Last year, I released the first version of what I believe to be the correct (or as correct as one can get) timeline of the X-Men Cinematic Universe, which garnered a lot of public attention, both on my website and on the few videos I published on YouTube concerning the subject. Despite the work that I’m still putting into making the X-Men Cinematic Universe understandable, I also (somewhat recently) decided to tackle an equally interesting body of work: putting together a timeline for fans confused about the events in the still forming DC Extended Universe.
If you’re one of those people trying to piece it all together through confusing lines of dialog, even more confusing quotes from directors, etc., then don’t worry, because once again, I’ve got you covered! Working off of the currently released films, viral websites, and promotional content, I’ve managed to piece together what I believe to be the (currently) correct version of the timeline. You can download a document of my version of the timeline below.
Overall, this document is big and still growing, so keep in mind that things may/will change in the future.. If you end up reading the whole thing and like it, be sure to let me know in the comments below, or with a tweet through that widget on the left. While you’re at it, like the Comic Books vs The World Facebook page, subscribe to the official YouTube and Twitch channels, and follow the official Comic Books vs The World Instagram to keep up with all the latest comic book, video game, and movie news on Comic Books vs The World.
If you saw last night’s season finale of The Flash (which you absolutely should if you haven’t already, for some reason), then you’re well aware of the insane twist ending and (possibly) what that means for the future of the show. If not, then you missed out on all the possible exciting hints towards Season 3/very interesting references/Easter eggs/major reveals, such as:
1. Flashpoint
If last night’s twist ending is any indication, Season 3 is going to be all about Flashpoint. For those of you not aware of the Flashpoint event, it covers the arc in DC comic books from 2011 when Barry Allen chooses to travel back in time and save his mother, resulting in massive levels of destruction and numerous changes to DC’s heroes and villains.
But, given that The CW is seemingly not allowed to use many of the extremely interesting characters and plot points from the original Flashpoint arc (Thomas Wayne’s Batman, the war between Aquaman and Wonder Woman, etc) what does this mean for Season 3? While I choose to believe that this event will be The CW’s way of bringing Supergirl onto Earth-1, it’s currently anyone’s guess what the TV version of Flashpoint will bring to the table.
2. The Man in the Iron Mask’s Identity
Ever since we first saw the captive man in Zoom’s lair, fans everywhere have been trying to figure out his true identity. Is it Earth-2 Henry Allen? Eddie Thawne? As it turns out, it’s actually Jay Garrick, from Earth-3. Wait, what?
According to Zoom’s story, a “Jay Garrick” never existed on Earth-2, so when he captured the aging speedster from Earth-3, he stole the Garrick name and costume idea for fun. The end of the episode revealed Jay’s appearance (turns out he’s Henry Allen’s doppelganger) and costume, where he added the newly defeated Zoom’s winged helmet to his costume. Speaking of Zoom…
3. The Black Flash
It’s been noticed for a long time now that Zoom’s costume is almost identical to that of the Black Flash, the personification of Death for Speed Force users. After the events of last night’s episode, where Barry lures the Time Wraiths to Zoom, we can finally confirm that Zoom actually is the Black Flash. Take a look at Zoom from the show, then compare him to the Black Flash from the comics below:
The Flash has often toyed with the idea of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, originally published as a DC storyline in 1985, providing numerous references to the classic story (remember the newspaper Barry, Cisco, and Catlin saw in Eobard’s/Harrison’s time vault?).
Last night’s episode also provided another look at the original DC story in the form of Barry’s death. In the episode, Barry creates a time remnant to help him battle Zoom, with one Barry fighting the villain and the other Barry stopping Zoom’s machine. During the run, he disintegrates in a manner similar to comic Barry’s death while stopping the Anti-Monitor. Go ahead and compare the scene from the clip at the beginning of this article to the original comic book scene below:
WARNING: Minor spoilers for Captain America: Civil War ahead.
