Jameson will captain the hate train agaisnt him giving more reason why Spidey should hang up the webs and let the god with the hammer or the WWII super soldier both of whom stopped world level threats do the work.

Spidey has always been about keeping New York City and its people safe not the entire planet. Maybe we'll see him realize that while yes he's not a hero like the Avengers he is the one helping the innocent citizens in the middle of the night while the Avengers are relaxing at the expensive tower. The Avengers are considered the world's greatest heroes. Maybe this will be the underdog story of Spidey realizing he will be  New York's greatest hero as he is the one who goes out of his way to protect the guy about to be killed in the alleyway at night while Iron Man is throwing another big party.

Just trying a little optimism out.

[Mathim]

Who knows maybe they can work it out to make it one of Spidey's strengths. Yeah he's in this universe with all these big heroes that have saved the world so many times and they will of course look down on him as a kid. While Jameson will captain the hate train agaisnt him giving more reason why Spidey should hang up the webs and let the god with the hammer or the WWII super soldier both of whom stopped world level threats do the work.

Spidey has always been about keeping New York City and its people safe not the entire planet. Maybe we'll see him realize that while yes he's not a hero like the Avengers he is the one helping the innocent citizens in the middle of the night while the Avengers are relaxing at the expensive tower. The Avengers are considered the world's greatest heroes. Maybe this will be the underdog story of Spidey realizing he will be  New York's greatest hero as he is the one who goes out of his way to protect the guy about to be killed in the alleyway at night while Iron Man is throwing another big party.

Just trying a little optimism out.

Five failures to do it right killed that optimism in me. Good for you still having some.

[TheGlyphstone]

5? Spider-Man (the first Raimi one) was pretty darn good honestly, and I really liked Doc Ock in SM2. SM3 was awful though, and I haven't seen either ASM.

[Mathim]

5? Spider-Man (the first Raimi one) was pretty darn good honestly, and I really liked Doc Ock in SM2. SM3 was awful though, and I haven't seen either ASM.

Spider-Man the first was 'ok', as was the second. Really didn't like the drama queen downer approach they kept taking. Okay, Uncle Ben died, we get it. Start cracking wise while you're fighting the bad guys already. So out of character, and his final 'battle' with the goblin was even more tragically one-sided than the one in Iron Man. The second movie was better but they still didn't fix the mistakes of the first one, and that whole awful landlord thing was more annoying than funny.

I guess once he married MJ and was more or less stable financially and just had to worry about marital problems that caused MJ to start smoking again and whatnot, that was the grown-up Peter Parker I wanted to see from the comics, the one who had participated in the Secret Wars already, had met and dealt with Venom on numerous occasions, etc. Real-life problems finally started taking a back seat to crimefighting and stuff. Now that they're forcing him back into high school again, we've got the school bell, curfew, limited romantic opportunities and other huge problems to deal with that an adult wouldn't have to.