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We know you have strong opinions one way or the other, but if nothing else, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice laid the foundation for the WB/DC Cinematic Universe for years to come. Throughout the movie, numerous hints and teases were blasted at the audience, promising future characters and story arcs similar to ones that appear in DC's comics. If you haven’t been an avid comic book fan your entire life though, fear not! Complex Pop Culture has you covered. Let's walk you through a few possible storylines that DC may have set up with their latest blockbuster. (Spoilers ahead!)
Justice League: War
From Batman’s dream—or "Knightmare"—in the movie, to the recently released deleted scene following Lex Luthor’s strange encounter with a horned, skull face alien surrounded by three hovering cubes (a.k.a. “Mother Boxes”), all signs point to the impending arrival of the Justice League's "Big Bad." That’s right, DARKSEID IS COMING. An ancient dark god who rules a horrific fire-filled world bursting with winged sentries known as "parademons," Darkseid is about as villainous as they come. Justice League: War is a storyline that kicked off the DC Comics’ universe reboot, "The New 52," with new interpretations of their timeless heroes and villains. Created by comic book legends Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, JL: War gave us a story that brought together the Justice League for the first time, and it also introduced a new take on the ruler of Apokolips.
In this series Batman fights the alien behemoth and also comes face to face with Hal Jordan, a.k.a. the Green Lantern. Quickly tackling the alien head on, the two decide to create an uneasy alliance and begin searching for Superman to assist them in their fight and investigation. They aren’t exactly given a warm welcome, but the three put aside their differences as more parademons appear. From there the fight grows as more of the soon-to-be Justice League starts assembling to prepare for the arrival of Darkseid. Although Darkseid is unlike anything the heroes faced before, the Justice League still manages to squeak out a victory against the "omega beam" wielding villain.
Dawn of Justice hints at so many things that occur early on in Justice League: War—the formation of the League, the forming of the heroes’ bonds, the arrival of Darkseid— so it's fair to speculate that the following Justice League movies will unfold as this comic series did.
Justice League: Rock of Ages
Future timelines and alternate realities were clearly a heavy factor in the groundwork laid out in Dawn of Justice, and Rock of Ages is bursting with them. This time, the League faces down Darkseid in a future scenario in which he has taken over the world, and the heroes have been broken and beaten. Writer Grant Morrison and artist Howard Porter delivered a story that saw the Flash, Green Lantern, and Aquaman of the present travel to this "brave new world" and attempt to put together the League again with a traumatized Batman, a war-crazed Wonder Woman, and a ragtag group of Z-list heroes.
Similarly, the "Knightmare" in Batman v Superman showed a future torn apart by what appeared to be a combination of Darkseid’s minions and a Superman gone rogue. While the former part of the dream points toward Rock of Ages, the latter points more toward the arc that sees Superman literally take over the world himself after falling into darkness. However, with that Superman angle covered pretty thoroughly in Batman v Superman, Rock of Ages seems to be the more likely of the two story candidates to be developed in future DC movies.
So here's what happens in Rock of Ages: as the idiosyncratic heroes mount an impressive offensive, it comes down to Batman and Wonder Woman against Darkseid. Overwhelmed, the two fall beneath his boot but are saved by the unlikely duo of the Green Arrow and the Atom (currently appearing in the CW television universe), who manage to take him down by entering his brain and destroying it from the inside. It’s a fantastic story and would make for some great source material for the Justice League films to pull from.
Batman: Under the Red Hood
In Batman v Superman we were given the briefest glimpse at what, in the comics, is considered to be Bruce Wayne’s greatest failure: the death of Robin. In a comics storyline called "Death in the Family" Batman’s second sidekick to go by the Robin identity, Jason Todd, is killed by the Joker. In Dawn of Justice Bruce solemnly looks at an old costume worn by his sidekick with the words "HA HA Joke’s On You Batman!" written on it, clearly a sick taunt from his oldest foe. It’s evident that the death of his adopted son had a small part in creating the grim, dark vigilante presented to the audience here, but what comes next?
Well, in "Under the Red Hood," the long-thought-dead Jason Todd finds himself back in the land of the living and adopts the moniker of "the Red Hood" in order to put an end to Gotham’s criminal element permanently. Created by writer Judd Winnick and artist Doug Mahnke, "Red Hood" sees Batman trying desperately to save his former sidekick while simultaneously trying to stop his own downfall. For a future solo Batman film this would be a perfect way to explore Bruce Wayne’s past while presenting him with a challenge unlike many the Dark Knight has seen in his career. And alongside Jared Leto’s interpretation of the Joker, appearing in this August’s Suicide Squad, the final result could be amazing.
Flashpoint
In Dawn of Justice a mysterious figure appears to a sleeping Bruce Wayne, foretelling a doomed future. This figure turns out to be none other than the Scarlet Speedster, the Flash. The Flash, aside from just running really fast, can also travel through time when given the right technology and motivation. Hedid that most recently in the comics in the big DC crossover entitled "Flashpoint," in which the Justice League’s resident speedster attempted to save his mother’s life in the past, therefore creating a new present. This new present included a Batman who was actually Thomas Wayne (Bruce’s father), Aquaman and Wonder Woman at war, and vastly different interpretations of the heroes and villains we once knew. Flashpoint, once resolved, ushered in the "New 52" era of the DC Comics’ universe mentioned earlier—similarly, it would be a clean and easy way to put a new spin on old characters in the movie-verse.
Flash’s solo movie is already confirmed, and Flashpoint would make for an interesting basis for the film, showing off Barry’s powers while also presenting the audience with a strange new side of the world. The story from creators Geoff Johns and Adam Kubert seems rife with possibilities for live action renditions, especially since elements from it were already presented in Dawn of Justice.