THE FLASH SEASON 2

The Flash’s season finale was nothing short of breathtaking. The interesting thing about these types of shows is that we expect a certain level of bombastic, craziness to end the season. The Flash decided to give us that on a physical as well as emotional level. The finale was incredible and literally left the door open for an “infinite” number of stories to tell next year.

HAHA. Get it? Cuz of the . . . . infinite . . . multiverses . . . AHEM! So what’s going to happen next year? Well, we imagine Barry is going to travel to different universes and meet all kinds of interesting people. Instead of my usual "what I think will happen next year" thing I’m going to talk about the different universes Barry could potentially stumble into. Here we go!

JAY GARRICK AND EARTH 2

Jay’s helmet is currently sitting in the pipeline. I mean, he’s gonna want it back right? It’s a spiffy helmet! 

Oh shit! There it is! Always in the last place 

One of the most famous Flash stories is the “Flash of Two Worlds” comic where Barry visited a parallel Earth and found an older Flash by the name of Jay Garrick. Garrick was an older man that fought in World War II with the rest of the Justice Society of America. It would be pretty cool for Barry to meet an older speedster with a lot of experience. I think the helmet is a sure sign that we'll be seeing Jay soon.

JOHNNY QUICK AND EARTH 3 

Johnny Quick is the alter ego of Barry Allen on Earth 3. He’s also a murderer and happily uses his speed to maim and kill anyone that he can get his hands on. His recent appearance during “Forever Evil” was amazing and pitted him against Captain Cold. That would be cool to see Johnny Quick face Wentworth Miller’s Captain Cold . . . Pun somewhat intended.

Ice to see you, Barry!

I've mentioned before how it would be cool to see Grant Gustin play an evil version of Barry. There was an episode of Smallville where Clark switched places with his evil doppelganger and it was awesome. Let's give Gustin a chance to stretch his acting muscles a little more.

 THE NEW 52 JAY GARRICK 

A relatively new addition to the comic books (well kinda). Jay is a college student that is granted speed by the actual god of myth Mercury. In the comics, he is tasked to protect the Earth from the invading forces of Apokalips. It would be really great to see Barry meet a speedster that gained his power through magic as opposed to science. It would open up new story possibilities for the series.

THE ORIGINAL FLASH / OLDER BARRY ?

 Man . . . Wouldn’t it be something to see John Wesley Shipp play an older Barry? The show has already featured a few actors from the original series either reprising their roles or, in Shipp’s case, playing a new character. It would be cool to see those actors in an alternate timeline where Shipp is an older, wiser Barry. Recently there was a comic book storyline where the Barry from the future was a darker hero who didn't mind killing if he felt it was necessary. That might be a bit too much for the series but I like the idea of Barry seeing a future where he's become more of a vigilante than a hero. That would definitely haunt him and make him work harder and being a better hero.  Plus ship has a little experience playing a bad speedster. He voiced Professor Zoom in an episode of Batman: the Brave and the Bold. Granted it was a deliberately hammy performance, but still awesome! 

BARRY'S OTHER LIFE / THE "ORIGINAL" TIMELINE

As we discovered in the episode "Tricksters" and the finale "Fast Enough", the entire series technically takes place in an alternate timeline. There is a previous life where Barry’s mom lives, his dad is not in jail, and Harrison Wells and his wife successfully launch the particle accelerator in 2020. Barry and the Reverse Flash fought and caused some sort of Crisis that led to them disappearing in 2024. Barry made the bravest decision EVER by choosing to let his mother die and not let the past be altered. F***KING time travel! But there is another timeline out there where Barry never lived with the Wests and (presumably) never met Cisco, Caitlin, and Dr. Wells. It’s probably closer to the comic books where the Reverse Flash came to the past to meet the Flash (his greatest hero) and something set him off and he ended up hating Barry. I think it would be interesting to see Barry actually get to see this timeline and team up with his other self. Also this way we get to see Matthew Lescher play Eobard Thawne again. He was Captain Love in the Mask of Zorro. He can play a bastard villain with no problem. This is actually in keeping with the original Flash comic books. It wasn't until Geoff Johns took over the Flash with "Rebirth" that Barry's mother was killed and it was revealed to be the Reverse Flash travelling through time to torment Barry. Johns added this because he felt like Barry needed some tragedy in his backstory. These damn heroes and their tragic back stories! Anyway, this would be very exciting to see for the audience and for Barry who deliberately turned his back on this timeline. 