Now that audiences finally got to see an amazing on-screen Black Panther, as well as a glimpse of the mysterious African nation known as Wakanda, during Captain America: Civil War, many have already begun looking ahead to the Panther’s solo film and wondering what we’ll see the king do next. Where will he go? What will he learn? More importantly (arguably), who will be T’Challa’s villain in 2018’s Black Panther? Here are my top 3 personal preferences:
1. Ulysses Klaw
We’ve already seen Klaw in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, but the way he was handled in that film perfectly sets up his role as a villain in Black Panther. In the comics, Klaw is traditionally depicted as being obsessed with vibranium and a wielder of a powerful sonic weapon, which is used to kill the former king of Wakanda, T’Chaka. While we won’t be able to see this version of the regicide in the MCU, it is still possible for Klaw to appear, due to his history with Wakanda and vibranium. The chances of him becoming a being of solid sound and speaking gibberish however, might be a bit slim.
Might have a hard time seeing this happen… Image via marvunapp.com
2. M’Baku/The Man Ape
One of the better known Black Panther villains, M’Baku is the leader of a micronation within Wakanda’s borders, whose people make up the White Gorilla Cult (effectively making them enemies of the state, since Wakanda’s only governmentally sanctioned religion is that of the Black Panther Tribe).
M’Baku is one of the many Black Panther enemies plotting to overthrow T’Challa and take over Wakanda, and with his mystically gained superhuman strength and durability, coupled with Klaw’s cunning and technology (a team up that has happened in the past), could be an interesting first movie for the Black Panther.
Out of the three characters on this list, I think N’Jadaka, also known as Killmonger, would probably the most interesting choice for a Black Panther solo film. Not only is he a deadly match, both physically and mentally, for T’Challa, but he also has experience establishing himself as ruler of Wakanda (after defeating the Black Panther in a one on one fight no less). This was also during a time when T’Challa was on one of his many Avengers missions, leaving Everett Ross (a character we’ve seen in Civil War) in charge. Rewrite the circumstances slightly, and the film about a disgraced king reclaiming his title would be another guaranteed money maker for Marvel.
Keep in mind that this list only includes villains that could be included in the first solo film. Future sequels always have the possibility of bringing in someone new, like the scorned Dora Milaje Malice, T’Challa’s older brother White Wolf, or Reverend Achebe.
Black Panther will arrive in theaters on February 16, 2018.
Ever since 2012’s lackluster Man of Steel first arrived on the scene, DC has been struggling to gain better reviews and more support from audiences and critics alike, especially now that the terribly received (but financially successful) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has hit the market. Zack Snyder, who directed both of these films, has made somewhat bizarre statements while defending his work in the past, including a claim that his version of Superman in Man of Steel was comic accurate, as well as trying to compare body counts between his film and Star Wars.
The last link is especially ironic, since many fans have compared Snyder’s Superman to a villain, while Snyder himself compares the destruction Superman caused during the fight with Zod (a fight he could have easily kept away from Metropolis, by the way) to the Empire destroying planets in Star Wars. Please keep in mind that the Empire are the bad guys in those films Mr. Snyder, they’re supposed to cause collateral damage. Heroes at least try to keep collateral damage to the barest minimum while they’re saving lives, not go and start crashing their enemies into populated areas.
While many have been struggling to figure out exactly why both of Snyder’s DC films have such dark and hopeless versions of DC’s most popular characters, an interview with the director himself from 2008 has recently resurfaced and should clear everything right up. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly on his then upcoming film Watchmen, Snyder stated the following:
I had a buddy who tried getting me into “normal” comic books, but I was all like, “No one is having sex or killing each other. This isn’t really doing it for me.” I was a little broken, that way. So when Watchmen came along, I was, “This is more my scene.”
