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Back in 2015 , Zack Snyder prognosticate that hisJustice Leaguemovie would " Unite the Seven " . Now that it ’s finally arriving in film , the number finger a little light . What befall to the DCEU ’s original marketing slogan?The film ’s League is made up of Batman , Wonder Woman , Aquaman , The Flash and Cyborg , connect by Bruce Wayne to take on the impending threat of Steppenwolf . That ’s five hero , and a sixth will emerge from his Kansas tomb in what is mayhap the bad kept secret in movie selling history . Right here , comic fans will already note some divergence . Cyborg was only introduced as a fundamental member in 2011 ( he was n’t create until 1980 ) , although big is that the Justice League traditionally had seven members . The war paint varied a heap over the year , but the original group was Bats , Diana , Flash , Aquaman and Supes as in the film , along with Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter .
That does appear to have been the design for the DCEU , at least to get down with . In February 2015 , Snyder twitch outthe first image of Jason Momoa ’s novel - eld Aquaman , which came plastered with the schoolbook " UNITE THE SEVEN " . This was the egg laying down of the gauntlet;Justice Leaguewould sport a whopping seven founding members . Except it does n’t . What happen ?
Why Did DC Drop “Unite the Seven”?
To understand why thing changed , we require to refresh what stateJustice Leaguewas when Snyder proclaimed he was rifle to " Unite the Seven " in the first place . Attempts at make a movie about JLA had been on Warner Bros. mind throughout the 2000s , witha George Miller versiononly not materialise due to the Writer ’s Strike and , later , various dealership - boosting hope pinned on The Dark Knight Trilogy andGreen Lantern . The version we ’re catch was finally put in motion in 2013 , whenMan of Steelmade way for a shared population expansion , with David S. Goyer rent to pen both direct sequelBatman v Supermanand the resulting team - up .
By early 2015,Batman v Supermanhad becomeDawn of Justice , preface not just the nominal hero and Wonder Woman , but also seed Aquaman , The Flash and Cyborg . Having wrap both principal picture taking and its reshoots , when Snyder tweeted out the offending Aquaman photo and tagline , the film was in the edit , and the script forJustice League(now expanded to be a two - parter ) gravely coming together concern of Chris Terrio .
Of course , as we all know , the plan for Justice League have changed a lot since these early development days ; it went from two cinema to one in the backwash ofBatman v Superman ’s vital drubbing and obviously more recently underwentsubstantial rewrites and reshoots under Joss Whedon . But while these are major talking points , when it comes to " unify the Seven " the adjustment come much in the first place ; by the time of the first proper trailer in March 2017 and the phrasing shift to " join the League " , we ’d not had the " Seven " vulgar used in two years .
It seems apparent that at some point in the early ontogeny ofJustice League , there were going to be seven heroes , but this was undone well beforeBatman v Supermanhit ; due to the niggardliness of production turnaround ( actor were straight on the team - up pretty much after press forDawn of Justicewas over ) anything further would require the casting and subsequent dropping an role player . What it is , then , is a mansion of franchise hubris ; announcing plans ( in this case specific character ones ) so far in advance that there ’s an inevitable change .
The whole thing may be to do withSuperman . As it became unmistakable his comeback would reign the movie , it may have been take for overstretching to bring in another quality , peculiarly one who , going by the lose heroes , would have been somewhat similar in type to the Kryptonian . We know from the marketing that Warner Bros. changed their psyche regarding Superman once ( they started off with Superman front - and - center then swivel to try and hide him ) , why not double ?
With the abstract thought explained , though , it ’s time to look atwhothat 7th could have been .
Was Green Lantern The Seventh?
Assuming there was a 7th phallus , there ’s really only one straight candidate : Green Lantern . He ’s the most built - up character yet to appear and would fit best in the current make - up of the team . While it ’s unclearwhen the eventual Lantern Corps film will arrive , we sleep with they are a pre - existent part of domain thanks to theJustice Leaguetrailers ( Steppenwolf cite Lanterns ) and , further , during theDawn of Justice LeagueTV special Geoff Johns fundamentally deliver the eccentric as the net member . After all , he isthe 7th in the DC Films logotype .
Of course , none of that says the programme was to debut inJustice Leagueitself , peculiarly as we ’re just six years on from the disaster of the Ryan Reynolds - frontedGreen Lanternmovie ; the initial 2020 appointment find like Warners were hold off to have the DC brand raise and associated aversion with the lineament dissipate . However , there have been copious rumour of Green Lantern joining the DCEU inBatman v SupermanorJustice Leagueand , while it should be noted leakage culture is not always reliable ( as see by the recent reveala popular Planet Hulk scoop was stark meaninglessness ) , it would make sense for some of this to develop from a genuine source .
There are a few other contenders , of trend : Martian Manhunter was another founding appendage , so ca n’t be full disregard , although he ’s in spades the original teammate with the least mainstream acknowledgement and is currently used up bySupergirl ; and Shazam , given his always - specify unveiling in 2019 , would have made mother wit also . Yet neither of these has quite the expectation as Green Lantern , Hal or otherwise , nor such a complex mythology that would really make them deserving cut to upset a old set plan .
Does It Really Refer to the Seven Seas?
But , there is another , alternative reading to " unify the Seven " that ’s been bushwhack ever since criticism of the overt forward design years ago . allot to some , " Seven " does n’t really relate to the Justice League at all , but instead Aquaman and the seven sea ; it ’s a nod to his destiny as the King of Atlantis , perhaps a very early signal from Snyder that thisArthur Curry was yet to full take on his iconic funny mantle . That ’s why it was only used for his reveal ! And , given the discernible grandness of the ocean to his electric arc in the upcomingAquamanmovie , it ’s got some credence .
However , that all falls apart when you have a more rational justification for it ( which we ’ve already discussed at length ) and more specifically a reason why it would first appear for Momoa . He was the fourth penis of the League to be revealed , but the first non - Trinity member without a major part inDawn of Justice . It was a sign of the enlargement from versus film to team - up , and the language reflects that ; it ’s not about a fight between two , it ’s about unite the seven .
Or six .
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