It is no secret that the DC live action universe is a bit wonky, and what started out as a perceived planned universe turned into a universe that’s struggling to keep itself relevant and tell unique stories. With constant changes in management throughout the years and various reports of conflicts on set between directors and executives, or more recently, actors and directors, it is clear that the DC live action universe – officially dubbed ‘Worlds of DC’ but known as the DCEU, has a long way to go before it can establish itself firmly. With the release of the long-awaited ‘Snydercut’, officially dubbed ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’, interest in the Worlds of DC had increased among the fandom, though it was not without doubters. While people often like to say that DC was trying to do what Marvel did with its own shared live action universe, it will come as a surprise to many to know that DC had tried to start its own universe as far back as 2008, with the now-cancelled film Justice League: Mortal. This article will explore 5 interesting facts about what would have happened in the movie, had it been made.
1. There was no build-up to it
Although there was a Batman trilogy underway during production of this movie, as well as a Superman saga which was ongoing (which ultimately never went beyond 2006’s Superman Returns), this Justice League movie was going to have an all-new cast of characters, with different actors taking up the roles of the heroes. This ultimately meant that there would be no build-up to this movie. To add to that, the story would start at a point in which the Justice League has been around for years. If there was ever a real way to start off a cinematic universe differently than Marvel did, and make it work, this may have been the best way to go about it.
2. Maxwell Lord and Talia Al Ghul Would Have Been the Antagonists
Though many fans have always wanted to see the likes of Darkseid go against the Justice League, this movie would have had a ‘mortal’ villain, and no mortal villain has been a handful to the Justice League like Maxwell Lord. The story would take inspiration from the Tower of Babel storyline, and the O.M.A.C. project storyline. Working with Talia Al Ghul, Maxwell Lord would have gathered information from Batman’s spy satellite: Brother Eye which keeps tabs on the other Leaguers, used the information to try and kill the Leaguers because he was angry that they didn’t protect him as a child from cruel experiments at the hands of the O.M.A.C. project. Talia Al Ghul would have served as his partner in crime and would facilitate Maxwell’s access to Batman’s tech, due to her history with the Caped Crusader. Talia would have also been irritated with Batman due to his choosing to remain in solitude even after it was guaranteed that her father would not get in their way.
3. Batman snaps Maxwell Lord’s Neck
Arguably the most well-known thing about Maxwell Lord isn’t anything to do with his life or his abilities. It is that Wonder Woman killed him by snapping his neck after he affected Superman’s mind and made him see everyone as his most dangerous enemies. Seeing that there was no way to put a stop to Superman without killing him, and weighing the choices between killing her fellow Leaguer and killing the enemy, Wonder Woman chose the latter. It is also worth noting that it was not very long after Maxwell killed another superhero called Blue Beetle. The movie version would have had Superman attacking the League due to Lord’s machinations, and Wonder Woman refusing to kill him, which leads to Batman snapping his neck. Lord did not die, though, as it was revealed that the experiments turned him into a sort of cyborg, and he (literally) joins with Talia to form an even more powerful machine hybrid.
4. The Flash Would Have Encountered the League During the Events of the Movie
Contrary to the comics and pretty much every form of DC media we’ve ever seen, the Flash would not be a founding member of the Justice League in this movie. Whether it is Barry Allen or Wally West in the Flash suit, ‘the Flash’ is always a founding member of the team. He would instead join the League later on, with clues showing that it would be during the events of the movie. The Flash would have likely been there to introduce the viewers to the universe. His backstory would be in line with the comics and he would even have been married to Iris West at this point, having established himself as Central City’s protector, just not as a Justice Leaguer.
5. The Flash Dies in the End
It seems that these massive team-up movies always have to have a major character die. In every one of the Avengers movies, a major character dies, and it looks like this movie was going to be the one to kick off that trend… and what a way to do it; killing off fan-favourite character The Flash in his first ever big screen appearance. Flash would end up sacrificing himself after Lord infects him with OMAC robotic bugs, which turn him into the ‘OMAC Ultra’. In order to stop Lord once and for all, Flash uses his powers to the limit and ventures into the Speed Force, dying in the process. After this, his nephew, Wally West, who would be played by Anton Yelchin, would take up the mantle of The Flash.
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