Everyone says that about [Christopher Nolan’s] Batman Begins. “Batman’s dark.” I’m like, okay, “No, Batman’s cool.” He gets to go to a Tibetan monastery and be trained by ninjas. Okay? I want to do that. But he doesn’t, like, get raped in prison. That could happen in my movie. If you want to talk about dark, that’s how that would go.
Batman getting raped in prison is a thing that could happen? What? While you read through the linked interview, keep in mind that Snyder is supposed to be DC’s answer to Joss Whedon/the Russo brothers. The man Warner Bros.and DC are putting in charge of their heroes, who couldn’t even get into comics like the ones he’s adapting because there wasn’t any sex or death in them, is now in charge of the Dark Knight, the Man of Steel, and the rest of the Justice League (and technically the entire DCEU). Yay?
Since this interview first resurfaced, a number of DC and Zack Snyder fans began critiquing both of the above quotes, as well as the people who bring up “old” interviews just to “bash” Snyder in the first place. However, let’s try to keep a couple of things in mind:
Snyder’s comic view really hasn’t changed at all since those “early” years. His films continue to reflect mature themes (sex and violence especially, the themes he is quoted to have loved when he was younger) through his sexually charged and ultra violent characters. Watchmen, 300, and Sucker Punch are all perfect examples (although the first two are at least forgivable in that they’re adaptations of projects that already have violent and sexual moments in them). This wouldn’t necessarily matter on their own, however it becomes a problem when you pair these ideas and images with some of the most popular characters in the DC universe, who have no business reflecting these themes in the first place.
When your main defense of a director with these issues is basically to say that any critic just has a predetermined bias against him/her or his/her work, then perhaps you need to step back and re-examine your position on things. Case in point, the following quote from patrick_bateman_77401, on IMDB:
But it’s not a truth. It’s your interpretation of a set of words because it confirms your beliefs that he’s a crap director and shouldn’t be allowed near a milk carton, much less a film set.
So saying Zack Snyder shouldn’t have this kind of power over DC’s film universe is nothing more than an “interpretation” because his detractors just don’t like him? Arguing against that idea, let’s look back at the full excerpt of Snyder’s “comic accurate” defense for Superman in Man of Steel:
People are always like ‘You changed Superman.’ If you’re a comic book fan, you know that I didn’t change Superman. If you know the true canon, you know that I didn’t change Superman. If you’re a fan of the old movies, yeah, I changed him a bit,” Snyder said. He went on to clarify that he, as a comic book fan, defaulted to Superman’s comic origins and not his on-screen incarnation, aiming to have his Superman “set a tone for the world” and “feel consistent for the DC universe.”
Right off the bat, there’s a couple of things that should stand out to you:
There is no such thing as “true canon.” The canon has been shifted and edited for decades since Superman was first introduced to readers. You don’t see Batman carrying guns or murdering people nowadays like he did in the Golden Age, do you?
Defaulting to Superman’s origins? Like how he was an aggressive killer in his earlier days? While this does help make sense of Sndyer’s twisted version of Superman and Batman, where killing comes just as easily as breathing to them, what makes him think a true “comic book fan” would ever go with that option when making a DC film?
If you had the option, why would you go with that Golden Age feel when establishing a tone for the DCEU? It’s bizarre to think that, because he wanted Superman to “feel consistent” and set the mood for this cinematic world, now we have a universe where even Robin potentially murdered criminals with an ax style bo staff. Where’s your comic accuracy now Snyder?
Please DC, step up your arguments and get Zack Snyder out of the director’s chair. He’s proven twice now that a DC film with him at the helm is bad for business, on top of the fact that he’s now ruined multiple important Superman stories that could have been set up for much better future installments (“Death of Superman” would have been a great standalone film, had the studio or Christopher Nolan stuck to their guns and simply told Snyder to hold off on killing Superman).
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is in theaters now.
