The Heroes of The Justice League

By: Max Cannon

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has finally hit theaters, and despite some mixed reviews, the DC Cinematic Universe isn't going anywhere. Though everyone knows the origin of Batman and Superman there are some new characters whose names and stories may not be as recognizable. Due to some casting news, DC's recently announced release schedule, and some quick cameos we have a bit of an idea about which heroes we can be expecting to make up our new Justice League.

Be warned, I'll keep it light but things will get into spoiler territory for certain characters in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice from here on. 

Let's first talk about the character that we've seen in the trailers.

Wonder Woman

Standing tall amongst the titular heroes of Batman v Superman, Wonder Woman/Diana Prince is planned to be the next new hero on DC's movie slate and is played by Gal Gadot. Wonder Woman is a classic comic character with an origin rooted in classic Greek mythology. Born to the Greek God Zeus and Queen Hippolyta, Princess Diana is raised on the island of Themyscira for several millennia amongst the Amazons - a superpowered society consisting only of women. Though her motivation for moving on to the "World of Men" has changed throughout different publications, the DC movies seem to use her original motivator of World War 2 pushing Wonder Woman into the fight.

Upon her departure, Princess Diana is gifted her iconic armor and weapons which, out of respect, are colored to represent the society she'll be joining. Her standard red, white, and blue colors are complemented by an often weaponized tiara and bulletproof bracelets. She is also entrusted with The Lasso of Truth, a rope which forces anyone ensnared to speak the truth. And who could forget the invisible jet? A Wonder Woman classic.

In addition to her centuries of combat training, Wonder Woman is also born with the standard set of superhuman abilities. Super strength, super stamina, and super speed make up her moveset though her strength isn't as strong as Superman and her speed isn't as quick as The Flash.

The Flash

There have been several different characters to take up the mantle of The Fastest Man Alive, though the most iconic to don the red suit is probably the second Flash, Barry Allen. The character people are most familiar with in "The Flash" TV series, played by Grant Gustin, is separate from the one we'll be seeing on the big screen, played by Ezra Miller - though both actors portray Barry Allen. 

Barry's powers are given to him by a well-timed strike of lightening combined with a case of chemicals. The result is the ability to move faster than anyone or anything else, excluding some of his enemies. The Flash's speed doesn't just apply to running but to every element of his character. His thoughts move so quick that he is impervious to mind control, the speed of his punches make up for any strength he lacks, and his quick movement has also allowed him to travel through time and space. 

Little is known about how much of this origin will be used in the movies as there is very minimal plot information available so don't take everything as fact until we actually see Ezra running around in red. 

Aquaman

Often on the receiving end of a joke, Aquaman has had a hard time being taken seriously as a superhero, but DC seems to hope to change how people feel with their new, grittier take on the Dweller In The Depths. Aquaman's origins are similar to Wonder Woman in that his powers are handed down through blood. The child of a lighthouse worker named Tom Curry who fell in love with Atlanna of the city of Atlantis, Arthur Curry is raised alone by his mortal father after his mother dies of a terminal illness. After several adventures, unbeknownst to his father as Aquaboy​, Tom allows his son to take on the duties of protecting the ocean as Aquaman. The origin story has changed here and there over the years, sometimes even taking place in Atlantis from the beginning, but no official news has been given on the upcoming solo film starring Jason Momoa.

Aquaman's powers place him at an advantage in the ocean, obviously, and include the ability to breathe underwater, swim at incredible speeds, and the power to communicate telepathically to creatures of the seas in various degrees. While some older versions feature the hero communicating with creatures that just happen to live near the sea, including some birds, more recent iterations have shown that many animals don't have the brain capacity to engage with Aquaman at all. 

Being on land doesn't entirely place Aquaman at a disadvantage as dealing with the extreme pressure of being underwater has prepared his body with increased strength and resistance. Though most stories have had Aquaman suffer from dehydration and loss of power when on land for too long occasionally being rectified with a suit provided by Batman. Aquaman has further similarities to Wonder Woman's origins of Greek mythology by wielding a trident gifted to him by Poseidon, God of the sea. The trident gives its user the ability to command waters, fire energy as a weapon, and pack a punch for a mono a mono fight.

In recent years Aquaman has been given a darker and grittier treatment in hopes of rejuvenating interest in the character and the DC Cinematic Universe seems no different.

Cyborg

A popular character and member of the Teen Titans superhero team, Victor "Vic" Stone/Cyborg is a much more recent character. Having first appeared in an 80's comic and becoming more popularized with the "Teen Titans" cartoon of the early 2000's and the modern "Teen Titans Go!", Cyborg has had the least variations on his origin. And if a brief scene in Batman v Superman is anything to go off of it looks like things will stick to the same story when Ray Fisher plays the hero.

After an interdimensional experiment releases an alien spore/mysterious box that injures Vic and kills his mother, Elinore Stone, Victor's father Silas Stone begins working on a cybernetic body to keep Victor alive. After waking up with his new robotic body, Vic is furious due to his father's negligence causing the accident and even wishes that he would've been left to die. After deciding to use his new body as a hero, Cyborg helps to start the Justice League alongside the more recognizable heroes. 

Cyborg has the ability to interface with nearly anything computerized alongside the typical superhero traits of strength and speed. Cyborg's body itself is the ultimate Swiss army knife as it has shown the ability to transform parts of itself into anything from jet packs to portal guns and anything in between.

Have Your Say

Who is your favorite member of the Justice League? Who has you excited and who else would you like to see on the big screen? Comment below!