The Snyderverse has its share of fans who appreciate what the film was able to achieve for the DCEU. However, when setting up the fight between its two flagship characters, Superman and Batman, and uniting the Justice League against a common enemy, Doomsday, one DC Animated Universe film has it beat by a large margin.
One of the many criticisms about the film was the fact that it tried to do the opposite of what the MCU did with its Avengers property. However, it is not entirely impossible to tell a compelling story while also introducing a host of new characters, while also maintaining a decent run time that might be economical for theatres. One DC film already achieved all that, with no less than 7 mainline heroes introduced in a single film.
Justice League: War does the DC universe of superheroes justice
Justice League: War was a 2014 entry into the DC Animated Universe that told the story of the Justice League’s maiden adventure, fighting the galactic emperor Darkseid. The film, while lacking mainstay Leaguers like Aquaman and Martian Manhunter, ended up introducing, fleshing out and uniting seven heavy hitters together, while also sneaking in a fight between Batman, Green Lantern and Superman.
The cast included characters like Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Cyborg and Shazam, all of whom were introduced, given a believable backstory and united in a series of amazing battle sequences within an hour and 20 minutes. The film also manages to include minor characters like Steve Trevor, Freddy Freeman, Silas Stone and DeSaad.
Despite juggling so many elements of the film, the animated feature is considered one of the best versions of the league to be adapted to screen. While Batman v Superman tried to set up an entire cinematic universe, following a blueprint made by Justice League: War could have made the entire affair feel a tad bit more organic and would have helped launch a successful DC Cinematic Universe, that could break the mould set by Marvel.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League improved on the formula set by Justice League: War
While swapping out a host of characters, Snyder’s Justice League followed what Justice League: War set up, eventually yielding a product that was acclaimed by fans. Introducing Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg into the main timeline, the property faired much better than its main DCEU counterpart, largely because it decided to stick to the tone that Snyder had crafted for the franchise.
The blueprint and the skeleton that the plot of Justice League: War provides could have easily translated into the DCEU, given that DC had one special advantage that Marvel lacked while making the Marvel Cinematic Universe: rights to its most iconic characters.
While Marvel did not have the luxury of launching the Avengers before giving each character an origin story, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash and Aquaman are already iconic characters that do not need their origin story explained, and could hence unite over the course of a single feature-length film, providing for a much better experience for the audiences.
