Between a teaser trailer and a collection of still images, Warner Bros. has released plenty of advertising materials for this fall’s Justice League, showcasing the iconic heroes who will be trying to defend the world. However, there is one noteworthy absence from the marketing campaign thus far: Superman. The Last Son of Krypton was seemingly killed during the climactic fight in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, but some levitating dirt was all it took to tell viewers Kal-El wouldn’t stay dead for long. Fans are now speculating about how Superman will return and what role he’ll play in Justice League.

WB has smartly been focusing on the new characters who will be appearing (Aquaman, The Flash, and Cyborg), in order to familiarize viewers with them following brief cameos in Dawn of Justice. That said, everyone knows that Superman is an integral part of the DC Extended Universe (his arrival in Man of Steel is what spurred the whole franchise), so it’s expected he’ll factor in heavily at some point down the road. Fans of Clark Kent will take great interest in the latest comments made by director Zack Snyder, as he teased Superman’s involvement in Justice League.

Speaking with Empire (hat tip Heroic Hollywood), Snyder offered some comments on Superman’s role in the movie, revealing it’s a “big part” of the proceedings:

It isn’t surprising that this is the case. Superman’s heroic sacrifice against Doomsday was what renewed Batman’s faith in humanity, leading him down the path to form the Justice League with Wonder Woman. As Bruce Wayne said, his intention is to not fail Kal-El in death and maintain Superman’s basic values and principles as Earth prepares for Steppenwolf. Even though Superman won’t be there in the flesh at the outset, the influence he had on Batman’s life will be greatly felt and serve as a key emotional component in the film. And when the Man of Steel is finally resurrected, it obviously will be a major deal that will potentially change the DCEU forever. Moviegoers will be waiting impatiently for Superman to show up, so hopefully he lives up to expectations.

“Superman does play a big part in this movie. His presence, and lack of presence, are big story points…”

Some have started to compare Superman in Justice League to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Snyder’s quote lends some credence to that observation (Luke’s disappearance was the main driving force of Episode VII). One can only hope that Superman receives similar treatment in the marketing as well (save for one generic group shot or two), so his return can be a surprise saved for the film itself. Many are already anticipating Justice League without knowing much about Superman’s part in the film, so there’s really no need to reveal all the details before November.

Source: Empire (via Heroic Hollywood)

  • wonder woman Release Date: 2017-06-02 Justice League Release Date: 2017-11-17 Aquaman Release Date: 2018-12-21