Justice League Snyder Cut is Coming!

I guess Arrowverse's CRISIS on INFINITE EARTHS not only fixed the universe of DC's Live Action TV series but also brought the return of Zack Snyder's Justice League. In a surprising twist, Snyder (during his Man of Steel watch party with fans) announced to the world that his original version of the Justice League movie is coming to the online streaming app HBO MAX in 2021. It has been close to three years when a movement spearheaded by the fans of Snyder's vision for the DCEU finally broke through those deaf ears in Warner Bros. It took a lot of reorganization in the corporate offices of Warner for this project to finally come to fruition. Warner Bros. is pumping in a very cool $20-$30 million to finish Snyder's version of the movie. It can be recalled that Snyder left (to his haters it was fired) the Justice League movie midway into production to deal with the tragic loss of his daughter. Joss Whedon (famed director of Marvel's Avengers and Avengers 2) was brought in to replace and rework Snyder's movie to fit the tastes of Warner executives clamoring for a more "Marvel" like movie in tone and in appearance. Whedon's version bombed at the Box Office angering fans and DC Comics purists of Snyder's vision for DCEU. In fairness to Whedon, the movie did get good reviews from general audiences spoiled by Marvel's cinematic universes but for the majority of fans who followed Snyder's Man of Steel and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice religiously, Whedon's Justice League felt like a gut punch and left a very bad and disgusting taste in their mouths. But now with the announcement, the Justice League Snyder Cut is finally on its way. And what to expect from it? For the past year or so I have cultivated these information in various entertainment websites and youtube videos such as Bleeding Cool, Comic Book Resources, Screen Rant, Collider and I will present to you as much as I can an extensive list of what to expect from the Snyder Cut.

*READ ON IF YOU WANT TO BE SPOILED*

First, the Notable changes from Snyder's original version.

1.) Junkie XL the original composer (in collaboration with Hans Zimmer) of Snyder's DCEU who   
     was set to take full control of the soundtrack for Justice League was replaced by Danny Elfman, a
     veteran in Tim Burton's Batman movies.

2.) Steppenwolf's design was changed from a more horrific appearance as seen in the deleted scene         of  Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice to a more general audience friendly one.

3.) There was a scene of Lois visiting Superman's memorial but was omitted in the theatrical cut.

4.) The opening credits were reworked mostly by Whedon. Specially that ugly CGI mustache of
      Superman.

5.) Batman did not know about the details of the Mother Boxes and Parademons from that rooftop
     scene battling a Parademon. He learned it from Lex Luthor himself or from one of his journals.

6.) Most of the Superman scenes were re-shot as evidenced by those ugly upper lip.

7.) We were supposed to get a cameo of Darkseid. And he had an important role in the movie
      although brief.

8.) There was more Cyborg in Justice League, especially his back story. His narrative was actually
      supposed to be prominent in the movie, notably his connections to the mother boxes.

9.)  There was also more Flash in the movie, and a cameo of Iris West.

10.) Aquaman's backstory is also explored and the ending of Aquaman's story in Justice League
       leads up to his solo movie.

Those are 10 of the most important details. The succeeding write up below will dwell on the whole narrative of what Snyder's Justice League Cut will tell or what it would lead to.


The Snyder Cut Justice League Narrative

• Justice League was originally planned as a trilogy with the first Justice League movie setting the tone for the future movies where they intend to tie up the loose ends that was first presented in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice specifically the Knightmare scene.

• The first movie would not differ much from what Joss Whedon was able to come up with, but it would expand on the arrival of Darkseid which would set the Justice League to battle Darkseid in Justice League Part 2.

• Due to Warner Bros. meddling, the trilogy would be watered down into a duology, with Justice League Part 2 tying up the Knightmare scene when the Justice League lost to Darkseid, eventually realizing the foreboding Knightmare that Batman dreamed of way back in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.

• Steppenwolf would still be the same villain and utilized as is, he was the advance scout for Darkseid which would pave the way for the Justice League to seek out Darkseid (with the possible help of the Green Lantern Corps.) but would be unsuccessful in their battle. Devastating the Earth when Darkseid arrives with his Anti-Life Equation.                                             
• General Swanwick would be revealed as the Martian Manhunter. And the Martha that Lois  spoke with while she was having a coffee break was actually the Martian Manhunter. Though if he had a bigger role in the movie remains a mystery. Ryan Choi a.k.a The Atom also has an appearance.

• Superman's role in Justice League is expanded compared to what Whedon did. Superman upon his resurrection, succumbed to the Anti-Life Equation when Lois died. This would brought to light an unhinged Black Suited Superman siding with Steppenwolf as he fought against the Justice League. Now whether Snyder would push through with Lois' death, the Knightmare scene will still eventually play out. But Flash telling Batman that Lois is the key in BVS:DoJ certainly has an effect on Superman's role in the fight against Darkseid and the evil forces of Apokolips.

• There will be time travel elements (similar to Avengers: Endgame but remember these plans came out first before Avengers: Endgame even hit the screens) where Batman (as suggested by Flash that Lois is the key) sends Flash back in time to save Lois, freeing Superman from the influences of the Anti-Life equation. Superman upon waking up from the Anti-Life Equation would have a more expanded battle against Steppenwolf than what was seen in Whedon's version. 

• Batman would eventually die (possibly in Justice League 2) as he goes on a suicide mission, sacrificing himself in order for the league to beat Darkseid. Batman was also intended to have a more expanded search for the Justice League members as compared to the condensed one that Whedon gave us. So Batman's role as a Dark Avenging crusader in BVS to the most human of all the Justice League would come into full circle, defining his humanity and the redemptive qualities that a former violent killing machine deserves. And yes, there was supposed to be a Bad-Ass Batman scene where he took hold of a giant Parademon gun.