These are the most likely scenarios / alternate universes we will see next season. But it's always fun to throw out some crazy ass ideas that will probably never happen. What ideas you ask?

EZRA MILLER AND THE DC CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

HIGHLY unlikely. But wouldn’t it be awesome if DC and Warner Bros took Geoff Johns “multiverse” comments seriously and had Ezra Miller guest star on an episode of the Flash as his version of Barry Allen. If the show is still on when the movie is about to premiere (March 2018, very likely) it would be a great way to promote the movie by having the two Barry Allens meet. They don't necessarily need to fight or anything like that (although let's face it, they probably will) but it would still be a great nod to the fans that these characters can co-exist peacefully. 

SUPERGIRL

An obvious choice but unlikely given CBS’s comments that Supergirl would remain independent from the CW for now. However, it would be pretty cool to see Barry travel through the multiverse and he spends a day or two in National City helping Kara fight some crazy alien threat. Plus it would be great for Gustin who is a self proclaimed "major Superman fan" to get to work with Supergirl. Since both shows have the same producers it's not completely out of the realm of possibilities but probably not going to happen for a season or two. Plus, I previously mentioned how it's a good idea for Supergirl to remain independent for now. She's got like a career to focus on, ya know? She can't be messing around with other superheroes! 

THE SMALLVILLE UNIVERSE

I will never stop requesting this. EVER! Smallville introduced Impulse, Bart Allen, during their fourth season. He had a good heart but was a petty thief. He was inspired to be better by Clark, eventually teaming up with Green Arrow in a proto-Justice League. It would be awesome to see Kyle Gallner suit up again. Seriously, CW! JUST DO THIS FOR ME! 

These are my thoughts on possible timelines, multiverses, or whatevers that we may see during the Flash season 2. I'm willing to bet I'm right about a couple of these at least. We'll find out in a couple months!

Till Next Time!

JJ - The Comic Junkie! 

ARROW SEASON 4

As they once sang on Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, “Where do we go from here?” That’s the big question facing the producers/writers/actors after the action packed third season finale of Arrow. I mean . . . It was a pretty definitive ending. It was a little Dark Knight Rises-esque actually. Oliver left the city in the hands of Diggle, Thea, and Laurel. Oh and the police . . . But ya know . . . they’re pretty useless.

Geez Lance! I can smell the booze from here!

Stephen Amell has gone on record saying that the Arrow suit is done for. He’s not gonna be wearing it anymore as it would tarnish Roy’s sacrifice. He’s absolutely right and the producers thus far have been pretty good at not only surprising the audience but exceeding their expectations. So where will season 4 go? We’ve been told it will have a lighter tone, H.I.V.E. and Damien Darhk are the villains, and Diggle will be donning some sort of costume. Let’s take a look at where the characters could be going next year:

THEA AS RED ARROW/SPEEDY 

This one is pretty obvious. Using Roy’s old costume, Thea aided Team Arrow during the finale. She’s had training from Malcolm Merlyn and can now defend herself and protect Starling City. They've been building this up since the pilot episode. In my opinion Thea still has a long way to go. She was never my favorite character. I think she grew up during season 2 but when she ran to Malcolm I lost some respect for her. I didn't really start to appreciate her till the last couple of episodes of season 3 when she finally stood up for herself and contributed to the cause. She's still not quite a hero but I'd love to see season 4 open with her kicking some ass and taking names. 

 LAUREL CONTINUING AS THE BLACK CANARY

Laurel had a much better story arc this season than the past couple of years. She grew beyond love interest to becoming her superhero identity from the comic books. I’ve always been a big fan of Black Canary and one of the things I love about her is that she’s a leader. In fact, she was elected leader of the Justice League of America during Brad Meltzer’s run. I want to see her in a leadership role instead of constantly stand off-ish with Oliver and the rest of Team Arrow. She’s proven herself in the field, now let’s see her step up and be a leader. With Oliver gone and Thea becoming a hero now, she's gonna need someone to watch her back and Laurel could be that person now. It would be cool to see a similar scene from the season three premiere where Arrow and Arsenal were a well oiled machine but now it's Laurel and Thea. That would be pretty exciting and different for both characters. 

DIGGLE AS  . . . ?? 

