Why Warner Bros. Should Still Make a JUSTICE LEAGUE Sequel

It’s been a few months, and DC Films’ Justice League has come and gone. The film received lukewarm reviews and underperformed at the box office; in fact, Warner Bros. lost money on it. Thus, it’d be surprising if the studio spent another dime on the movie, even for the mysterious “Snyder Cut.”

But what about a sequel? WB originally announced a second Justice League movie in 2014, back when the plan was to tell the story over two parts. However, the studio abbreviated it to the one movie. And now that the movie didn’t make money, that decreases the chances of any sort of follow-up.

I’m probably the only person on the planet who actually loved Justice League. While I still had some issues with it, I would be totally down with seeing a sequel. So, here is why WB should consider moving ahead with it anyways…

Correct the First Film’s Mistakes

As said earlier, Justice League definitely had more than a few issues. In fact, we wrote a whole separate post about how those can be amended for a sequel. But to run it down here: Warner Bros. should trust the director’s vision, allow time to perfect the CGI, create a more ambitious storyline, have good villains, and give Superman more to do. If Justice League 2 happens, then all of these things could potentially be done.

There are plenty of big movie franchises that get better with each film and learn from predecessors’ mistakes. It doesn’t always happen, but sometimes it does. And we can only hope the same will apply to Justice League. At the very least, let Henry Cavill have time to shave. That should save them a few million for the next one.

Build Upon the Team’s Chemistry

Justice League not only established its team as a singular fighting force, but it created new dynamics between characters. Whether it’s Flash and Cyborg or Batman and Aquaman, seeing the heroes meet one another was very interesting. Surely, we didn’t get all the character pairings we hoped for – I would’ve loved for Superman and Aquaman to hang out more – but that’s another thing that can be remedied in a sequel.

Justice League 2 could continue to explore pre-established character dynamics and create brand new ones. The big draw of superhero team movies tends to be the character interactions, and doubling down on that for the next film should be a no-brainer. Just give them more than a 2 hour runtime in the future.

Introduce New Characters

Justice League featured six members, but in the comics, the roster is made up of countless heroes. Whether it’s Green Lantern, Shazam or Martian Manhunter, the Justice League team has always been open to new characters. So, it’d be logical to do the same with the movies. Not to mention, other superhero team franchises, such as Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, tend to add new members in every movie.

There are plenty of Leaguers who could join the team in Justice League 2. Zachary Levi’s Shazam will be established in his own movie, while a Green Lantern Corps film is on the way. Bringing those characters into the next team movie would be smart, and again, it could create some exciting new character dynamics.

Still Plenty of Franchise Potential

Beyond the characters, the Justice League franchise still has an insane amount of potential. In the comics, the team is the centerpiece of countless universe-changing stories, such as Kingdom Come and Darkseid War. And with DC still committed to a shared universe, the Justice League kind of has to be a big part of it in one shape or another.

As a DC Comics fan, I really hope to see more Justice League stories on the big screen. It doesn’t feel right that a DC movie universe would go on without including its biggest team. And sure, the first movie was a box office flop, but if they play their cards right, the potential is there for a sequel to be much bigger. We can only hope.

The Legion of Doom

And lastly, we have a specific example of the potential I was talking about. Justice League‘s post-credits scene shows Lex Luthor meeting with Deathstroke, suggesting the idea of forming their own League. This clearly sets up the Legion of Doom for the future. And really, the idea of the Justice League fighting the Legion of Doom in a sequel is very, very exciting.

The concept of a group of major villains working together in a team is unique (we’re not counting Suicide Squad here), and that alone can elevate Justice League 2. Seeing the likes of Lex Luthor, Joker, and Deathstroke would be a huge draw. Also, villains like Cheetah and Black Manta are being introduced in future films, so audiences will know them. And imagine if they throw Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam into it? Sold.

Agree? Disagree? Let us know on Twitter at @WOBAMEnt.