What to Expect From a Justice League Sequel

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Justice League, in theaters now.

Early in the development stage for Warner Bros.' DC Extended Universe, it was revealed that Justice League would arrive in two instalments. Further down the line, the studio opted to scrap the two-part narrative and make Justice League a self-contained flick. Nonetheless, the DCEU is developing at a quick pace and if Justice League performs particularly well (which, domestically, doesn't seem to be the case), there could be a sequel.

With a gigantic roster to choose from and a huge library of source material to go, there are many, many different directions in which Justice League could go next if a sequel is given the go-ahead. So, what do we think a second Justice League movie would include? Let's explore the options.

Darkseid

Warner Bros. could opt to use some mystical nonsense to bring Steppenwolf back as the antagonist for the sequel, but that doesn't sound appealing, nor likely. Instead, the studio will need to introduce a new villain (or two) to keep things fresh. So, who could they introduce?

Steppenwolf fails to make the three Mother Boxes converge to become the Unity -- an extremely powerful force that he plans to use to conquer the planet -- so now's the perfect chance for Darkseid to finish the job, himself. It's clear that Darkseid has attempted to conquer Earth in the history of the DCEU, and he banished Steppenwolf from Apokolips for being weak. We've seen what Steppenwolf can do, so imagine how strong Darkseid would have to be for him to be considered weak.

Darkseid has been a nemesis of Superman for years (and years) in the comics, which basically means he's the nemesis of the entire League -- making him the ultimate candidate for the Justice League sequel. His main goal is to completely dominate the universe and remove all free will. He's one of the most powerful and intelligent beings in the DC universe, and he's always had a fascination with Earth, so perhaps he could pay the planet a visit, forcing the League to intervene.

The Injustice League

The Injustice League is another highly possible inclusion for a second movie. The post-credits scene sees Lex Luthor hiring Deathstroke to break him out of prison, and when they finally meet, Luthor suggests that they create a League of their own to rival the Justice League. Members of the Injustice League in the comics include Lex Luthor, Black Manta (who's set to appear in the Aquaman movie), Catwoman, Sinestro, the Joker, Poison Ivy and Reverse Flash. This provides a great opportunity for villains to be established in heroes' solo movies before joining forces to rival the Justice League.

In the comics, the Injustice League is formed under the suggestion of interplanetary conqueror Agamemno. He sets out to conquer Earth -- like most villainous aliens seem to do -- contacted Lex Luthor to help him do the dirty work. This leads to the recruitment of the aforementioned villains, and while the comics go off in a weird and wacky direction, the movie could just see the super-powered teams face off against each other.

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New Teammates

At the end of Justice League, Bruce Wayne is checking out a new property he has bought with Diana Prince and Alfred. He plans to have a table in the hall, with "six seats." Diana is quick to add that there needs to be room for more, to which Bruce agrees. This, of course, leaves the door wide open for new members of the team, though no candidates have really been introduced as of yet -- which is why we should look ahead to what movies are on the way.

During the epic battle between Steppenwolf's Apokoliptic forces and the combined armies of the Atlanteans, Amazonians, and the humans, there's a Green Lantern that loses their life. While it wasn't Abin Sur -- who is the Sector 2814 predecessor to Hal Jordan -- that is killed, it confirms the Green Lantern Corps' existence in the DCEU and teases things to come. A Green Lantern Corps movie is tentatively set for a 2020 release, though there have no been no recent developments for the film. Perhaps we'll just see them appear in other movies, instead.

Director David F. Sandberg is hard at work on a Shazam! movie which recently cast its two main characters -- and there's no better way to prove it's all connected than having the original Captain Marvel join the League. The child-turned-superhero has a strong history with the team of heroes in both the comics and animated movies, so there is plenty of source material for Warner Bros. to pull from. And if the studio insisted on making Justice League 2 even lighter, then the added humor from Shazam! would do wonders.

A character that doesn't have a movie in the works is Martian Manhunter, though a producer on Justice League recently expressed his desire to create one. “I think that Cyborg deserves his own movie too, and I know that the fans are out there screaming for Green Lantern, that’s for sure. But I was always a fan of J’onn J’onzz, Manhunter from Mars.”

Martian Manhunter is one of the original members of the Justice League, and he's very different to the rest of the team. Coming from Mars, J'onn J'onnz would require a good portion of the Justice League sequel to be introduced properly. He's frequently portrayed as the heart of the team, though he's not a main player in DC Comics as of late -- even with his fan-approved portrayal by David Harewood in The CW's Supergirl. Introducing a literal Martian in the DC Extended Universe seems a big ask at the moment with its darker, gritty take on the characters and source material, but something outlandish could be what is needed to truly diversify Warner Bros'. superheroic cinematic world.

Now in theaters, Justice League stars Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Raymond Fisher as Cyborg, Willem Dafoe as Vulko, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta, Amber Heard as Mera and J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon.