FEATURE: 5 Potential Villains for Justice League 2

Greetings, one and all! Our 14 Days of Justice League rolls on full-steam ahead, and today we’re speculating about potential villains for Justice League 2.

With Steppenwolf headlining the DCEU’s latest outing, it gives us some ideas for how the filmmakers might take things in the future. With that in mind, here’s 5 potential villains the Watctower Crew would love to see in the sequel.

Brainiac

For all his claim fame, Brainiac, one of Superman’s greatest foes, is not well known outside of comic fandom. He’s never appeared in a live-action film, which means there’s a ripe opportunity to develop and introduce the jade android to audiences the world over.

Brainiac is an android hailing from the farthest reaches of space. Known as the Collector of Worlds, he keeps a collection of shrunken cities from around the universe and wants to add Superman to his collection. Oh, and he also has an Ultron-esque robot army.

Brainiac’s talents as a technopath would be a great foil for Cyborg; his intellect would challenge Batman; his might would rival Superman; Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Flash would bring the fight, mowing down his armies. And if future members of the League are introduced, like Green Lantern or Hawkgirl, his cosmic abilities would prove a powerful foil.

Darkseid

The man, the myth, the legend.

Batman v Superman heavily implied that Darkseid was on the horizon for the Justice League. In fact when the team-up was initially announced as a two-parter, and Steppenwolf announced as the villain of Part 1, many presumed Darkseid would headline the second part.

In the comics, Steppenwolf acts as a forerunner to Darkseid’s coming. And when Darkseid finally does arrive on Earth, his goal of taking over becomes a globe shattering danger to all.

If Justice League seems massive in scale, a Justice League film with Darkseid would be on the same scale as Avengers: Infinity War. The League would have their work cut out for them, almost certainly needing to swell their ranks with a Lantern, Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter, and others.

United Underworld

Batman ‘66 remains one of my favorite incarnations of Batman. And one thing that series introduced to the DC canon is the United Underworld. In the film, the super villain team comprised of Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, and Riddler, set out to dehydrate the UN Security Council and take over the world. It’s a cornball plot by any stretch of the imagination; but more than anything, the United Underworld as a concept is one I’d love to see adapted into the DCEU.

Jared Leto’s Joker needs a development vehicle. What better way then to have him go up against the entire League? The Riddler would also be a great addition to the team, being less prankster and more logistician. An updated take on The Penguin, making him an old billionaire, would provide the team with the cover, resources, manpower, and arsenal to take on the League. Catwoman would be the team’s espionage expert, serving much the same role she did on the original team, this time by infiltrating and compromising the Justice League from within. Finally, I would add a new member to the team: Hush. And he would be played by none other… than Ben Affleck.

Imagine if you will an arc where Hush is impersonating Bruce Wayne, utilizing his penchant for disguise in order to take down the League. And imagine if you will, Selina Kyle having a relationship with Hush. Such a setup could be an interesting way to setup Batman and Catwoman’s future relationship, but from a completely new angle. The on-screen tension when Selina finally learns Batman’s identity will be plain ol’ brilliant, and the double role nature of Hush/Batman would give Affleck a lot of material to sink his teeth into.

Legion of Doom

Lex Luthor’s defeat at the end of Batman v Superman shouldn’t be the end of his character in the DCEU. In fact, it only makes sense for Luthor to come back with a League of his own… a LEGION, if you will.

The Legion of Doom originated in the 1970’s Challenge of the Superfriends animated series, but has since been adapted by the comics. Lex bringing together a clandestine group of supervillains to take on the League makes a lot of sense, especially with the (presumed) return of Superman in Justice League. After all, what good are red capes without a foil?

Parallax

The Green Lantern villain Parallax is complicated and tough to understand. But I think with a little TLC, the cosmic embodiment of fear could be a great physical and psychological threat for the movies.

Imagine if you will a Justice League film where the entire League is fighting a thing they can’t see or understand, a thing that infiltrates their minds and their freewill. Wonder Woman and Superman would be a grave threat to others if Parallax took them over. If Parallax took control of The Flash and had access to the speedforce, his reach would be cosmic.

A threat like Parallax would require some big guns:=, like the Green Lantern Corps. Throw the Sinestro Corps into the mix as Parallax’s lackeys, and you’ve got an epic psychological action horror film.

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What do you think of our Justice League 2 speculation? Who do you want to see take on our heroes? Let us know on Twitter @WatchtowerBabel!

Tune in tomorrow for Day 4 of our Justice League celebration!