Gunn establishes a comic book world with appearances by Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Peacemaker, Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, and Supergirl. Did the characters feel out of place and do you think that their presence made the film’s world richer or did you feel like it didn’t work or was a distraction?
Michael A. Burstein: I loved seeing them as part of this world, although I felt as if Metamorpho’s characterization was a little off.
But maybe he was dealing with the kidnapping of Baby Joey. Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner was spot on, and Milly Alcock’s Supergirl made me want to see her movie like now
Peter Briggs: Guy Gardner’s always been my favorite Lantern because he’s such a jerk, and there’s a lot of fun to be seen from a jerk being a hero; same with Booster Gold. Fillion was really too old to be playing this, but that aside he was still a lot of fun. I think Isabela Merced has the potential to be one of the in-demand actresses of the future, but this role wasted her – I was literally watching her onscreen and thinking “Are they ever going to give her a closeup”? She was too good for this part. I’m not a fan of the Thanagarian characters anyway. Mr Terrific was great, but I had serious problems with Edi Gathegi’s diction – problems I have with a lot of younger generation actors, swallowing their lines or mumbling, not helped by directors who seem to want to inexplicably photograph the backs of actors’ heads while they’re speaking. I liked Metamorpho a lot.
I am really, seriously not onboard with drunk Cabo Partygirl Supergirl. I know this originates from three or five panels of the Tom King Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic book, but what kind of a role model example does this set to little girls? I don’t think I’m going to like that movie if that one-note portrayal is what we’ve got to look forward to. Cruella is Cruella. Supergirl is not Cruella.
James Ryan: In many ways, we should count our blessings. After the film’s release, Gunn released background info on the heroes depicted on the walls of the Hall of Justice. If you thought most of the post-Crisis titles got confused, imagine what’s going to happen when these get name-checked more distinctly; how they’re going to get Atomic Knight to fit into this, good luck…!
Alex Grand: It felt like a DC Comic book, and that is exactly what I want in a DC movie. Hopefully there is more of that.
Will McGuire: I thought each member of the Justice Gang felt distinct and the whole “bickering teammates” energy is in Gunn’s wheelhouse after three Guardians of The Galaxy films and The Suicide Squad. He also has a really strong sense of how to introduce obscure characters to a mass audience– Mr. Terrific is a really obscure character that came off like a potential franchise lead thanks to this film.
Robert Greenberger: Oh, it greatly enhanced the world and definitely had a positive comic book feel. It shows superheroes come in many flavors, but Superman is stepping up to be the role model for this generation of heroes. Having the Justice Gang allowed for their to be a contrast and for him to show them (notably Guy) a more virtuous approach.
Will McGuire: Also, I think Supergirl’s portrayal at the end of this film is a fine starting point for her character and presumably in her own film next year she’s going to deal with her demons and come out stronger on the other side. If the characters are going to grow and change they need a place to grow and change from.
Thomas Lakeman: I’m in favor of a lighter approach to side characters, particularly as it opens the door to the Superman/Ambush Bug team-up the world is waiting for. Like Martin and Lewis, those two were never as good apart as they were together. I was a fan of Metamorpho growing up—like Metal Men, Doom Patrol, and all of Bob Haney’s brainchildren, there was great character banter and you never felt like anything could go too badly wrong, no matter what technological monstrosity was terrorizing the city.
Glad to see that fatherhood has mellowed his famous self-pity. Guy Gardner was never my favorite Lantern, but I would watch Nathan Fillion play a basket of grapes. Hawkgirl is like that restaurant on the corner that no one can seem to keep open, no matter how good the menu is. She’s a natural second-string hero but it’s never been clear what her turf is. Diana’s got “quasi-mythical warrior princess” all sewn up, and Black Canary was doing sonic shrieks long before the death whistle.
Jerry Ordway: I liked all of the Justice Gang and Metamorpho.
Supergirl’s scene should have been the mid credit scene, and it was also fresh! That was not a boring cameo! Not to beat this into the ground, but the best part of Black Adam was the Justice Society. The best part of this was the Justice Gang, and probably the most “James Gunn” addition next to the dog. Here, they are shown as contrast to Superman trying to preserve all life, and for comic relief.
And yeah, it helps show there are other metahumans out there.
Lenny Schwartz: it was a weird choice of characters but the script made it work and I ended up loving the extra characters.
Vito Delsante: I never felt like this was anything BUT Superman’s story. They enhanced his narrative, but I think if we had, say Batman and Wonder Woman, it would have been distracting. This grouping of characters was enough to feel like you were in a lived in world without feeling overwhelmed by the entirety of it.
Andre Bennett: I thought the inclusion of the Justice Gang was a great idea, not least because there’s a soft spot in my heart for DC deep cuts. Gunn was able to establish them as supporting characters without pulling focus from the core of Lois, Clark and Lex.
In a way, Superman reminded me a lot of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, another movie that dumped viewers into a fully realized comic book-style world. It replicated the feel of dropping into the story in issue #57 rather than #1, and being able to get up to speed fast. It might even have been better at it than Buckaroo.
Todd Sokolove: I liked the way these (and a few other) non-typical DC characters just showed up with no backstory. There’s plenty of time to expand on each later, and I personally can not wait for more Mr. Terrific.
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