As Batman once said, “The mask isn’t for you. It’s to protect the people you care about.” I think Diggle finally gets that and will look into developing a superhero persona. There is a rumor that he’ll be John Stewart Green Lantern but the producers have debunked that and that’s for the best in my opinion. The other rumor is that he’ll be Guardian. 

I like that idea because that character is so obscure that fitting Diggle’s backstory to him shouldn’t be too much of a stretch. To be quite honest I think it would great to see Diggle become a brand new hero. One that either has never been in the comics or is so obscure that nobody’s heard of the character in 80 years. You know like . . . Hmm . . . maybe it's better if they invent a new character cuz a lot of the black characters from the 40s were SUPER racial stereotypes. 

FLASH, ATOM, AND THE LEGENDS OF TOMORROW

I think it’s safe to say that we’ll be getting some sort of crossover with the Flash and the Legends of Tomorrow. In the (freaking awesome) preview for the series we see Barry and Oliver giving the team their mission. I have a sneaking suspicion that scene was filmed exclusively as a teaser and won’t appear in the actual series. I could be wrong, but it was a crazy long exposition scene that fits better as a preview rather than a scene in the first episode. But again . . . I could be wrong. Also, the best thing about Arrow is how it’s mostly grounded in reality. I’d like to see a crossover but only if it’s organic. Otherwise it would be too wacky. But then again, it’s based on a comic book so it’s bound to get wackier as the seasons go on. I'll live with the wackiness as long as we get to see Green Arrow, Flash, Atom, and everyone else kicking ass because it's the FUCKING JUSTICE LEAGUE!!!!

OLIVER WILL BECOME SOMETHING . . . ELSE

Stephen Amell said that he’s done wearing the Arrow suit. Well, gosh! The heck are they gonna do? He CLAIMS not to know what’s happening next year (apart from the flashbacks) but I have a feeling he’s being a bit of a fibber. 

Look at that sly bastard . . . 

Odds are we will start to see the rise of the actual GREEN Arrow from the comic books. Next season is meant to be a total overhaul for the character and the series in general. I think we’ll start to see Oliver be a little more like his comic book counterpart. During the 70's, Green Arrow went after "corporate fatcats." Granted that's a little similar to what he did in season one but it was more political. It would be great to see Oliver helping out the common man and stopping regular bad guys as well as the big comic booky villains. But then again . . . maybe they have another idea . . . 

I would die. I mean . . . I would just die a very, very happy Comic Junkie. 

Till Next Time!

JJ - The Comic Junkie! 

SUPERGIRL IS HERE TO SAVE THE WORLD

I’m Supergirl and I’m here to save the world! And I wanna know who’s gonna save me?? Yepp, that song is now stuck in your head. Hope you’re happy. Krystal Harris is happy. What is she up to nowadays . . . Either way I’m happy. Not only did the Supergirl preview look super awesome but it was better than I expected. Producer Greg Berlanti has a good track record for superheroes on TV so I wasn’t worried but for every awesome superhero show there are a few duds (although lately I’ve enjoyed most, if not all, of them). So what’s gonna happen with the Maiden of Might this year? Well, if the Flash and Arrow are any indication we can guess but most likely we’ll be wrong. Or at least I will be. I’m bad at guessing . . . Why do I bother . . .

AHEM!

Anyway, I’m looking forward to the show. Let’s take a look at what should and shouldn’t happen this season on SUPERGIRL! 

SHOULD - BIG, BAD ALIEN THREATS

Part of the appeal of Supergirl is that she can take on more powerful foes than the Flash or Arrow. I imagine that most of the villains Kara will face will have a grudge with either Krypton, Superman, or Earth’s existence. I mean ya can't have an alien main character without a few alien baddies to take her on! 

 Let's just hope she fares better than her cousin . . . 

SHOULDN'T - REFERENCE SUPERMAN ALL THE TIME

My major complaint with the first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was how often they referenced the Avengers. It was quite irritating. It felt like a wink, wink, nudge, nudge to the audience. Almost like they were bragging “Hey we know the Avengers! We’re friends with them!” even though they weren’t really. You know people like that right? Ugh . . . So annoying. Anyway, they finally got over that and allowed the team to grow and be their own heroes. That’s what was so successful about the Flash. They had Arrow guest star in the first episode but that was pretty much it for a while. It allowed the show to grow and be its own thing. Supergirl will need to do the same thing especially since the show won’t actually include Superman or be connected to Man of Steel (unless that somehow changes).

