Yesterday was quite an exciting day, wasn’t it? We finally got to see the epic new trailer for Zack Snyder’s Justice League. The two-and-a-half-minute trailer gave fans a really good insight in to what we can actually expect when he film drops on HBO Max in March.
We’re here today to break down the trailer and look at what we learnt. There’s quite a lot to go through so lets start at the beginning which conveniently takes us back to the events of Batman v Superman.
It seems as though the film may start with Superman dying. But there’s something different. As Doomsday clutches the dying Superman, his scream echoes and travels for miles. What’s important here is what Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor says. “The bell’s been rung”. What this implies is that the death of Superman could act as the catalyst for the entire movie. His death wakes the Mother Boxes, or it could be that his death alerts Darkseid that Earth is vulnerable. Either way, Clark’s death is absolutely key.
We take a very brief trip to Themyscira. We see a large building collapse and plummet down a cliff. We’re fairly confident that this is Themyscira. To be more specific, this looks like the chamber that holds one of the Mother Boxes. After the fight between Steppenwolf and the Amazons, it seems as though the structure just crumbles.
Next, we return to a fairly familiar sight. That’s right. The Knightmare sequence makes its long awaited return. Originally used as a way to justify Batman’s distrust of Superman, we’ll be heading back to this desolate world to see what has become of Earth and its heroes. In this sequence of the trailer, Bruce seems to acknowledge that this wasn’t simply a dream, but more of a “premonition”.
From Bruce’s dream we go straight to Diana and the dots begin to align. Diana confronts an ancient temple that houses the painting of Darkseid which may allude to his overall plan or just simply confirm his existence.
It’s also worth mentioning that Diana is also holding a large arrow. In the theatrical cut, Hippolyta’s arrow was used as a way to warn Diana about the impending doom. We’re not sure if it will serve the same purpose but it is indeed possible that discovering the arrow will lead her to the ancient painting.
This is where it gets even more interesting. We finally get to see Darkseid and his minions on Apokolips. We see Darkseid in his new armor at the front and centre (obviously). To his left we have Darkseid’s advisor, DeSaad. On the right we have Granny Goodness who trains Darkseid’s army of darkness. In the comics, Granny actually trains the Female Furies who basically serve as Darkseid’s elite squad. We’re not entirely sure whether they will appear but having Granny Goodness in the shot is definitely a good sign.
Can we just add that they all look absolutely wonderful. Surrounded by their hoard of Parademons they just look incredibly intimidating.
The next segment looks to be later on during the film. Steppenwolf seems to be on earth communicating with a structure that is somewhat taking the form of Darkseid. As a comparison, think of the beads in Black Panther. Steppenwolf could be giving his “Lord” an update on his mission, or Darkseid could be sensing that his plan is about to be foiled by the Justice League. Whatever reason, Darkseid definitely plays a bigger role than we imagined.
We finally get a nice close up of Steppenwolf. But here’s the cool thing, he isn’t wearing his helmet. His entire suit seems to have attached to him. Rather than pieces of armor that can simply be removed, his suits looks like a massive one piece that can actually unravel. If you look closely, you can actually see his armor vanish down his shoulders and arms. I hate to make comparisons, but it’s like Stark’s nano technology where the user has a level of control. This begs the question, why is he taking his armor off in front of Darkseid?
Are you ready to back to Themyscira? Of course you are. Hippolyta unleashes her army against Steppenwolf. A legion of Amazons gallop towards their enemy while Steppenwolf lands on a small faction who may be carrying the prize he greatly desires. We get some brilliant shots of Steppenwolf in action with the Parademons flying above him.
The next part comes across as a little montage sequence. Bruce simple says “I need warriors” and we get shots of each hero starting with Wonder Woman. Then we see Aquaman who confronts Steppenwolf underwater, Cyborg who has a nice little arsenal and it looks like his segment is set during the Knightmare sequence judging by the background colour. Finally we see Barry Allen’s Flash who quickly zooms away. In the theatrical cut, Flash zooms towards a newly revived and confused Superman.
It was really great to see Jeremy Iron’s Alfred back. His appearance may be brief in this trailer but it’s arguably one of our favourite parts. Alfred seems to be questioning Bruce about his plan to fight Steppenwolf. Considering the threat they face, Alfred would be right to question the League’s strength.
We get a really cool quote from Alfred. “If you can’t bring down the charging bull, then don’t wave the red cape at it”. It’s one of our favourite lines from the entire trailer. Not just because of Iron’s delivery, but because of the images that follow it and the literal meaning.
“The Charging Bull” is Steppenwolf and then we have the “red cape” which obviously refers to Superman. What Alfred is basically saying is “Don’t anger the beast unless you know how to take it down”. Simply put, you can’t fight Steppenwolf without a team… and without Superman.
