While you were sleeping, Zack Snyder unleashed Jason Momoa”s version of Aquaman upon us. And he ain”t your 1960s punchline about useless powers. With this look, fans shouldn”t be surprised if Momoa ends up with a harpoon hand à la Martin Egeland”s version of the Atlantian King.
But hold on a minute. The tagline is “Unite the Seven.” Snyder even hashtagged the phrase on Twitter. Did Warner Bros. accidentally a word? Doubtful. There are indeed seven seas, and Aquaman reigns supreme over them all. But…there are also seven founding Justice League members and the movie Momoa debuts in is called “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”
I see what you did there, “Justice League” marketing machine.
It”s looks more and more like “Batman v Superman” is really the Justice League”s origin story. Perhaps with Aquaman taking on the role of mediator to get this group of superpowered ‘lone wolves” to work as a team. But which seven members will it be? Obviously Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman have locked in spots. That leaves three available seats at the Hall of Justice.
To the comprehensive list of every superhero movie coming out through 2020! Both The Flash and Green Lantern are founding members of the Justice League, and both have their own stand-alone movies coming down the pipe. It doesn”t take a rocket scientist to connect the dots.
The only real outlier is Cyborg. He”s currently set to appear in “Dawn of Justice,” but in what capacity is unknown. However, Cyborg getting his own stand-alone film seems to make him a lock for a Justice League chair. Which means J”on J”onzz aka the Martian Manhunter has once more been booted from the line-up (Cyborg replaced J”onzz as a founding member of the Justice League in the New 52 reboot). Cyborg might seem like a strange choice to some, but he”s a favorite for a whole generation who were introduced to the Justice League and via Cartoon Network”s “Teen Titans.”
But if you”re sad J”onzz may have been shuffled out of the DCU universe, or regulated to second fiddle sidekick, think of it this way. If Warner Bros.” thoughts on the Martian Manhunter reflect those of “Batman v Superman” writer David Goyer, who said only virgin losers have heard of such a ‘goofy” character, maybe it”s for the best.
If the DCU Justice League is indeed an accurate reflection of the New 52 line-up – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Cyborg – we”re only missing Hal Jordan (or Jon Stewart, just saying) and Barry Allen. Could their “Superman v Batman” cameo announcement be far away?
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” hits theaters May 25, 2016.