• As an icing to the cake, Lois (who has been pregnant in the JL2) conceives a baby boy and names him Bruce, in honor of Batman who sacrificed himself saving Lois from Darkseid.

How will it affect the existing DCEU

Ever since the failure of Whedon's Justice League, the DCEU has been experiencing a mix bag of success and failure in their DC Universe movies. For the most part, movies that featured casts from the Justice League movie and Snyder's DCEU as a whole (Aquaman and to some degree Shazam and Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey) tried to deviate and distance themselves from Snyder's DCEU, but it cannot be denied that some story threads were still quite attached to the old DCEU. And with WB stating that they are ready to do stand alone stories not connected to a larger narrative, like Joker and Robert Pattinson's Batman, I think furthering Snyder's DCEU won't be hard to do if the Snyder Cut proves to be a runaway success for critics and fans alike. But again first things first. We will have to see if Snyder's version proves to be the superior one compared to what was released on theaters. And I have no doubt that it would be. The world will be waiting for HBO Max come 2021.

Sources:

https://screenrant.com/justice-league-2-zack-snyder-darkseid-final-crisis/

https://screenrant.com/justice-league-2-zack-snyder-canceled-plot-details/

https://screenrant.com/zack-snyder-justice-league-2-crosses-deaths/

https://screenrant.com/justice-league-2-zack-snyder-canceled-plot-details/

https://screenrant.com/zack-snyder-dceu-plan-superman-justice-league-trilogy/

http://collider.com/zack-snyder-justice-league-original-version/#images

https://screenrant.com/superman-justice-league-zack-snyder-cut-role-changes-explained/

https://screenrant.com/justice-league-snyder-cut-three-script-versions-explained/

https://screenrant.com/zack-snyder-superman-original-plan-justice-league-details/

https://screenrant.com/zack-snyder-dceu-batman-death-confirmed/

https://screenrant.com/zack-snyder-cut-justice-league-changes/

https://screenrant.com/zack-snyder-cut-justice-league-darkseid-original-character-arc-revealed/

https://screenrant.com/zack-snyder-justice-league-ending-darkseid/

https://screenrant.com/zack-snyder-kevin-smith-justice-league-triligy-plans-truth/

https://screenrant.com/zack-snyder-justice-league-dceu-plan-puzzle-symbols/

https://screenrant.com/justice-league-apokolips-pilot-concept-art/

https://screenrant.com/justice-league-snyder-cut-three-script-versions-explained/

https://screenrant.com/dceu-movie-timeline/

Joker and Harley Quinn: and the Emancipation of Warner/DC

I just realized I wasn't able to post a review of the controversial Joker Movie. I haven't missed out posting reviews and comments on latest releases of DCEU movies and somehow Joker slipped out of my mind. Or was it because the movie was too jarring to me and left me speechless? This is not a late attempt of a review of that movie though. The last two Warner/DC movies released in the big screen were headlined by two of DC's more popular villains. And the audacity of Warner/DC to do that in the age of super HERO movies seemed like a big middle finger to the superhero movie genre. After the failure of Justice League, and the "marvelized"(general audience friendly) attempt of Aquaman and Shazam, Warner/DC turned the world of comic book movies upside down by releasing a very controversial movie about Batman's prime nemesis JOKER. And despite the director, Todd Philips, insistence that this isn't a comic book movie, JOKER was in every bit a comic book movie as evidenced by a litany of references to Batman's comic book lore. Joker was critically acclaimed and even romped off to 11 Oscar Awards nomination, a clear cut evidence that critics and audiences can take comic book movies seriously too. When I saw Aquaman and Shazam, I though that Warner/DC would be going soft on their stand in releasing "Dark" and "Serious" superhero movies after the failure of Snyder's "Dark" and "Serious" DCEU, but JOKER is clearly not a double down on "Dark" and "Serious". And like what I have said before and clearly what Warner/DC should have done in the first place, their superhero movies should have been based on the characteristics of the character more than what the general audience would want. And if JOKER has proved anything to Warner/DC, it is that "marvelized" is not always the ONLY WAY to make a successful/profitable comic book movie. Heck JOKER raked in BILLIONS of DOLLARS with little budget allotted ($62.5M), making it the MOST PROFITABLE comic book movie ever made! Picture this, CONTROVERSIAL, VIOLENT, CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, and most of all HIGHLY PROFITABLE! And all of that despite getting an R-18 tag and not released in big market China, lessening their chances of raking in more money. I don't know if anyone would have thought in a million years that you could line up all those adjectives on a movie inspired by the funny books/comic books.

But enough about Joker, because one gal is about to have her emancipation from Joker. While the Suicide Squad movie was a critical failure (because Warner meddled with the director's original vision mind you), Margot Robbie's take on Harley Quinn was such a bright spot that she was awarded two quasi-sequel to her adventures with the Suicide Squad. She'll be returning in Suicide Squad 2 and she was just featured via the recently released Birds of Prey movie. And Birds of Prey (and the fantabulous emancipation of one Harley Quinn) is one Warner/DC movie that exactly goes the opposite direction from the Joker movie. And I can't help but smile about the clever parallelism of both movies' tone, direction, and theme to each other with regards to the word emancipation. To elaborate, while Joker is everything a comic book movie should not be, Birds of Prey goes the exact opposite direction by embracing all what a comic book movie should be. It is like, Birds of Prey does a complete emancipation from the last Warner/DC movie and a hard swerve to the opposite direction seemed to knock my head off from this new found film viewing experience of watching Warner/DC movies. Joker and Harley Quinn, inseparable, both tightly connected from the beginning of Harley Quinn's birth. But this emancipation has given Harley a new found freedom and a new lease on her comic book and movie life. Though no connection with the aforementioned Joker movie, Birds of Prey also gave us a glimpse of Joker (the version that Jared Leto played in Suicide Squad). In a symbolic way, the Birds of Prey movie is an emancipation of the tone of the Joker movie in the same way Harley Quinn has finally emancipated from her lovely puddin, Joker.