SHOULD - SEE JIMMY OLSEN WITHOUT HIS SHIRT ON

I mean . . . I’m not gay but . . . Gee whiz Mr. Kent! That’s a good lookin dude! 

SHOULDN'T - CROSSOVER WITH ARROW AND THE FLASH (YET)

I might get some flak for this one but hear me out. I know everyone wants them to and so do I but like I said with the “Superman references” the show needs a chance to breathe and be its own thing. If it has to rely on Arrow/Flash’s success then the producers aren’t doing their jobs right. A crossover would be epic and amazing for sure but let's not rush anything. It's better that we wait a while and see if a crossover would actually work. Plus, in Supergirl's world, Superman exists but he's never been mentioned on Arrow or the Flash. I feel like that would need to be addressed. I mean why wouldn't he be a part of the Legends of Tomorrow show? If I was Superman I'd be pretty pissed that Heatwave and Captain Cold were part of a team up over myself. 

You picked who????

Maybe we'll see Superman on Supergirl at some point, but it's likely that these shows exist in different universes. A crossover is possible, but unlikely. And believe me it's probably for the best (for now . . . ).

SHOULD - MAINTAIN A LIGHTER TONE

One of the things that I love about the Flash is that I can watch it with my 6 year old nephew. Arrow is pretty dark and we don’t let him watch that. I think it’s good for little girls and boys to see a strong female role model/superhero on TV every week. Obviously I don’t want it to be super cartoony or cheesy but the Flash is fun to watch but it doesn’t talk down to the audience. Arrow doesn’t either but it’s more for adults only. I don’t mind the more mature stuff but sometimes the best part of a superhero movie/show is being able to watch it with your kids. Then it makes you feel like a kid again! However, it's also good to be able to watch a superhero show without the kids like Arrow. Because sometimes . . . kids just . . . get to me ya know? Anyway!

SHOULDN'T - SHOW KARA AS WEAK

If they’re gonna make a big deal about the fact that the GIRL in her title isn’t a bad thing then show us it’s not a bad thing. Cat Grant already gave a (flimsy) excuse for her to be SuperGIRL over SuperWOMAN during the preview. She’s gonna be unsure of herself and have some self doubt. We expect that in the first few episodes. Show us a real woman and not a caricature and the audience will stick around. I'm all for having a strong, independent female superhero on network TV. If she's weak or too (dare I say) girly then the audience will leave and DC and WB will look like idiots for not knowing how to write a young woman. Let's avoid that shall we? 

Geoff Johns said that "it's past time for there to be a female superhero on TV." I couldn't agree more. As I said, I think it's important for girls and boys to have a female superhero they can look up just as much as the male ones. Supergirl is a great choice because she's living in the shadow of a very famous cousin. She'll need to stand out and not just be a "female Superman" in terms of the world of the show and the audience watching. She's a very different character from Superman, Arrow, and Flash and I'm hoping CBS will give us that this November. 

Till Next Time!

JJ - The Comic Junkie! 

PS - You're welcome - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGnBbz4P45g  

GOTHAM SEASON 2

Well it's over. I mean not like OVER over but season one of Gotham has come and gone. It was a bit uneven there for a while but it seemed to find its groove there along the way. It was a fun, dark, twisted view of a city that was falling into chaos and Jim Gordon seemed to be the only one that could stop it.

Come and get it, ladies!

If the ending of Gotham season one is any indication then season two is gonna be a wild ride! What do I want to see in Gotham Season 2? Well first of all let’s talk about what Gotham did right:

JIM GORDON:

 I’ll just admit it, I’ve never been a huge Jim Gordon fan. I mean he’s a good character, but I think I was tainted by the original Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher films where Gordon was useless. Nolan and Gary Oldman made Jim Gordon a really awesome character throughout their films but ya know . . . I still wasn’t rooting for him when I heard he was gonna be the focus of the Gotham TV show. The more I thought about it the more I really got excited. I recently rewatched the pilot and Ben McKenzie really gives a great performance as Gordon. You see him show up and be this cocksure cop that’s gonna clean up Gotham and throughout the episode he realizes that it’s not gonna be easy and it may not even be possible. The whole season was really good at keeping Jim as a stand up guy but having to compromise on his ethics and the toll it took on him. I’m looking forward to what happens to him in season 2. We know that it’s only gonna get worse, to the point where he’s willing to team up with a vigilante to protect the law in Gotham.