WARNING: Minor spoilers for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Welcome back to Batman/Superman Month everyone! If you’ve seen Batman v Superman, or at least read reviews for it, then you’ve probably run into/had some complaints about how Batman commits a number of murders throughout this film.What you may not have thought of is, although a number of DC fans have been trying to justify these interpretation of the character and have been blown off as a result, they might actually have a point that Batman killing in this film really isn’t that big of a deal. Especially since Batman has been killing people a lot over the years.
True, Batman may not kill so much nowadays (unless you want to count the obviously dead henchmen squished by players driving the Batmobile in Batman: Arkham Knight), but in the good ol’ days of the Golden Age, Batman comics usually ended with at least one criminal dead. In 1940’s Batman #1, the Dark Knight battles a maniac created by Hugo Strange, culminating in the poor man’s death by hanging (from the Batwing, no less). What’s worse is that Batman had the option of curing the guy through use of a formula he created just pages before, but decided hanging was a better option anyway.
Skipping ahead a few decades to Frank Miller’s All Star Batman and Robin, we see an even more depraved “Goddamned” Batman. In this take on the character, Batman and Black Canary take on a gang, with Batman setting fire to every single individual in that room who ever even looked at him wrong.
Even when the character made the transition to mainstream film, the murders kept on coming. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you all of the fact that Batman knowingly murders a number of people (including the Joker) throughout the two Tim Burton films, nor do I need to remind you about all of the deaths in the Christopher Nolan films. There’s a pretty good video by Mr. Sunday Movies I’ve linked below that lists all of the deaths in Batman’s film interpretations you should check out for the full list.
On second thought, maybe people should complain about Batman being a murderer in Dawn of Justice. Sure, Batman killed a lot in the past, but maybe an interpretation of the character from modern times (with a smaller body count) would be a good idea for the future of the DCEU? Maybe?
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is in theaters now.
NOTE: This is one of a two-part post on Batman fighting Superman, and why Superman would win any of those fights. If you want to see the reasons why Batman would win, click here.
Welcome back to Batman/Superman Month everyone! For today’s two-part post, I thought it’d be fun to examine both Batman and Superman as fighters, and explain the reasons why each one stands a pretty good chance of winning in a serious fight.
For Superman, it’s easy to see why he’d emerge victorious. First, he’s invincible. Sure, kryptonite, red sun radation, and magic are all problems, but aside from those, almost nothing can truly hurt Superman. You’d have to either trick him (which, to be fair, can and does happen) or hit him really, really hard to do any lasting damage, and unless the Man of Steel is written terribly or is just feeling very generous in a fight, Batman shouldn’t be able to get anywhere near him.
This brings us to the second point: his super senses. Batman may be quick, able to sneak around in the shadows, and ambush thugs and muggers, but Superman can see past all that. His telescopic and X-Ray vision can pick out Batman anywhere he hides, super hearing can hear all the shuffles of leathery capes and clicks of boots on the ground, and who’s to say Superman couldn’t just smell him if he wanted to? This is, of course, ignoring the new super power he developed somewhat recently in The New 52 line, where Superman developed the ability to identify energy and signals from all over the world. Using this power, it’d be even easier for him to find Batman, given that the Batsuit always has a lot of complicated circuitry and links to the Batmobile.
Third, let’s examine the idea of prep time. A number of Batman fans will argue that Batman can beat anyone, given the right amount of time to gather resources and prepare for the confrontation, and for the most part, they’d be correct. However, in the interest of fairness, Superman would have to be given prep time too, outright nullifying anything Bats would ever come up with. Although it’s never really been played up much lately, Superman is actually a genius, his brain able to work faster than the fastest Earth supercomputers, which (if written to its full potential) would allow Superman to super speed think his way out of any conceivable trap. But even going with every comic where Batman somehow tricks Supes and gets the upper hand, you can still point out a ton of different ways Superman should, realistically, be able to get away and win the fight.
Why not just use heat vision on the mouth part of the suit? Image via screenrant.com
Fourth, and most importantly, we can just look at history: Batman has never beaten Superman in a true one on one fight in canon DC comic books.