Birds of Prey is a perfect example of how Warner/DC should be approaching their movies. While the Joker movie was unnerving and too dark and violent, Birds of Prey (BOP) is the exact opposite. In all honesty I found BOP dull, brainless, and too simplistic for my own taste but it was very very FUN to watch! In fact you don't need to bring your brain along with you to enjoy the movie. The plot is too simplistic but you don't need it to appreciate this movie. BOP still had its violent content (as evidenced by the R-16 rating) and the movie seems to be one of the examples of glamorized violence that the Joker director sought to de-glamorize by showing us a very disturbing face of what real violence is via the Joker movie. In fact, BOP is everything that acclaimed director and Joker producer Martin Scorsese despised in comic book movies, one he labels as not real cinema but Popcorn theme parks entertainment. And BOP is not ashamed of that, in fact, it embraces everything about it. And this proves to be the reason why it is a hit with the general audiences. The bombastic cinematography and eye catching colors is everything the Joker movie is not. And Warner/DC is not afraid or conscious enough with regards to audience's acceptance to approve this audacious movie. And this is great! Because after all the failures and missteps in their quest to rival Marvel's cinematic success, Warner/DC has finally found the right formula in making their movies more successful to critics and audiences. And I laud Warner/DC for always pushing the envelope despite the risks (calculated risks at that because again BOP is a low budget comic book movie that could "potentially" rake in huge profits). Honestly, without Warner/DC gambling on Wonder Woman as a female led comic book movie, Marvel wouldn't have pulled the trigger on Captain Marvel and the solo Black Widow movie. This time, Warner/DC has even more empowered the Women audiences by giving them the first all-female comic book movie team up via BOP. And this gamble is already paying off when you look at the critics and audiences' response to the movie. Move over Power Puff Girls, this is what real Girl Power is like!     

I've heard qualms from comic book fans that BOP strayed away from the source material too much, especially when it comes to the character of Cassandra Cain. In the comic books, Cassandra was a mute assassin that possessed highly dangerous fighting skills who eventually donned the Batgirl costume. In the movie, she was every bit the opposite. There are also those who are complaining why Barbara Gordon (Batgirl/Oracle) wasn't a part of the movie when in fact she was an instrumental part of the Birds of Prey comic books. But it didn't bother me that much because I have learned to separate the movie universes from the comic book universe. Though I do understand the need to do fan service, but if I want to enjoy the characters that I've read, then there's no other way to enjoy them but from the books that I read. This is another example of Warner/DC emancipating themselves from traditional comic book movie that needs to do the required fan service. Harley Quinn after all wasn't birthed from the comic books, but from the Batman animated series. But yes, as comic book fans, we do enjoy the fan service and seeing our heroes on the big screen exactly do feats and stories lifted directly from the comic books. But Warner/DC has fully emancipated themselves from the idea that there is only the "Marvel" way when it comes to comic book movies. Marvel's offerings is always conscious and leaned more to a General Patronage rating, the same cannot be said for Warner/DC's last two films. Even the light hearted Shazam and Aquaman had little sprinkles of "Darkness" within them. And I like it that way, because it gives Warner/DC their own identity. That said, I can't wait for WW84, the Wonder Woman sequel. From the looks of the trailer, this feels like a Marvel movie more than a Warner/DC movie. And for the first time, I could confidently say IT IS OKAY! Because I know for every Wonder Woman, there's a Joker movie that Warner/DC is ready to unleash!


UPDATE!
Box Office numbers has already been released for the first weekend of showing and the movie has not met expectations. A lot of people are saying that this could mean big trouble for the movie. In fact, theaters across the United States are renaming the film in their marketing collateral to Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey. Is this a case of bad marketing on the part of WB/DC by not making Harley Quinn's name front and center in the title? Or is this because of the Coronavirus that some people are staying away from the theaters and crowded areas? Or is this a case of the R rating that Parents could not bring their kids along to see the movie and are not willing to spend on an R Rated film that is lacking in form and substance when compared to JOKER. Whatever the case, it is too bad that a WB/DC movie that is well loved by critics would be missed out by the audience. Then again the modest budget might save this film from being a complete disaster. I'd probably post another article after the theater run to tackle on the possible issues why the film felt like a downer to some audiences.   

In honor of Kobe "Bean" Bryant

Everything is still surreal. I am still in shock! Kobe Bean Bryant, 41 years of age, too young and still have a lot of things to accomplish, died on a helicopter crash along with his daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant on the morning of January 26, 2020. I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that Kobe had already left us. Though I am not that big of a fan of Kobe, but I truly respected and admired the man who he came to be, and the career that he had in the NBA. At first, I didn't really like Kobe. For me he was a showboat and often times I sided with Shaquille O' Neal in their feud. This could probably be rooted by the fact that I was a huge Michael Jordan fan, and I was that kind of fan who will always protect his legacy and standing in the NBA as the Greatest Of All Time. I don't know why I'm so affected by his death. I followed Jordan mostly during his second three peat championship run as I was too young to understand basketball in his first three peat championship run. But I was a witness to Kobe's NBA Journey. Kobe, made me insecure of Jordan's accomplishments. He was someone who was a pale imitation of Jordan. Here was a young kid who became a three time champion, riding and eventually overcoming the coattails of Shaq, pushing Shaq away and trying to take ownership of the team that Shaq was carrying to multiple championships. When Kobe was embroiled in that "controversial" sexual assault case, I began to further despise the kid. I laughed when his Lakers team languished in the standing and kept on losing. I said then, this Kid will probably be stucked with three championships and forever be attached to the greatness of Shaq who again delivered Miami's first Championship. That consecutive unsuccessful seasons probably lit something in Kobe. And the Black Mamba was born.

