'Justice League' Snyder Cut: 5 classic villains DC movies could explore instead of the Joker again
We get it. The Joker is a compelling villain. He was great when he made his live action film debut in 1989's 'Batman', played by Jack Nicholson. He was fantastic when played by Heath Ledger in 'The Dark Knight' and even the animated version is one of the all-time greatest classic villains, voiced by Mark Hamill over shows, animated feature films and even video games. However, you can have too much of a good thing and DC needs to slow down.
With DC constantly trying to get together a shared film universe that even remotely manages to hold up in the way that the Marvel Cinematic Universe does, they appear to have decided that the Joker is going to be the cornerstone of their stories. At this point, it feels like we've had more Jokers than Spider-Men.
With the announcement that Jared Leto's Joker will be returning for the much-touted Snyder Cut of 'Justice League', it's time to look at some other major DC villains that are being looked over just to tell another DC story.
1. Deathstroke
What do you get when you combine the healing factor of Deadpool, the intelligence of Batman himself and all the hard-edged morality of the world's greatest assassin? You get Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke, a man who once took out the Justice League using nothing but his smarts, his training and his weaponry.
We've only seen a glimpse of him at the end of 'Justice League', played by Joe Manganiello, and we've not heard from him since. His appearance seemed to signal the start of an Injustice League, and if anyone could do with more plot development in the background of 'Justice League', it's him.
2. Vandal Savage
The DC universe could benefit from having some sort of shared history — especially considering that Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman first appeared in World War 2. Is she the DC Universe's first superhero? Were there more? How far back do superpowers go? There's no better lens to examine that question than through the eyes of the villain Vandal Savage, an immortal caveman who has been at the forefront of most of history's greatest wars.
Vandal Savage may not have the raw firepower to go head to head with the Justice League, but he is a brilliant tactical mind with a savage heart who could introduce fantastic element's from DC's history...as he uses it to take out the League, one by one.
3. Brainiac
He may have started out as a Superman villain, with ties to the Kyrptonian's homeworld, but he remains a Justice League level threat — one who seems to be the go-to every time the video games need a villain capable of taking out an entire planet. Considering that the DCEU started with 'Man of Steel', it's puzzling that the franchise hasn't even seen so much as an Easter Egg featuring the world-destroying villain.
Known for shrinking cities, bottling them, then destroying the planet they come from, he's been responsible for the death of trillions and his robot armies are the perfect excuse for the League to let loose again.
4. The Crime Syndicate
The DCEU has been subject to criticism for its darker take on superheroism, but it's obvious that the films enjoy that take far too much to give it up. Well, there's a way they can have their cake and eat it, too — there's an entire universe where DC's greatest superheroes are simply the worst versions of themselves.
Earth-3 is ruled by the Crime Syndicate, an evil version of the Justice League with no mercy for the weak. Every bit as strong as the Justice League, the team could really put the League through their paces and be a powerful way to introduce the concept of a multiverse in a way that films have not yet taken advantage of. Everyone loves a dark mirror.
5. Neron
You think Darkseid is the ultimate evil? What about the devil himself? The villain Neron is the closest thing to that and he's powerful enough that the League doesn't even really fight him directly. This lord of Hell's greatest claim to fame was in granting the villains of the DC Universe a major upgrade on their powers in exchange for — you guessed it — their souls.
Putting Neron as a big bad in a Justice League films opens up a lot of doors, introducing major DC villains to the DCEU en masse and showing off DC's supernatural side. What DC villains are you hoping to see introduced into the DCEU? Let us know in the comments.
The Snyder Cut is set to release on HBO Max in 2021.