BRUCE WAYNE: 

Pre-teen Bruce Wayne was always going to be a tough sell. I always figured the way to do it would be to show this angry, awkward kid who’s trying to make sense of the world. Much to my surprise that’s exactly what they did with him. They didn’t try to make him “kid Batman” or anything like that. 

This show would be fucking awesome

He was a traumatized boy learning that the world around him was getting darker and scarier. Plus David Mazouz was perfect as Bruce. You could see the seeds of Batman being born in his performance but it didn’t overshadow his arc this season. I'm looking forward to see what happens next year. 

THE WAYNE MURDER IS NEVER SOLVED:

I realized this after rewatching the pilot that they never actually catch the real killer behind the Wayne murders. That’s a pretty bold choice for the show. We’re given hints and references, but for the most part it’s left unresolved for Gordon and Bruce. It’s also fitting with the comic books that in some stories Bruce never found out who killed his parents. I’m actually glad that this story took a backseat for the season. I hope it does come back up though because it will need to be addressed at some point. For now though, a little bit of non-closure is good.

Now I could go into what else Gotham did right and wrong (but I don’t like dwelling on what was wrong) but instead I’ll give my predictions/hopes for season 2:

DR. THOMPKINS (LEE) MEETING BRUCE WAYNE:

I think this is essential. Some of my favorite episodes of Batman the Animated Series were ones that dealt with Lee and Bruce. She knew Bruce’s secret and helped patch him up when he was injured in the field. The story was that she was the first person outside of Wayne Manor to show Bruce love and support after his parents were killed. Lee mentioned how she has some trauma counseling and I think it would be awesome if an arc was devoted to her counseling Bruce. I mean let’s face it, he hasn’t had ANY in season one and that’s just . . . dangerous . . . 

I mean shit! Who knows how this fucked up kid will turn out!

THE RISE OF THE RIDDLER:

I mentioned before how I thought that season 2 would focus on Nygma and his rise to villainy. Or is it descent into villainy? Either way, the season finale pretty much proved me right. He was talking to himself and going a little bonkers after murdering that dick cop and trying to subliminally seduce his love interest Ms. Kringle. By the way, with a name like that is she Santa’s daughter? Is this also a prequel series for Mr. and Mrs. Claus? I dunno . . . Anyway, it was a great moment and had me super excited to see where he’ll go next year. Maybe he’ll start wearing green suits? Maybe his question mark doodles will become more prominent. Maybe he’ll have to kill Ms. Kringle’s estranged brother Kris. Who knows!

ARKHAM ASYLUM'S NEWEST RESIDENT:

I never cared for Barbara’s story arc in the series. It didn’t bother me that she had a secret history and all that. Heck, these types of shows thrive on that in order to give their characters depth and have interesting stories to tell. All that dumb shit! Anyway, Barbara was always just super annoying to me and I didn’t mind one bit when she left and Gordon started dating Lee. Her whole story with the Ogre was good but it should’ve ended with her going to Arkham or somewhere else right away for trauma counseling. When she said Lee should do it I groaned. Now she’s confirmed to be a crazy murderer and will probably be spending a good chunk of season 2 in Arkham. But hey . . . That’s what we do in Gotham. We send all the crazies to Arkham and the non crazies . . . to prison (aka Arkham). Barbara being in Arkham would open up some great new territory for the show and expand on the Arkham stories that were started in season one. 

MORE VILLAINS:

One thing a lot of fans were concerned about during Gotham season one were all the villains that were hinted at or shown throughout. I think (for the most part) the villains were done really well and had interesting stories to tell. It’s been confirmed that we’ll be seeing the Joker and Mr. Freeze next year but I’m sure we’ll be getting more than that. Harvey Dent will be a regular cast member and his story will definitely be fleshed out. We could even get a reappearance of the Red Hood Gang (one of the season’s best episodes in my opinion). I'm definitely excited to see more of these characters introduced to make Gotham miserable. But also we should see a meeting between Oswald and Bruce. One of my favorite moments from the show was when Oswald and Nygma met. It made my inner and outer geek very happy. However, we still have yet to see Oswald and Bruce meet. I think it would be great to see them in an episode or at least a scene together. And maybe Bruce can meet that weirdo kid Jerome . . . 