For me, to achieve greatness, one must experience great failure. Jordan's multiple playoff losses to the Detroit Pistons was what made his legend grew. The obstacle that he had to overcome to achieve greatness, the Pistons provided it. Those losses made him work harder. And when his hard work paid off, he became invincible. That Invincibility gave him Six championships in eight years. I probably misunderstood Kobe's move to push Shaq away from the Lakers. But as the Kid matured, and as he began to explain the " Mamba Mentality", I began to understood what it meant to be Kobe Bryant. Kobe, could've chosen to rode on the coattails of Shaq and probably won 3 more championships to equal Jordan. But for him, this was the comfort zone that he needed to break. Mamba Mentality is about going out of your "comfort" zone and challenge yourself. He needed to break away from Shaq, either Shaq leaves, or he leaves, he made Dr. Jerry Buss (Lakers owner) choose between them. He wanted that challenge, he embraced that challenge. Mamba Mentality is about pushing yourself to the limits. When he went solo and tried to will the Lakers to another championship, he pushed himself to the breaking point. Pushed his teammates to the breaking point. And the hard work eventually paid off when he won another two championships with the right team behind him. I rooted for Kobe to get those championships because after the fall (and multiple unsuccessful seasons), he began to truly deserve it. When he tore his achilles heel, he defiantly strode to the free throw line and shoot his free throws, perhaps as his personal answer that this injury will not reduce him to being carried off the court. With the Mamba Mentality, he was too proud to be defeated. And even down to the very last game of his NBA career, he went with guns ablazing, scoring 60 points and willed his Lakers team to win a meaningless game (they were already out of the playoffs contention). This was Kobe in a nutshell. Defiant down to the very end, a killer who will take down every challenge along his way.

Most superstars leave the game broke, grasping for the life that comes after basketball, but not Kobe. In fact, his academy award winning animated short Dear Basketball is one achievement that no other athlete has probably done. This plus a multitude of Business ventures that would amount to hundreds of millions of dollars proves that Kobe is not a one trick pony. Mamba Mentality was not limited to the Basketball court. Mamba Mentality has become a way of life for Kobe. And this is something that his fans should remember about Kobe more than anything. In the same way that the philosophy of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do is being espoused by his students and his fans, I believe Mamba Mentality is one that is worth most preserving in the whole breadth of Kobe's legacy to his multitudes of fans. If one considers himself a Kobe fan, then I guess the only way to honor Kobe is by embracing his Mamba Mentality. I hope his wife Vanessa could preserve this, if not one of his fans could make Mamba Mentality a movement, a way of life for the generations to come. Kobe can be larger than life itself, and he can even conquer Death itself if we can help realize the Mamba Mentality as a movement even more than basketball. 

I grieve of the man now not because of his Basketball prowess. I grieve of the man now because this man is now a Father. A Father who has totally devoted his retirement to his family. The relentless Kobe that we saw on the basketball court, is the same relentless Kobe that we saw around his family. Jordan maybe a basketball god, but Kobe beats him as a family man. I find it such a waste that for Kobe, family life began after his retirement. For the whole of his career, he had devoted his life to Basketball, calling it his Muse, not wasting a single second to achieve and give to the sport that he loves so much. He knows that he couldn't go on forever on the court, and his retirement has bought him precious time to be with his family, to be a dotting hands on Dad to his kids. He gave his most precious time to his family, even exclaiming in one of his interviews that he couldn't even watch Lakers game nowadays because he was too busy catching up with precious family time that he sacrificed for the most of his career. In fact he devotes his time to Gigi, the daughter that he was with on that fateful helicopter ride. His daughter that seems to be following the footsteps of his dad. Oh he was so proud of Gigi. And I could not imagine the scenario and the feeling Kobe had on that fateful day. I just couldn't. 

If in Basketball parlance Jordan was the Basketball god, Kobe was us, plain mortal beings who pushed himself to the limits to achieve the higher plane above other mortals, short of being a god, but ultimately up there but very relatable. Kobe wasn't gifted the NBA. He had to work for it. Thru Mamba Mentality he was able achieve his wildest dreams in his NBA career. I still mourn today for the loss of a great man. Hopefully despite not being a superfan of his, I could honor him by adopting the Mamba Mentality. Rest in Peace Kobe, Mamba Out!   

Crisis on Infinite Earths Review

So the mother lode of all Television Crossovers has finally come to pass. And what a treat for DC and ARROWVERSE fans, to finally get to see all of their beloved live (and animated?) action DC Universe TV (and Movies?) superheroes together in a Five hour epic on the small screen worthy for a big screen release.  While I have to admit that I never really faithfully followed all of the Arrowverse TV series, I never missed any of the annual crossover events since Invasion. And CRISIS on Infinite Earths is definitely one that I wouldn’t miss. CRISIS on Infinite Earths (COIE) was the ARROWVERSE’s producers’ attempt to adapt a highly successful Comic Book mega event that totally reshaped the world of DC Comics for the Modern Age of comics. And I could say it was indeed a very ambitious attempt to do that given that the producers will have to work around on a limited budget that is fit for the small screen. But despite what limited budget that they have, I could fairly say that their attempt was not bad at all. In fact, it totally exceeded my expectations for a TV crossover event. Though I wouldn’t exactly say it was perfect (because I feel as a Superman fan, Brandon Routh’s Superman was underused), but it was pretty damned near perfect especially when that cameo in episode four happened. So I will be breaking down my thoughts below on a per episode basis, and will cap it off with my final thoughts as a Superman fan.

