Laurence Fishburne returns as Bowery King in John Wick: Chapter 2, which just opened this weekend in theaters, but don't expect his newspaper chief Perry White to return in Zack Snyder's upcoming Justice League film. And no, the reason behind his absence isn't because he had some strong words for the live-action DC Comics adaptations when it comes to their big-screen rivalry with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though DC fans probably won't like his comment either way.

From an interview with the LA Times for his role in the Keanu Reeves-starring actioner, the conversation inevitably shifted to the DC Extended Universe. Fishburne has previously appeared in Snyder's Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as the Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Planet, but it's looking like the potential world-saving team-up of DC's most famous superheroes won't include the newspaper man.

laurence-fishburne-batman-vs-superman-image
Image via Warner Bros.

Here's why Fishburne's missing out on Justice League:

They asked me to come for a day, but I couldn’t work it out, schedule-wise. And really, what do you need the newspaperman in “Justice League” for? You want to see the Flash. You want to see Aquaman. You want to see Wonder Woman. You want to see the Lantern.

He's not wrong. However, DC fans might take issue with Fishburne's next comment on the state of the DCEU:

We’ve been waiting 35 years for these [characters] to show up on the screen. What were they doing over there? Marvel has been kicking their ass. This is the comic-book geek in me, who has a collection of comic books. I’ve been waiting to see these people on-screen forever.

Fishburne doesn't lay the blame at Snyder's feet, however. Nor does he take issue with the controversial "Martha" scene:

Look, I love what Zack Snyder does. Jesse Eisenberg, this little nebbishy guy, as Lex Luthor? For me, that’s a genius move. And the whole thing with Martha Kent and Martha Wayne? I don’t know, man, I must be sentimental but that’s some heartwarming [stuff] to me. So I don’t get it.

We're sure you have thoughts on the state of DC vs Marvel, so let 'em rip in the comments below!

laurence-fishburne-justice-league-dc-vs-marvel
Image via Warner Bros.
laurence-fishburne-justice-league-dc-vs-marvel
Image via Warner Bros.
laurence-fishburne-justice-league-dc-vs-marvel
Image via Warner Bros.
laurence-fishburne-justice-league-dc-vs-marvel
Image via Warner Bros.