What a troubled young man . . . 

THE BATCAVE:

Perhaps the biggest shock of the season finale was seeing Bruce discover a hidden room under his father’s study. It certainly LOOKED like a cave and it SOUNDED like there were bats down there. Perhaps his father was preparing to take the law into his own hands? Maybe he just had a weird thing for bats? Or maybe he was grooming Bruce to become Batman similar to Robert Queen with Oliver on Arrow. Either way, I’m thinking we’ll be seeing Bruce start his training (in some form) on his way to becoming Batman. It's also a safe bet that Bruce has just seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his father's secrets . . . 

Oh! And one last thing:

NO MORE FISH:

We’re done. She’s done. Just keep her away. Please. I’m begging you.

I'm very excited to see Gotham season two. Hopefully the show will have better pacing and keep up the best part of the series so far - the rich characters.

Till Next Time!

JJ - The Comic Junkie! 

IRON MAN: A COMIC JUNKIE'S RETROSPECTIVE

I remember when this film was first announced. It was Marvel's first self financed film. Director - Jon Favreau (from Elf). Starring - Robert Downey Jr. I was already impressed. I've always been a big comic book fan. Anytime a comic book movie is announced I get excited. I didn't know a lot about Iron Man. I knew he was an Avenger. I knew he went through like a billion different armors. And I knew he had an alcohol problem. I was surprised that Downey was cast since the role of Tony Stark seemed to hit close to home for him. I found out later that that was precisely why he was cast and why he was interested. He brought a lot to the role of Tony Stark. The truth is that the movie would have been totally different if another actor had been cast.

In a parallel world this could have happened . . . 

As the rest of the cast was rounded out, I became more and more interested. Gwenyth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, and Jeff Bridges! These are all Oscar nominated/winning actors (including Downey)! Marvel wasn't afraid to go for some real talent for this film. I was thrilled. I've said before that I'm a sucker for a good trailer but I'm also a sucker for a good cast. I liked all of these actors and knew that they would bring quality performances. Once the trailers rolled in, I was sold. This movie was gonna be great! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxargnVBOkk

I mentioned in a previous post that Iron Man is one of the most important comic book movies ever made and I maintain that. After watching the film, I could tell that comic book movies were changing. During that end credit scene, we were on the way to something new and exciting. Suddenly, the movies were connected. We were going to get an Avengers film! It all started with this movie. If this movie hadn't been as good as it was, the budding Marvel Cinematic Universe would have been dead before it had a chance to live. Thanks to Robert Downey Jr's performance, the amazing special effects, and the promise of a larger world just outside Stark's door, this movie opened the door to the Marvel Universe. 

Side note - I went to this movie on a date with an old girlfriend. I was actually nervous that I was gonna annoy her with how excited I was during the movie. Turns out she was geeking out way more than I was. That was a good feeling. It made me realize that I wasn't crazy for liking these movies as much as I did. Everyone can enjoy them now. So called "nerds" were growing in numbers. 

NEXT UP - THE INCREDIBLE HULK 

Till Next Time!

JJ - the Comic Junkie! 

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF AWESOME

So . . . the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer . . . It was amazing. It was everything I hoped it could be. Well, you know for a trailer. I’m a sucker for a good trailer. Obviously, trailers need to sell the movie. It’s not enough to just put up posters in the movie theaters or word of mouth. A trailer has to be strong, exciting, and show just enough to whet the audience’s appetite. People complain that a lot of movie trailers these days give away the best parts. While this is true in a lot of situations (Amazing Spider-Man 2 is super guilty), I think a well made trailer can show just enough to get people excited. More than anything, it has to get you to ask questions. The more questions you’re asking about a film the more likely you’ll want to see a film. Batman v Superman showed just enough of the plot and Batman’s potential involvement to get this particular geek over the moon excited.

 

The movie is a still about 11 months away. This trailer showed just enough to get people talking and let everyone in on the fact that not only are Batman and Superman gonna throw down, but that the rest of the world is also pretty pissed at Superman too. What are the main takeaways from this trailer?