Episode 1: Supergirl

The first episode of the crossover packed so many Easter Eggs as the producers quickly caught the attention of longtime DC Superheroes TV and movie fans by referencing multiple Earths destroyed by the Anti-Matter wave as inhabited by the 1989 Michael Keaton Batman, the campy Batman and Robin Earth of Adam West and Burt Ward, the Earth of the recently released Titans TV series, the Earth X of the Nazi Supergirl the Arrowverse crossover from two years ago, plus the Earth of Supergirl (which is a different Earth from that of Arrow and the Flash). And since this is a Supergirl episode, we get to have Superman and Lois plus their baby having prominent roles in this episode. Lois even had to team up with Canary and Brainiac to visit an alternate future where the Green Arrow operated by his lonesome. This episode established the heroes’ futile attempt to save Supergirl’s Earth, and at the cost of the Green Arrow’s life. For me, Episode 1 felt like your traditional annual Arrowverse crossover but packed in one Episode. It was an epic moment to see the Superheroes making their last stand on Supergirl’s Earth. The episode succeeded in making us fans ask for more as we are treated to an opening bang of an episode filled with great action and character moments. The Death of Green Arrow in just the first episode of the crossover was shocking.

Episode 2: Batwoman

The funny thing about episode two is that while this is a Batwoman episode, Superman was being prominently featured in this episode. I actually thought that Brandon Routh’s Kingdom Come Superman and Tom Welling’s Smallville would be featured in the Supergirl episode, but both of these come backing Supermen were the highlight of this episode. Even the scene stealing Kevin Conroy (the voice of the Batman animated series) as a depressed, hopeless, and a dark take of Bruce Wayne could not totally shift the focus of this episode in favor of the Batman family because Conroy’s Batman eventually became the villain in the decades old Batman v.s. Superman debate by killing his Earth’s Superman. The epic Superman v.s. Superman showdown of Tyler Hoechlin and Brandon Routh’s Supermen is probably the best sequence in this entire crossover for Superman fans like me. And if you are a longtime Smallville fan, then the poignant Tom Welling’s depowered Clark Kent smacking an annoying Lex Luthor of Supergirl’s Earth with a single depowered punch should serve as a very satisfying ending to a version of Superman who for all his existence yearned to be just being normal. And that Brandon Routh Clark Kent and Brandon Routh Ray Palmer meeting? That was just so priceless. The episode also revealed to us four of the Paragons, namely, Supergirl the Paragon of Hope, Superman the Paragon of Truth, White Canary the Paragon of Destiny, and Batwoman (in lieu of Batman) the Paragon of Courage, who shall serve as the best chance in stopping the Anti-Monitor’s plan to erase all of existence. And oh, the Anti-Monitor is finally shown in all its full glory when he revealed himself to Harbinger. I personally pick Episode 2 as the best of all the episodes, and it is quite obvious why. The only thing that’s keeping me from giving it a perfect score is the absence of Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. They would have been the perfect choice for that Earth-75 Newsflash where Lex manages to kill that Earth’s Superman, and recreating a panel from the comic book where Lois is crying over a dead Superman.   

Episode 3: The Flash

Too much awesome scenes in the previous two episodes that I easily forgot Oliver Queen A.K.A The Green Arrow. Amidst all of those universe shattering, Oliver Queen is resurrected via the Lazarus Pit, this time with an appearance of Jonah Hex as the Pit’s watchman. Though the body is resurrected, Queen’s soul was nowhere to be found. Constantine, Mia, and Diggle seeks the help of Lucifer in trying to find a way to regain Queen’s soul. Which, they could possibly find in the purgatory.  But this is a Flash episode so naturally this is going to give focus on the Flash. This episode finally wrapped up the adventures of the 90’s TV series Flash of John Wesley Shipp in a short but sweet moment. Like in the comic books, a Flash would die in this CRISIS, and it was long been prophesied since the first episode of The Arrowverse Flash that he would die in a CRISIS. But the 90’s Flash took his place, sacrificing his life to destroy the cosmic treadmill that was powering the Anti-Matter cannon. This episode also formally brought Black Lightning to the Arrowverse when his Earth was destroyed by the Anti-Matter wave. We are also treated to a short inspiring speech by Brandon Routh’s Superman, though the adventures done by him and the other heroes happened off-screen. The opening scene of this Episode also brought back the short lived 2000s Birds of Prey T.V. series as headlined by Ashley Scott as the Huntress, as one of the Earths destroyed. The final three Paragons are also revealed in this episode namely, Martian Manhunter as the Paragon of Honor, Ryan Choi as the Paragon of Humanity, and The Flash as the Paragon of Love. When Pariah transported the seven Paragons to the Vanishing Point amidst the destruction of their Earth and the entire heroes with it, I was giddy and excited that Brandon Routh’s Superman would be a part of the Seven Paragons who would make the last stand against the Anti-Monitor. But alas, not all good things would last as the treacherous Lex Luthor erases Superman from existence and put himself in place by putting his name on the book of destiny. I was left disappointed as the Christmas Holiday break came. I was hoping Routh’s Superman would have a bigger role to play in this crossover. But I was still hoping he’d come back by the fourth and fifth episode come New Year 2020.

