DC Extended Universe’s Justice League is slated to premiere on November 17th, 2017, marking the very first time the DC Comics’ most famous and beloved team of superheroes will assemble in a live-action big-screen feature film. Though originally envisioned as a two-part enterprise, this movie is now poised to stand on its own as the potential sequel was pushed back to make room for other DCEU projects.
Justice League will pick things up right where 2016’s Joss Whedon, who will wrap up the production.
As Wonder Woman was widely considered by the mainstream media as DCEU’s first unanimous commercial and critical success, the weight on Justice League’s shoulders is to continue riding that wave and deliver an equally exciting movie that will launch several of its heroes into their own live-action solo films and establish this cinematic universe once and for all.
In case you need a cheat sheet on who's who, this is Every Character We Know Is Appearing In Justice League (So Far).
19. BATMAN
Leading the Justice League pack and also acting in the role of recruiter, Gotham City to meet with powerful meta-humans and convince them to him and Wonder Woman in their fight against evil forces.
Since Justice League’s story will take place just a couple of months after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s ending, one can expect Batman to still be feeling the consequences of his fight against Superman in that movie.
Batman will be played by actor Ben Affleck, who will be reprising his Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice role. The actor was also poised to direct the solo film The Batman, but has recently pulled out of that responsibility.
18. WONDER WOMAN
Fresh off of her highly successful 2017 solo movie, Wonder Woman / Diana Prince will be one of the main characters in Justice League, co-leading and co-recruiting the team along with Batman.
As seen at the end of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and in Wonder Woman, Batman and Wonder Woman’s relationship seems to be healthy and of mutual respect, which means that their partnership in the recruitment of the Justice League will probably be smooth, leaving Batman to clash with other characters.
Though it’s only been less than two years since her DCEU debut, actress Gal Gadot will be reprising her role as Wonder Woman for a third time once Justice League premieres. A sequel to Wonder Woman is also already in the works with director Patty Jenkins.
17. AQUAMAN
A DC Comics fan favorite, Aquaman/Arthur Curry is finally getting the live-action big-screen debut he deserves. The character looks much grittier and feels much rougher than his comic book version; a change that director Zack Snyder seems to wholeheartedly believe in for the character to work in a cinematic context. In the Justice League trailer, Aquaman is seen clashing with Batman and being an overall bad-ass.
Essentially, Justice League will be setting up 2018’s solo Aquaman movie directed by James Wan, which is the next project on the DCEU slate to be released. The underwater kingdom of Atlantis and fellow Atlantians are expected to make their live-action debuts as well.
Aquaman will be played by actor Jason Momoa, whose previous high-profile role was as Khal Drogo in the first season of Game of Thrones.
16. THE FLASH
The Flash/Barry Allen is poised to be the comic relief in Justice League. In the trailer, Flash is seen being snarky with Batman, showing a different facet of the character as he is adapted into the DCEU.
Arrowverse/TV universe separate from its cinematic/DCEU world.
A solo The Flash movie is currently in the works at Warner Bros, but the project has faced director changes and had to scrap its original plans for a release date.
15. CYBORG
A lesser known hero in the main Justice League lineup, Cyborg/Victor Stone is a robotically modified former athlete who can manipulate technology and fire cannons from his arms. For the sake of this movie’s plot, Victor will have been reconstructed with a Mother Box, which is a device that will play a huge role in the story.
Cyborg will be played by actor Ray Fisher, who had no previous film experience before ing the DCEU. Much of his performance was done through motion capture as the character’s entire body is robotic. While Victor Stone’s face is seen for the most part, sometimes it is also covered.
A solo Cyborg film is slated to be released in 2020, the same year as Green Lantern Corps.
14. LEX LUTHOR
Superman’s main villain, Lex Luthor, is Arkham Asylum, where audiences last saw him in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Not much is known about Lex’s importance in Justice League. Whether he will once again be instrumental in regards to the events of the movie remains unseen. Most guesses, however, are that his role will be much smaller – and possibly simply a cameo – giving room for other villains to take over the film.
Actor Jesse Eisenberg, who had already played another rich billionaire in The Social Network, will reprise his Batman v Superman role as Lex Luthor. There are no reports confirming if the character will also be featured in the Man of Steel 2.
13. LOIS LANE
Lois Lane had a much bigger role in Batman v Superman than most audiences foresaw, and she will once again be back in Justice League. The DCEU has been very active in giving this character true importance, branching off of her usual love interest position in regards to Clark Kent/Superman.
As Superman’s fate remains unclear after the events of Batman v Superman, Lois Lane is poised to once again play a role in the movie which has her act independently from him. She remains a journalist at the Daily Planet, but will also probably be involved in helping Batman and Wonder Woman with the Justice League.
Three-time Oscar-nominated actress Amy Adams will once again star as Lois Lane. Her DCEU debut was in 2013’s Man of Steel.
12. MARTHA KENT
Superman / Clark Kent’s adoptive mother, Martha Kent, played a major role in the events of Man of Steel, but had a much smaller role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The character is poised to once again only have a short appearance, possibly in relation to Superman’s return to life.
Martha Kent is absent from all the Justice League trailers that have premiered so far, which is in line with the absence of Clark Kent and Lois Lane. The DCEU team is actively trying to leave this part of the story unrevealed so that Superman’s return can feel surprising and exciting.
Actress Diane Lane will return to her role as Martha Kent. Like Amy Adams, Diane made her DCEU debut in 2013’s Man of Steel.
11. STEPPENWOLF
According to reports and the film’s premise, unless there is an unforeseen plot twist, Steppenwolf will be Justice League’s main villain. He has come to Earth from planet Apokolips with his army of Parademons, hunting three Mother Boxes that have found themselves in our world.
Steppenwolf was the alien that Lex Luthor was communicating with during the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The character is briefly seen in the Ultimate Edition cut of the movie. He is of the New Gods alien race and has links to Darkseid.
Giving life to the character of Steppenwolf will be Irish actor Ciarán Hinds, who portrayed the Devil in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2.
10. HIPPOLYTA
Though we did not see Diana returning to Queen Hippolyta, is set to make an appearance in Justice League. However, the character will likely be featured in a flashback scene.
Little is known about Hippolyta’s role in the DCEU slate of films. She has never been directly involved with the Justice League, but she has occasionally come to her daughter’s defense in situations where Diana had to prove her worth to the team. That scenario, however, does not seem to fall in line with the plot of 2017’s Justice League.
Actress Connie Nielsen will reprise her role as Queen Hippolyta after the character’s very successful live-action debut in 2017’s Wonder Woman.