This entire part just transitions brilliantly. Just look at how Steppenwolf charges. His eyes look to be glowing blue as well. This could be a possible side effect from engaging with the Mother Boxes?
After some familiar bits of footage, we see Clark’s body gradually being lowered into the pool within the Kryptonian Scout Ship. This should be the same Ship that created Doomsday. We also hear a familiar voice. It’s Jonathan Kent from Man of Steel who is talking to a young Clark Kent about his purpose.
As that piece of dialogue plays, we see Cyborg. Well, not Cyborg actually. We see Victor Stone. Our prediction is that what we’re seeing is Cyborg entering the Mother Box. What’s nice about this trailer is that it purposely connects Cyborg and Superman together at multiple points. Whether it remains, one of the most interesting parts of the theatrical cut was how Aquaman questioned Cyborg’s loyalty. As a product of the Mother Box, can he really be trusted?
If that aspect remains, this part of the trailer could actually symbolize something deeper. Much like Superman’s quest to discover why he was sent to earth in Man of Steel, this film will dive into Cyborg’s abilities and his purpose. Why did the Mother Box make him this way?
Flash hasn’t had a major role in this trailer. However, it was great to see the flashback with Barry Allen and Iris West. As we have previously learnt, Barry saves Iris from a rather extreme car crash. A nice little detail to check out is how Barry’s trousers and shoes are ruined. Without a suit that can handle the Speed Force, any time that Barry runs quickly his shoes immediately burn.
Remember how excited everyone got when they saw Clark in his iconic black Superman suit? Well, prepare to take a trip down memory lane to Snyder’s Man of Steel. Donning his new suit, Clark basically replicates his first flight from Man of Steel. Rocks and dust begin to float around him and then be blasts off into the air.
We then quickly transition to Cyborg taking flight. As previously mentioned, the relationship between Cyborg and Superman seems somewhat intentional here.
Are you still with us? We’re almost at the end. Transitioning back to the comics, specifically The Dark Knight Returns, we see Batman stood on top of something that heavily resembles the “Bat-Tank”. It looks very different compared to the “Knightcrawler” machine that appeared in the theatrical cut. It’s hard to say how this machine will be incorporated into the film and whether it’s the same vehicles that is used during the Gotham Harbor skirmish.
Cyborg’s link to the Mother Boxes will definitely play a big role in Snyder’s Justice League. We get to see Cyborg connecting to them which appears to be incredibly painful for Victor. From there, it’s possible that connecting to the Boxes unlocks a vision of some description. This vision could allow Cyborg to see the future, i.e. the Knightmare sequence. Or it could let Victor see what he is truly capable of. Remember the shot of Victor controlling a hoard of missiles?
One thing that we’re incredibly excited to see is the flashback with Darkseid. We get a very brief look which shows the Amazons fighting the Parademons. On top of that we also see King Atlan who takes out a bunch of demons with his mighty trident. It’ll be very interesting to see which other Gods and DC figures are involved in this epic battle. Remember, in the theatrical cut this battle showed numerous Green Lanterns.
Cyborg takes flight and narrowly avoids getting crushed by some buildings. We’re not entirely sure what Victor is avoiding and when it takes place. However, it is clear that he seems to be owning his powers a lot more. Rather than fearing his appearance and ability, here he seems to be embracing them fully.
We saw Superman using his beams in a previous teaser. That won’t stop us from highlighting it.
Finally, we see Jared Leto’s Joker. Now, we’ve seen images of him in the Snyder Cut thanks to a piece by Vanity Fair. In the images we see Joker in surgical gear. However, Snyder did tease that the villain had a bulletproof vest which is covered in law enforcement badges which Snyder calls “his trophies”.
We get a decent look at his new attire as the Joker sits on top of a rock, eagerly waiting for Batman. You can also spot the Joker holding a gun before he turns to Batman. It’s also worth pointing out that Cyborg is with Batman at this point. What’s strange is that it looks like Cyborg is hiding his body.
Snyder pretty much brought a meme to life and the internet seems to be loving it. The Joker says “We live in a society where honor is a distant memory. Isn’t that right… Batman?”
The iconic duo seem to be sharing a moment here. Snyder seems confident that his plans to continue his “Snyderverse” will end with his cut of Justice League. With the opportunity to film some new footage, Snyder looks to have inserted a small segment that finally sees the Joker and Batman together. Rather than having the two fight, we may actually dive into the psychology behind these two iconic characters. Why Batman couldn’t kill Joker and what the new world means for them both. It’s not clear what they will be discussing but we can’t wait to see them together.
There we go. It’s possible that we may have missed some details so please let us know what else you spotted. What tiny detail did you spot in the background? Make sure you drop them in the comments.
The film premieres on HBO Max in North America on March 18, 2021. It will be distributed nationwide in the UK by Warner Bros. Pictures.
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