Episode 4: Arrow

The long holiday break kind of slowed down the hype of this crossover and slowly lost its luster. The cliffhanger for Episode 3 provided a very intriguing ending, and Episode four finally told the tale of Mar Novu, The Monitor, and how the Anti-Monitor came to existence. If it took us almost a month to wait for the next episode to come, the heroes’ even took a longer month to be stranded in the vanishing point. The fates would somehow change however when Oliver Queen met Jim Corrigan in the Purgatory. Corrigan, the former vessel of the spiritual being the Spectre, transfers his powers to Oliver Queen, transforming him to become the new Spectre. Oliver with his new powers saves the superheroes from the Vanishing Point, setting up the final showdown with the Monitor at the dawn of time. I think the Episode was saved by the surprise appearance of the DCEU’s Flash. Ezra Miller’s top secret appearance proved to be the highlight of this whole crossover as the TV Universe finally found a way to interact with Zack Snyder’s DCEU movie universe. I didn’t quite enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed Episode 2 and 3. Maybe it’s because Brandon Routh’s Superman never came back to reclaim his place as the Paragon of Truth.  And also, being just a T.V. series, of course it is too much to ask for an Epic final battle that could rival a big screen Superhero movie. But for its standard as a T.V. series episode, the quality of the final battle is still epic in its own way considering the monetary budget concerns.

Episode 5: DC Legends of Tomorrow

So while the heroes won their battle in the dawn of time, it cost them the life of Oliver Queen. The sacrifice of Oliver Queen’s life to restore what is left of the universe showed us the merging of the Arrowverse worlds. Supergirl, The Flash, DC Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, Black Lightning, and Batwoman now shares the same universe. And though the heroes thought that their fight is over, the Anti-Monitor struck again to make his final stand. But the united heroes of Earth Prime were just too strong for the Anti-Monitor to beat. And the aftermath of the battle would birth the Arrowverse’s version of the Justice League (or is it the Superfriends?) in honor of The Green Arrow. Superman, Supergirl, Flash, White Canary, Black Lightning, Batwoman, Martian Manhunter, and Black Lightning is Arrowverse’s big seven. And as a final gift to the DC Comics Live Action Universe fans, we are given a glimpse of the old and new worlds that lived and restored by Oliver’s Death. Namely, the upcoming adventures of Earth 2 Stargirl and the Justice Society of America, Earth 12 the Green Lantern Universe, Earth 19 from the short lived Swamp Thing series, Earth 9 Titans which was restored after being wiped out by the Anti-Matter wave in Episode 1, Earth 21 from the surprisingly successful Doom Patrol TV series, and Earth 96 Brandon Routh Superman which paid homage to the Christopher Reeve movies by reenacting its flying on the Earth’s orbit scene. This particular scene means that Routh’s Superman has finally found his happy ending, with his S Shield restored to its traditional colors in lieu of the Red Black Kingdom Come S Shield. The Reeve/Routh Superman has finally bowed out from the audiences. A fitting scene that reminds us of the Superman movie of both actors.

Final Thoughts:

Overall I think the COIE crossover was a success. It was truly a great fan service to all the fans who love the various DC Universe iterations in both live action and animated form. As a Superman fan, I found the Superman scenes very good, too good in fact to leave me wanting for more. Of course Dean Cain’s appearance would have made everything perfect, but it is not that huge of an issue for me. Also in the midst of the crossover, it was announced that CW has given a go signal for Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman to have his own TV series. This is not a good sign for Henry Cavill fans as this probably means that we won’t be getting any Superman in the big screen. Will Hoechlin’s version do? Well I would have preferred if they instead gave the show to Brandon Routh’s version of Superman. After all, Routh has not been renewed as the Atom in the DC Legends of Tomorrow series. And with the kind of ending his Superman was given in the crossover, for sure there definitely are more stories to tell. But then again I guess one has to move on from a certain iteration of the character if indeed as a fan we want these characters to expand and be more relevant to the times. If I can’t move on from the Brandon/Chris Reeve Superman, then I’m no different from those who didn’t like Henry Cavill’s take on the Man of Steel. But will Hoechlin do? His Superman had always taken a backseat to Melissa Benoist’s Supergirl because it is Supergirl’s show. Now that he has been given his own series, will Hoechlin step up to the plate? Only time will tell.    

The New Maven Collectibles TITAN Blank Body is now available at Kickstarter!

Fresh off the heels of the success of their female blank bodies, MAVEN Collectibles returns with a monstrous offering. The 1:12th Scale TITAN action figure blank body that will surely knock you off your socks. After seeing the prototype figure in the video of their Kickstarter page, I'm shocked to see that MAVEN collectibles is going BIG time, with a special emphasis on BIG for their next offering. This time, enhanced by their new President and Sculptor Victor Hugo Sousa (does that name ring a bell?), these TITAN blank bodies features highly detailed sculpts and articulations that makes these babies look menacing in every pose.

There's going to be a lot of potential for these TITAN blank bodies for customizers to play with. And right now, I could pretty much name two characters that could be perfect subjects for these TITAN blank bodies. In the video, these TITAN blank bodies features over 30 points of articulation and also features Highly Articulated hands and fingers that reminds us of the old TOYBIZ Marvel Legends days. MAVEN Collectibles, in every offering, just keeps getting better and better!

You can check out their Kickstarter page for more infos about this product, as well as by backing this project by placing your orders in the link below:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mavencollectibles/1-12th-scale-titan-body-9-inch-action-figure-blank/

You can also check my review of the Female Blank Bodies if you want to get to know more about their previous product in this link:

https://actionfigureplanet.blogspot.com/2019/07/maven-collectibles-blank-body-review.html

And oh, about that guy? Their new President and Lead Sculptor Victor Hugo Sousa? Well apart from his works with XM Studios, Iron Studios, and Kotobukiya Studios, well he was the one responsible for this......

Visit https://mavencollectibles.com/ to get up to date infos and details of all their offerings.

