[dropcap size=big]C[/dropcap]omic-Con trailers are hitting YouTube so I caught the new Justice League preview. While it looks fine, I can’t help but feel that DC and Warner Bros. really squandered the opportunity to build a never-ending comic book movie franchise that rivaled Marvel and Disney. Yes, we had to sit through a not-good Thor origin movie just so that we could finally get to the Avenger film, but at least everyone was on the same page when it came to the universe as the films had set up. Not so with the DC movies. If we assume that the building of the DC universe starts with the Superman films, then we’re only two movies but we’re already at the assembling of the Justice League. Unfortunately, that’s where we are.
After having only recently seen Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, I can totally understand why so many were disappointed with it. It was created for comic book fans who could identify all of the characters and references. As someone who only picks up tidbits of the expanded DC universe when I stumble across them online, I did feel like I was missing out on a lot of the details that were thrust to the forefront in BvS.
With that said, and with my admittedly limited knowledge, BvS still felt accelerated. Not only did the film cover major elements from The Dark Knight Returns and The Death of Superman, but it hints at the Injustice: Gods Among Us storyline and introduces Wonder Woman. To make matters worse, even the Batman we get is well into his superhero career, if not the tail end of it. It’s unlikely that Warner Bros. is going to go back and make the origin story with a younger actor.
All of this is to say that the DC answer to the Marvel behemoth feels very accelerated, and this trailer for Justice League does nothing to assuage that concern. It’s possible that audiences don’t really care. Do we really need to see Bruce Wayne grow into the Batman again? Maybe not, but people would still pay to watch that, and I can’t help but feel like Warner Bros. is leaving money on the table by not planning out films that are more comprehensive.
Anyway, this trailer looks pretty good.