Yes, Batman has defeated Superman in the past (most notably in Superman: Red Son and The Dark Knight Returns), but the same outcome never happens in canon. Batman has always slowed down Superman, but never truly managed to take him down. The only time I can truly remember Batman “winning” was against a maddened Superman in Batman: Endgame, when all of the Justice League (save for Batman) was infected with their own custom versions of Joker toxin. He did manage to spit kryptonite into Superman’s eye and ended the fight there, but if we look at what we’ve seen before in this post, and remember that Superman can do pretty much anything he wants (he’s been able to phase through objects), then this also should not have been a problem. Remember Batman #612, where the Dark Knight fought a Poison Ivy influenced Superman? He even commented that Superman could “squish [him] into the pavement if he wanted to.” What does that tell you?
NOTE: This is one of a two-part post on Batman fighting Superman, and why Batman would win any of those fights. If you want to see the reasons why Superman would win, click here.
Welcome back to Batman/Superman Month everyone! For today’s two-part post, I thought it’d be fun to examine both Batman and Superman as fighters, and explain the reasons why each one stands a pretty good chance of winning in a serious fight.
It’s very easy to see why Batman could wipe the floor with Superman in any given fight. For one thing, he’s been developing anti-Justice League plans for years, including thick dossiers on how to defeat Superman. By now, it’d be near impossible for Superman to think up all the different plans and strategies Batman devised and plan around each one of those things for a one on one fight (assuming, of course, that Superman is well informed of the fight beforehand, and actually decides to get prepared).
Because Superman always gets prepared when he absolutely knows a fight’s about to happen… Image via screenrant.com
Batman’s habit of using specialized gadgets would especially come into play when in a fight against Superman. During the fight in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the Dark Knight had guns, strength enhancing devices (which I’ll get into further detail about below), and lead based smoke grenades to help get around Superman’s abilities and level the playing field. Other comics have shown Batman also using a city’s power supply, bombs, the ever famous kryptonite, and a variety of other gadgets to help put Superman in his place.
Despite what a number of Superman fans might think, the Man of Steel does absolutely have limits and can absolutely be beaten to the brink of, or even to, death, if you hit him hard enough. So naturally, Batman’s taken to using a number of power suits in fights against Superman where he means business, all of which boost his physical abilities to rival that of his opponent. Two of the better known examples are the famous The Dark Knight Returns suit:
Unlike the previous suit of the 1980s (that functioned mostly as basic power enhancing armor with Batman gadgets thrown in), this thing had everything a Man of Steel opponent would need. Kryptonite capsules near the mouth so you could spit it in his face. Miniaturized red suns in the knuckles to beat Superman with. Options to counteract heat vision and freeze breath. And it was one tough piece of machinery to boot.
If all else fails, Batman could also just get ahold of a magical item and use that. Superman isn’t super resistant to magic like he is to almost everything else, so Batman could absolutely get something magic from one of the many people in the DC Universe with magical items, then use that item on Superman. This entire list is, of course, also ignoring the classic “just use kryptonite” routine that Batman has always used on Superman. How does the saying go? “If it ain’t broke…”?
Probably the most important thing to keep in mind is that Superman can never, and will never, go all out on Batman. I don’t necessarily mean Superman will never try to kill Batman (which he won’t), but instead he’ll never actually take a fight with Batman as seriously as Batman does. There are lines Batman will cross that Superman won’t come anywhere near. It’s like Batman said in Batman #612: “Even more than the Kryptonite, [Superman]’s got one big weakness. Deep down, Clark’s essentially a good person… and deep down, I’m not.” What does that tell you?
