On June 22, 2017, Warner Bros & DC debuted a four-minute trailer for their highly anticipated Justice League film – which comes to cinemas in November 2017. The trailer was met with widespread acclaim, boasting a 95 per cent approval rating, and over 27 million views on the Warner Bros Pictures official YouTube channel. However, there are several details within the trailer that may have non-comic book readers scratching their heads. This guide aims to remedy that.
A quick review of the trailer
At around one minute into the trailer, a mysterious cube can be seen on the island of Themyscira (Wonder Woman's birthplace).
The cube generates a portal, which summons an armored figure armed with a battle-ax. This cube is known as a 'Mother Box' - a sentient supercomputer with several abilities, including matter manipulation and most importantly, teleportation (which in the comics is done through the portals referred to as 'boom tubes'). These Mother Boxes are most commonly used by an alien race known as 'The New Gods.'
The armored figure (not to be confused with Ares from the Wonder Woman film) was confirmed in late 2016 to be the super villain Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf is the military leader of the planet Apokolips. He is a skilled warrior and tactician, with superhuman stamina, strength, and speed. He is also the uncle of one of Superman's most terrifying adversaries: Darkseid (a tyrant who aims to not only conquer the universe but also to eliminate free will).
Throughout the trailer, we see the Justice League engaged in battle with winged, weapon-wielding aliens. These creatures are known as 'Parademons' and serve as Darkseid's personal army. They are inhumanly strong and can also fly and breathe fire.
Films that share the DC universe
At roughly 90 seconds in, a voice (Steppenwolf's) states: 'No protectors here … No lanterns…' The lanterns he refers to are the intergalactic peacekeeping group known as The Green Lantern Corps.
There was a Green Lantern film released in 2011, but that film is not a part of the 'DC Extended Universe' (a series of individual films that all exist within the same shared universe – these films include 'Man of Steel', 'Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice', 'Suicide Squad', and 'Wonder Woman'). However, this line from Steppenwolf confirms that Green Lanterns exist within this universe and Cinemablend has reported that a Green Lantern Corps film (set within the DCEU) is set to be released in 2020.
The trailer ends with Alfred conversing with a person that the audience is not shown. This unseen individual is Superman. At the four-minute mark, a red outline (Superman's cape) can be seen at the bottom right. While Superman did die in the battle against Doomsday in 'Batman v Superman,' the last scene of the film shows small rocks levitating off of Superman's coffin, similar to how they did when Superman prepared to take flight in 'Man of Steel.' Furthermore, a Vox article dated July 25, 2017, has confirmed that Henry Cavill (Superman's actor) is in the film and is part of the film's extensive re-shoots.
Justice League seems set to break box office records if the latest trailer's positive reception and many views are anything to go by.
Though there will undoubtedly be many Easter eggs in the full film that may go over the heads of non-comic book readers, hopefully, this guide provides a better understanding of the footage presented most recently.