The Return of Superman Returns (Part 1 of a 2 Part Series)

With the recent news about the recasting of Brandon Routh as (Kingdom Come) Superman in the highly successful DC TV Universe, I thought of digging out an old article I found in the net about the rumored sequel to Superman Returns. Though Superman Returns enjoyed mild success, it never was given a chance to push the story forward when Warner Bros. decided to pull the plug and rebooted Superman. The resulting reboot was the Zack Snyder film Man of Steel headlined by Henry Cavill as Superman. But the totally messed up Justice League movie has forced WB to totally abandon Snyder's vision for their DC Extended Universe, in effect, putting Cavill in limbo. Now, we are left with one Live Action Superman in the form of Tyler Hoechlin, who plays Superman in the Supergirl TV Series, which is a part of the DC TV Universe (or Arrowverse to be correct).While Hoechlin played a decent Superman, it cannot be denied that by the turn of the Millennium, the three most popular live action Superman came down to Routh, Cavill, and Tom Welling. While Arrowverse fans were rooting for Tom Welling to don the Superman costume (which he disappointedly never did during his 10 season run as Clark Kent in the Smallville TV Series), it was Routh who was given the opportunity to revisit the character that made him a household name. This two part entry will focus on Brandon Routh as Superman, and what we could probably expect for his upcoming role as the Kingdom Come Superman. But before that, let us look back and try to breakdown the Superman Returns sequel that never was. I dug back and scoured the net for that long lost rumored synopsis of the sequel and found them at a now defunct webpage. Below is the long lost "rumored synopsis" to the sequel of Superman Returns.

Visit DC Universe Philippines on Facebook, the Philippines best source for DC Universe related news and stuffs 

Probably one of the best scenes of Superman Returns

DISCLAIMER: Synopsis text not mine, this was taken entirely from the defunct IESB.NET page

Superman: The Man of Steel

Superman: The Man of Steel started just a few years after the incidents that we saw in Superman Returns. Kal-El is doing what Superman does best, Lois Lane is raising her kid Jason, who of course is Superman's child and the world is getting use to having Superman back.

Now there are storyline threads that go back to Superman Returns, one is the on going plot of Superman's original reason of going back to Krypton. He has always wondered if he truly is the last Son of Krypton.

Remember new Krypton that Lex created with crystals he stole from the Fortress of Solitude and Kryptonite that Supes launched into to space that nearly killed him?

Superman visits and inspects New Krypton, the island created by Lex Luthor which Superman launched into space

So new Krypton continues to grow in space and has become an almost perfect sphere. It is now the size of a small moon.

Besides giving Humans something to admire at night, Earth's new satellite has also brought some unexpected attention from a galaxy far, far away.

A massive spaceship arrives Earth's orbit, Superman flies up to meet the spacecraft and we are introduced to our out of this world visitor.

Superman quickly finds out that our visitor is also a Kryptonian survivor who has been traveling the known galaxies and was able to detect Kryptonian technology thanks to our new green/black satellite that has started to orbit the Earth.

Superman and his Kryptonian Buddy?

Superman finally has found a Kryptonian buddy and starts showing him around the planet, a planet full of problems, disease, famine, crime and nations at war with each other.

Our new Kryptonian friend asks Superman why, with all his power, is he not changing the world for the better. Why is he not getting rid of famine, disease and war? Of course fans know that Superman has always been told, or better said instructed, not to interfere with Earth's development.

Superman explains that he is not allowed to interfere but his Krypto buddy tells him that with their powers they are required to "interfere," Superman disagrees.

Krypto buddy decides to take charge and starts "interfering" from day one. One of the first things that he does is get involved in a political mess that is heating up between two third world nations.

War breaks out between these two nations but before any real battle breaks, our Krypto buddy interferes and lays waste to these two Armies.

He declares to the world that he will not allow anymore wars and/or the destruction of our planet. He is declaring a "War Free" planet and for those who disagree, he will have to deal with them.

No more war? Superman aides his Kryptonian buddy to stop the war

The major nations of the planet applaud his actions and all agree to an immediate worldwide peace. In return he promises to share technology, fight hunger, famine and disease.

The population of the world rejoices and any small pockets of resistance is quickly squashed by Krypto buddy or even the world governments.

Superman has now become a pariah, the way the world sees it, he has been here for years and had kept technology that could have saved many of the worlds problems.


Superman starts getting a bit suspicious of Krypto buddy and decides to go talk to him. He goes to his spaceship and has a revelation. This massive ship is full of hundreds if not thousands of identical bodies aboard, yep, clones of Krypto buddy, in stasis.

Kryptonian buddy no more, BRAINIAC is revealed! 

So Superman digs a bit more inside the "computer" system, which is familiar to him since it's Kryptonian technology just like the Fortress of Solitude.

Superman finds out that Krypto buddy is actually an artificial intelligence from Krypton that has evolved since the destruction of their world.

He escaped Krypton just like Kal-El did and his real name is Brainiac. He has been going from planet to planet, taking their technology, helping these worlds reach a relative perfection and then he destroys them and moves on.

Superman also finds out that he was actually responsible for the destruction of Krypton and tries to warn the leaders of the world but is confronted by Brainiac. A massive battle ensues and Superman is about to defeat his foe but right just before, Brainiac downloads his conscience into one of his other clones.

Jason White runs for his life as BRAINIAC tries to capture him

Superman realizes that he must destroy this massive ship along with all the clones aboard. After another massive battle he is able to disable the ship, destroy the clones and the new Brainiac but right before the ship is destroyed the Brainiac main frame does a local search for another body that he could download in to, it has to be Kryptonian, and he finds another one on Earth, Superman's kid Jason White.


So Brainiac uses Kryptonian technology and beams/download itself into Jason's body and this causes causes him to age and grow into a full adult but with Brainiac in complete control.