After a lengthy (and unwanted) delay, I’m glad to finally write: welcome back to Batman/Superman Month everyone! For today’s post, I decided to go back and flip through what’s widely considered to be one of the goofiest comic book related products ever created. I give to you, my dear readers, the oddity known as The Super Dictionary:
Why would Lex Luthor need to steal cakes? Isn’t he supposed to be rich? Apparently he just does it for the thrills, given how excited he looks carting all those pastries away. Even stranger still, pretty much everyone loved the idea of an angry bald scientist stealing cakes so much that it actually became a part of Luthor’s backstory:
With the amount of backstory and side information hidden away in The Super Dictionary, I imagine every Luthor fan is probably trying to pick up their own copy of this book right now (maybe to learn how he easily stole those 40 cakes?). Keep in mind though, if you do decide to grab a copy, it’ll cost you over $200. And that’s terrible.
Welcome to Day 2 of Batman/Superman Month everyone! For today’s entry, I thought it would be fun to re-explore one of the classic superhero questions: who is truly the “Fastest Man Alive,” Flash or Superman? Using footage from a variety of sources, I put together a video of my own take on that particular question, which you can check out below!
Welcome to the start of Batman/Superman Month everyone! In honor of Batman v Superman‘s release, as well as the box office records it’s broken since its initial release date, I’ll be posting daily content on all of the Comic Books vs The World media outlets about everything related to Gotham’s Dark Knight and Metropolis’ Man of Steel.
To kick things off, let’s take a look at my personal top five Batman vs Superman moments on screen, such as:
1. World’s Finest (Superman: The Animated Series)
For young adult comic book fans today, there was really nothing quite like the cartoons of the 1990s through the early 2000s, especially when they had superheroes teaming up. Case in point: the episode “World’s Finest” from the 1990s Superman: The Animated Series. Originally broadcast as a three part episode (later rereleased as a single movie), this storyline focused on Superman’s first run in with the Dark Knight, where Batman not only judo flips him in their first encounter, but also follows him home and learns Superman’s secret identity. Touché indeed.
2. Anti-Establishment Batman vs Government Owned Superman (The Dark Knight Returns)
Ever since the idea of superheroes first came into existence, people have been trying to figure out who would manage to defeat who in a fight. One of the more contested matchups? Superman vs Batman. Writer/artist Frank Miller offered his own take on this fight in his 1986 graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns, which was later (beautifully) adapted to the small screen as a direct to DVD feature. Not much else to say about this one, except sit back and enjoy the brawl.
3. The Batman/Superman Story (The Batman)
It’s always been interesting watching a bloodlusted Superman try to fight a still level headed Batman, and this two part episode of The Batman was no exception. After Lex Luthor captures Superman and mind controls the Man of Steel with kryptonite laced mind spores from Poison Ivy, it’s up to Batman to break Luthor’s control and keep out of Superman’s way until the spores wear off. While it’s fun seeing Batman try to use everything at his disposal to keep Superman at bay, it’s even more enjoyable knowing that almost all of the original Superman: The Animated Series voice cast came back to reprise their roles.
4.Battle of the Superheroes (Batman: The Brave and the Bold)
Batman: The Brave and the Bold will always be known for its large amount of comic book references in every episode, with (arguably) one of the best taking place during Batman’s fight against a Superman driven mad by red kryptonite. Wearing the armor from The Dark Knight Returns, Batman uses every gadget at his disposal to fend off Superman until the effects of the kryptonite expire. It’s fun, recreates a few of the panels from the original graphic novel, and definitely ups the quality of the rest of the episode.
5. The Call (Batman Beyond)
This is one of the shortest fights between the Dark Knight and the Last Son of Krypton, but by no means the worst. After the titular Batman of the series, Terry McGinnis, discovers that Superman is a traitor to the future Justice League (thanks to the Starro alien that had been controlling his mind for years), he has to think fast and try to stop Superman from either killing him or controlling him with another Starro alien. The ending and the length of the fight leave a little to be desired, but it’s still fun watching McGinnis think on his feet and actually managing to stop Superman (spoiler alert).
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