How 'Batman v Superman' Sets Up the Rest of the DC Movie Universe

Superman and Batman’s meet-cute turns ugly. But they make up just as Wonder Woman arrives and together DC’s “Trinity” tackles the Lex Luthor-engineered Doomsday. Along the way, Batman encounters Flash (or a vision of Flash), who urges the Caped Crusader to find and unite the other known “meta-humans,” which also include the briefly revealed Aquaman and Cyborg.

We briefly see a Joker-desecrated Robin costume in BvS, which teases this David Ayer-directed team-up of DC supervillains that will feature a scene pitting Batman (Affleck) against Joker (Jared Leto). The rogues also include Joker’s squeeze, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and master assassin Deadshot (Will Smith).

Aside from her heroic exploits at the end, BvS also reveals a century-old photo of Wonder Woman with Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and her other cohorts from WWI who will be introduced in this Patty Jenkins-helmed film which will also tell the Amazon warrior’s origin story from her days on the isle of Themyscira.

Batman follow’s the Flash’s advice and brings together DC’s top team, rounded out by Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg, and (spoiler alert!) Superman. They will face the extraterrestrial entity Darkseid, whose arrival is teased in Batman’s visions in BvS. Zack Snyder will direct. What’s not known is whether Green Lantern — a founding member in the comics whose cinematic career was almost derailed by the 2011 Ryan Reynolds misfire — will be in this film or will arrive in the Justice League sequel.

After two briefs scenes in BvS (telling Batman to assemble the team and then stopping a holdup in security footage obtained by Lex Luthor) and a costarring role in Justice League, Ezra Miller’s Scarlet Speedster gets his solo debut in this film. Presumably, we’ll get a version of his origin combined with a standalone adventure pulling from his considerable comic-book rogues gallery.

Likewise, Jason Momoa will parlay a cameo in BvS (as part of Luthor’s hacked meta-human file) and his Justice League membership into a showcase movie. Director James Wan will attempt to make a compelling film about a character who is formidable in DC Comics, but too often considered a joke in pop culture (see: Entourage). Amber Heard costars as Aquaman’s equally powerful wife, Mera.

This could be the most lighthearted of the DC entries, considering the character is nicknamed the Big Red Cheese in the comics. Previously the subject of a campy 1970s TV show, Shazam (a.k.a. Captain Marvel) is the superhero alter ego of teen Billy Batson imbued with amazing powers by an ancient wizard. While the lead role(s) haven’t been cast, The Rock will play the big bad, Black Adam.

Other than returning the main cast from JL1, not much is known about this entry, including whether it will conclude the story of the first film or be a straight sequel like Avengers: Age of Ultron. This might be the film that introduces Green Lantern to the team, considering a stand-alone movie centered on that hero is set for 2020.

The DC hero with the lowest profile gets his moment to shine in this film after getting a mini-origin in BvS followed by bigger roles in the two Justice League flicks. Vic Stone (Ray Fisher) is a football hero (perhaps the same Clark Kent is supposed to do a profile of in BvS?) nearly killed in a lab accident, where his dad (Joe Morton in BvS) uses experimental cybernetic tech to save Vic’s life — and give him an array of superpowers, including a weaponized body and the ability to interface with machines.

Nearly a decade after the Ryan Reynolds debacle, the Green Lantern Corps is back on the big screen. This movie will likely see a version of the Earth-based hero (Hal Jordan or John Stewart… or perhaps both) teaming with the rest of the ringed intergalactic police squad. But without a cast, writer or director, we’re just spitballing at this point.

When Warner Bros. and DC announced their ambitious slate, they said that it would include new installments for their two signature heroes. Affleck is reportedly being wooed to helm a solo Batman feature, but it, like the planned Superman sequel, has not been scheduled yet. (Warners has two untitled DC releases penciled in for Oct. 5, 2018 and Nov. 1, 2019.) Meanwhile, a possible Suicide Squad sequel remains only a rumor at this point.