Superman realizes what just happened and rushes to confront his very own son who is now possessed by Brainiac.

Is Jason still there or is it all Brainiac? It's all Brainiac and Superman knows what he has to do, he must defeat Brainiac at all costs or the planet and its inhabitants will be doomed.

Can Superman save both his son and his adopted planet Earth?

It's a battle between two gods but Superman has already been run ragged and beat down pretty bad in his previous battles of the day. Brainiac has the upper hand and Superman is trying to not to do any permanent damage to Jason's body.

Every time Brainiac is defeated in the past he simply tries to download to another clone and leaves that body completely brain dead but with no other bodies left, will Jason survive? The answer is no.

There is a Christ like metaphor here. Superman has to sacrifice his own son to save humanity.

There are still plenty of holes left in this story, we were not privy to all the details but this is the bulk of the info we received.

While the Bryan Singer sequel was axed, it didn't stop Mattel from releasing a Toyline based on the Sequel as shown here. 

So what do you guys think? Could the planned sequel for Superman Returns would have worked? Remember, Bryan Singer's take on the first X-Men film was a slow build up, as he first tried to establish the status quo of the X-Men. But his sequel, X-Men 2, totally blew everyone away as the high adrenaline action packed sequences and tight plot delivered what I believe is arguably the best Live Action X-Men movie to date! Now basing on the rumored synopsis, the Death of Superman's son is a perfect lead up to how Routh's Superman became the Kingdom Come version. I will be writing my thoughts on the connection to this sequel and the Arrowverse Kingdom Come Superman in part two of this article in my next entry. Hold on. The fun is just getting started!

Superman Returns: A Retrospective

Whether we accept it or not, there are a lot of Critics and Superman Fans who are still hung over from Christopher Reeve's take on Superman. Don't get me wrong, it is a great Superman movie, perhaps even the greatest, but that Superman Classic looks so outdated now by current standards. Singer's Superman Returns was exactly an attempt to hold on to that nostalgia while trying to push the Superman story in the big screen forward. In fact, most critics love Superman Returns more than Man of Steel. And many Superman fans are still pinning on the good old days of the joyful, charming, and brighter Superman as portrayed by Reeve. Nothing wrong with that really. But Warner Brother's meddling and lack of patience has continually hi-jacked any efforts to put Superman back in the big screen as a respectable figure. If they would have been patient enough with Singer, maybe the sequel to Superman Returns would have been bigger and more exciting after establishing the status quo of the present Superman via Superman Returns. If one could remember, Singer's first X-Men wasn't that much of a big movie, but it laid down the groundwork for the sequel X-Men 2 to be a bigger and more exciting movie.

Brandon Routh as Superman

Before the Snyderverse these were who WB was banking on

I personally blame the success of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy for steering Superman into the "Dark, Serious, and Grounded" territory. While the Reeve and Routh Supermen were more on the wonder and the amazing, Snyder's take (with Nolan's blessing if you could remember) grounded Superman in the real world scenario of a post 911 world. I have expounded on that here. WB thought that the massive success of The Dark Knight Trilogy is something that they should build on in contrast to Marvel's more GP friendly movies. But is that really how to do Superman movies? For those who have been following my posts about the DCEU, I'm a staunch defender of Snyder's vision. I was heavily invested in what his idea was and how he would present his mythology. But the grand scale that he tried to convey with the limited screen time given to him to utilize just couldn't make his vision work. And the Josstice League mangled movie burned Snyder's vision to the ground. But if there's one thing that WB learned from this experience, it is that now they are beginning to treat their Comic Book movies in accordance to the Character's characteristics. And so far, we have Aquaman (Action-Adventure), Shazam!(Comedy-Adventure) and the upcoming Joker (Rated R) movie as our examples.

Marlon Brando and Christopher Reeve

Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor

Now as for Superman, Singer's Superman after all should have been the right treatment for Superman. Superman Returns generally retained most of the Christopher Reeve Superman's mythology as a quasi-sequel. Part action, part adventure, part romance, and part drama, it had all the elements that made the Reeve Superman a well love classic. But too much reverence and nostalgia for the past Superman film rendered the movie to a fault. The plot basically was a retread of the first Superman movie plus some extras that Singer was building on. Marlon Brando (Jor EL) made a cameo by using old footage and combining it with CGI technology. The Villain (Lex Luthor) was the same, the motivations (Real Estate) of the villain was the same, Superman's action scenes were basically the same showcase of what Superman can do. Even the Superman romance with Lois in flight was a rehash of the Superman and Lois "Can you read my mind" date. Superman drowning in the sea because of Kryptonite was also a rehash of Superman drowning in Luthor's mini-pool because of a Kryptonite necklace. In fact there were a lot more in the film that looked like a scene by scene reconstruction of the old Reeve Superman. But then, Singer's love letter to the old Christopher Reeve movie was his attempt at re-establishing the Superman mythology that most people remembered. And most of it generally worked for those who continue to love the Reeve Superman. But for the new generation of Superman fans, it felt lacking. The advent of technology should have made Superman's adventures bigger and grander. Fans were looking for a Superman that punches (in Superman Returns I don't remember Superman land a single punch, but these fans were overwhelmed by the punching that Cavill's Superman landed though).     

Only Lex Luthor did the punching and kicking

The ending shot to Superman Returns was very similar to Christopher Reeve's Superman ending shot.

Superman Returns had its share of problems. And the 5 year absence of Superman that was established after Superman 2 made him an absentee dad when it was surprisingly revealed that Superman had a son with Lois. Superman Returns wasn't really a bad movie if it was given a chance to continue its story. Singer had established some surprising plot threads that he could have used for the next movie. And in my next entry, I've managed to dig up the rumored synopsis to Singer's Superman Returns sequel.