SUPERMAN IS A VERY CONTROVERSIAL FIGURE

The main complaint about Superman in general is that he’s just too powerful. The main complaint about Man of Steel is the level of destruction that Superman and Zod caused during their battle. The trailer clearly shows us that these two complaints are front and center at the controversy surrounding Superman. He’s a being that’s far too powerful and, as has been previously demonstrated, if left unchecked he could cause a lot of damage to the world. Is he a savior? A god? A menace? Looks like Batman intends to find out.

LEX LUTHOR IS STIRRING UP SOME (HELL)FIRE 

One of the voice overs is none other than Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. His line is very fitting to his comic book relationship to Superman. He says, “Devils don't come from Hell beneath us. They come from the sky." This shot over the voice over is someone reaching out to Superman for help. It’s a very ominous way of looking at Superman. But it totally fits that Luthor would see Superman as the Devil while Luthor sees himself as a Christ figure to protect humanity. What an egotistical dick!

BATMAN IS PISSED OFF

One of the other voice overs comes from Jeremy Irons as Alfred. We see a pissed off Bruce Wayne staring at his Batsuit while Alfred warns him about his rage. One of the reasons Ben Affleck was chosen for the part of Batman is that he’s older than Henry Cavill. He’ll look like a Batman that has been through the ringer and has a big chip on his shoulder. Seems like a lot of his frustration will be taken out on Superman. 

BATMAN V OR VS SUPERMAN ?

A friend of mine offered an idea that the “v” in the title was significant as opposed to a “vs.” Basically the “v” refers to more of a legal battle as opposed to actual fisticuffs. Now, that would make for a hilarious College Humor or Buzzfeed video but as far as a film goes? Uh, no. We want to see Batman VS Superman, not a Batman V Superman. And it looks like that’s what we’re gonna get. We will see Batman and Superman duke it out “Dark Knight Returns” style. Even Affleck’s line at the end of the trailer was very Frank Miller-ish. I'm sure there will be a "legal battle" so to speak, with Superman having to defend himself and his actions to the world and prove himself a hero to the world and to Batman. But of course, the idea is also that Batman is an old curmudgeon so maybe it takes Superman's idealism to knock him out of his apathy.

DAWN OF JUSTICE? 

The subtitle Dawn of Justice was met with controversy from day one. We were led to believe this was just going to be Batman guest starring in a Superman film but then the subtitle came along and reminded us that a Justice League film was on the way. The surprising thing to me is the lack of other characters that show up in the trailer. We’ve seen pictures of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and Jason Momoa as Aquaman, yet they are absent from the trailer. It’s probably a smart move considering that the film is called Batman v Superman first and foremost and that’s what most people are expecting to see. Nothing wrong with that of course. I get why we don’t see the other heroes in this trailer but I am surprised that we don’t see Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, or any of the other supporting cast. It’s a little shocking given that the trailer mostly focuses on the negative public perception of Superman over the positive. But I guess it makes sense given my first point. The film will mostly be about Superman having to prove himself a true hero in the world and not a monster. 

THE VOICE 

With just about every comic book movie that comes out the actors and producers talk about how different this version will be or how the characters are updated and all that shit. Usually I take those comments with a grain of salt. Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck’s ridiculously hot wife, said how Batman’s voice would sound totally different in the film and be a reinvention. Yeah, yeah, how different can a gravelly voice be? Then I watched the trailer and allowed my jaw to hit the floor. Assuming the last line of dialogue is in fact delivered by Ben Affleck then we can safely say that we have not heard a Bat-voice like this before. Even the attitude is different. As I said, it sounds like a Frank Miller kind of line. I do mean this as a compliment, despite Miller’s recent shitty work. His 80s stuff was on point though . . . Anyway! Affleck and Zack Snyder clearly took the time to make sure that this Batman felt completely different than what we’ve seen previously especially given how much Christian Bale is probably still fresh in people’s minds. Whether or not Affleck’s version of Batman clicks with audiences remains to be seen. At the very least, we can applaud him for trying something different. The voice is obviously enhanced by his armor but it's still pretty bad ass. I love that it sounds almost demonic. Very fitting for a creature of the night like Batman. 

The whole trailer was just about perfect. It was exactly what I wanted to see. I've watched it like 30 times and I'm pretty sure I'll watch it 100 more times before the next one comes out. It's gonna be a long wait for March 2016 . . . 

Till Next Time! 

JJ - The Comic Junkie!