Warner Bros. has been developing a superhero team-up movie to match Marvel's Avengers success with their DC characters for some time now, but the plans keep stalling. WB has finally found a way in, and is ready to announce their gameplan at Comic-Con today. After Man of Steel, Superman and Batman are both established at the box office, so it makes sense to follow Man of Steel with a Superman/Batman team-up in 2015 as reported earlier today. But wait, there's more! Heat Vision adds that the studio is planning a Flash movie in 2016 and finally getting to Justice League in 2017.
That is all the detail we have at the moment, but this is an exciting time to be a DC fan. Check back soon for our full recap of the Warner Bros. Comic-Con panel. Hit the jump for a tired Marvel/DC comparison.
I don't think it's always fair to compare WB/DC to the lightning in a bottle that Marvel captured. But I like the parallels here in terms of establishing characters leading up to the group movie:
- Batman/Iron Man - Massive box office success, the franchise flagship.
- Superman/Thor - One step down in terms of box office, but proves there are at least two heroes who can draw a big audience.
- Flash/Captain America - The last step with a relatively untested character before the group movie drops next summer---finger's crossed it doesn't flop!
- Green Lantern/Hulk - Didn't catch on in individual movie(s). This is the perfect chance for rehabilitation as a supporting character.
- Wonder Woman/Black Widow - Hey look, a woman! It's unfortunate that Wonder Woman is an afterthought---I hope it is not too much to assume she makes it into Justice League.
- Aquaman/Hawkeye - If Justice League wants to hypnotize one hero for half the movie, it's Aquaman.
I am all out of comparisons for Green Arrow, Hawkman, Martian Manhunter, or whoever else could appear in Justice League, but I welcome your input in the comments.