Movies
The Batman, Black Adam, The Flash, Doctor Fate, Hawkman And Aquaman – 2022 Has A Multitude Of DC Heroes Really Super Coming To Theaters
“You can go to any timeline, any universe… why fight to save this one?” – Michael Keaton’s Batman.
The MCU has it’s Avengers, but the DCEU has it’s HEROES!
DC/Warner Brothers has released a new one minute teaser trailer titled “The World Need Heroes” for it’s four upcoming superhero movie offerings, and things are looking good. The films in question are The Batman, Aquaman, The Flash and Black Adam, and of all of these, THE GEEKS are most excited about Black Adam!
DC has a long history with superhero movies, but they have tended to play things very safe, sticking mostly to the big 3, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. They did an outstanding job with Shazam, and did something that was almost unthinkable: brought in the whole Shazam family, which was off-the-chain nuts at the time, and was a big part of why the Shazam movie was so popular and fun. Along this same vein is why I’m so stoked for the Black Adam movie: the side characters. Hawkman, Doctor Fate, and Atom Smasher are supposed to be pivotal in the shaping of Adam, bringing him in from the villain role.
What’s so exciting here isn’t just that, but it shows that DC may be finally ready to dip it’s toe in to it’s C and D catalog of characters. I know, I know, before you start screaming “But…SUICIDE Squad” and “Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey”, no. For one thing, these were either outright villains and both were treated like disposable products. I like them, but they felt cheated of any real substance, and still…VILLAINS. And the lightweights at that. Joker wasn’t even the same joker from the comics (no way that movie version was anything like ANY version of the Batman adversary) the Harley Quinn characters were all down-on-their luck villains (Black Canary and Huntress weren’t played as heroines at all), the Suicide Squad were all D-level throw-a-ways. No, we need HEROES.
Hawkman is, at his most refined, incredibly interesting, savage, and complex. Yay, they have him in the movie, I hope they keep with the integrity of the character. Doctor Fate is powerful, fascinating, other-worldly, and wise, while the striking choice of Atom-Smasher for this movie shows that now DC can stop pretending that they don’t have a plethora of very interesting characters that are not remotely similar to Superman. If written well and kept true to their comic book origins, these C and D heroes can be original, interesting, funny, scary, complex, and worth a feature film.
The era of single character origin stories is over, but a duo or small team with a good supporting cast could really make the company crowd pleasers. Booster Gold and Blue Beetle (both Beetles in the same film!), or Plastic man and Captain Atom are ready for the big time so they can showcase a diversity of powers that are nothing like the Big 3 of DC.
Come on DC… stop tip-toeing, it’s time to break out the breakouts, and claim your place on the comic book cinematic universe throne!
THE BATMAN In theaters and IMAX in North America March 4
Directed by Matt Reeves, the cast stars Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Jayme Lawson, with Andy Serkis and Colin Farrell. Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman (Pattinson), striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies—Alfred Pennyworth (Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Wright)—amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens. When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle/aka Catwoman (Kravitz), Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin (Farrell), Carmine Falcone (Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka the Riddler (Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City
BLACK ADAM In theaters and IMAX in North America July 29
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, the cast includes Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Quintessa Swindell, and Pierce Brosnan. Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian gods—and imprisoned just as quickly—Black Adam (Johnson) is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
THE FLASH In theaters in North America November 4
Directed by Andy Muschietti, the cast includes Ezra Miller, Ron Livingston, Kiersey Clemons, Michael Shannon, Antje Traue, Sasha Calle, and Michael Keaton Ezra Miller stars as Barry Allen, AKA The Flash, who pushes the limits of his superpowers in the DC Super Hero’s first-ever standalone feature film.
AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM In theaters in North America December 16
Directed by James Wan, the cast includes Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Randall Park, Temuera Morrison, Dolph Lundgren, and Nicole Kidman [cast order TBD] When an ancient power is unleashed, Aquaman must forge an uneasy alliance with an unlikely ally to protect Atlantis, and the world, from irreversible devastation.
Contributed by Michelle Hannett and Marc Butterfield
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