The Trailer Park: Marvel v. DC in San Diego

At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel and DC duked it out with a series of teaser trailers to whet the appetites of comic book fans everywhere.

‘Wonder Woman’

Even if this year’s ‘Batman v. Superman’ movie left audiences divided, one aspect almost every fan agreed upon was the awesome introduction of Wonder Woman. The way in which she arrived on screen as tribal-percussion music thundered all around made it clear how much of a badass she is and gave me chills. Gal Gadot was absolutely astonishing in the role. So, it’s no surprise that I’m thrilled to finally see America’s Guardian Angel finally get a full-length feature.

From the looks of it, the movie from ‘Monster’ director Patty Jenkins is not exactly an origin story in the traditional sense. Comic writers Allan Heinberg and Geoff Johns’s script takes inspiration from the character’s early comics. I’m not too sure about Chris Pine playing Steve Trevor, but I’m sold on the idea of seeing the Princess of the Amazon do battle against the Germans in World War I.

‘Justice League’

I may one of the few who actually enjoys the direction DC is taking its superhero universe. Granted, Warner Bros. and the comic company are moving things much too quickly and heavily on plot, but I’ve always liked the somber, brooding tone of their adaptations. The ‘Justice League’ movie keeps to that style, and I’m glad to see Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot together again because they have great chemistry. The trailer, on the other hand, doesn’t excite me the same way ‘Wonder Woman’ does. It’s really more an extended teaser with Batman preparing for war against Steppenwolf and his extraterrestrial army. All it does is introduce us to Aquaman and The Flash, two heroes who don’t have standalone features until 2018, and give us glimpses of Cyborg, who won’t star in his own movie until 2020. Despite feeling somewhat cold, I’ll still watch this at the cinema.

‘Doctor Strange’

Marvel retaliates with a great preview for a lesser known but beloved comic hero. For my money, Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role has to be one of the best casting decisions of all time. The actor not only looks the part, from facial features to body type, especially when wearing the iconic red cape, but he will surely bring a level of gravitas to a character who deserves more recognition.

I still wonder how audiences will react to a hero with magical abilities rather than superhuman powers. I also want to see how Marvel plans to harmonize him into its superhero universe. Based on the trailer, the film looks like a dazzling feast for the eyes. The fact we’re about to see Kaecilius, played by Mads Mikkelsen, on the screen is pretty exciting because he’s not so much a villain as simply a master of the Mystic Arts with a warped vision of the way the world should be. I can’t wait for this in November.

‘Kong: Skull Island’

Sure, this may not be a film based on a comic book, but it does come from Warner Bros., the studio adapting the DC comics and going toe-to-toe with Disney/Marvel. In either case, the reboot/remake/reinterpretation of the King Kong character looks like a good deal of fun. As part of a new cinematic universe leading up to a fight against Godzilla, I want to see this on the biggest screen possible.

For more of the latest movie trailers, check out our trailers page.

22 comments

  1. Timcharger

    I’m glad the film is called:
    “Kong: Skull Island”

    It’s avoiding the mistake of squeezing too much
    into one film. Let’s face it, I’m sure some in the
    studio wanted it to be:
    “Kong v Godzilla: Dawn of Giants.”

      • Timcharger

        Which is great. Make that versus
        plot a separate movie AFTER Kong is established.

        Otherwise it would be:
        Kong v Godzilla: Dawn of Giants League, where
        Godzilla “dies” in the end but somehow just might
        be needed in the future because some bell-has-
        been-rung-and-can’t-be-unrung bullsh*t sequel.
        🙂

        And we find out a most unusual similarity shared
        by Kong and Godzilla’s moms!
        Kong: “Why you say that, Godzilla? Why!”
        🙂

  2. T.J. Kats

    I liked the Justice League trailer overall but WW was definitely the better DC trailer.

    I’m so excited for the “inception” effects in Doctor Strange. I would also add the I really liked all the Netflix trailers/reveals.

    I wasn’t a big fan of the most recent Godzilla movie but the Kong trailer makes it look badass.

    • NJScorpio

      The effects in the ‘Doctor Strange’ trailer, IMO, looked as if they could get boring fast in 2D, but would be very exciting in 3D.

    • Timcharger

      Those magic reality-changing effects
      do look impressive. I agree with NJScorpio
      about the 3D opportunity to marvel the
      audience.

      But all that Inception reality warping stuff
      makes me wary just like E,
      “I still wonder how audiences will react to a hero with magical abilities rather than superhuman powers.”

      Limiting rules need to exist for superpowers.
      Kryptonite humanizes Superman. If “magic”
      is the final explanation to everything in
      Doctor Strange’s plot, then we can already
      get that on Sundays.

      • NJScorpio

        Magic is what sapped my enjoyment of the Harry Potter movies. Sure, it led for some cool scenarios, but the final conflict was always Harry’s magic against someone else’s magic, and if he just loved/tried/believed hard enough, he could out magic-blast the other guy.

        Of course, a magic-based fight could actually be interesting, if choreographed correctly and with some sort of actual weight behind it. Unfortunately, you more often than not get to people just blasting at each other, like a pyrotechnic tug-o-war.

        • Timcharger

          “he could out magic-blast the other guy”

          Yeah, Harry Potter was about the wondrous,
          kid-like enchantment of a fascinating world,
          for me. But when the magic-blast fighting
          began, I would zone out until the dialogue
          reverted back from the magic-Latin shouting
          matches.

          Hopefully Doctor Strange will spend >95% of
          the time world-building and <5% of time with
          the exchange of obscene spell-hand-gestures.
          They don't use wands, right?

  3. Chris B

    These all look great except for JLA which fills me with apprehension. The trailer for
    Guy Ritchie’s new King Arthur movie was also released at comic-con…and it looks like GARBAGE lol

  4. Elizabeth

    The Justice League feels like they’re now just trying to completely mimic Marvel (even more than they already were). The Flash recruiting scene looked like it was lifted directly from Civil War where Stark recruits Peter Parker. And there’s the half joking, half serious tone that has run through all the Marvel movies. And now you’ll have equivalent archetype characters: the mythical one (Thor/Aquaman), the tech savvy rich guy (Ironman/Batman), the all American guy (Captain America/Superman), the badass female (Black Widow/Wonder Woman), and the geek genius (Spider-man/Flash). There doesn’t seem to be a Hawkeye equivalent, but if Green Arrow shows up that will be solved (not sure who Cyborg pairs with either, maybe Falcon or War Machine).

    • Timcharger

      Other than the fact that Justice League
      predates the Avengers in the comics, and Marvel
      flat out admitted it needed to copy what DC was
      doing at that time. Just saying.

    • Timcharger

      “The Flash recruiting scene looked like it was lifted directly from Civil War where Stark recruits Peter Parker.”

      “Lifted directly”?!

      I must have missed the part where Batfleck
      flirts with Flash’s mom/aunt. Thank goodness,
      the trailer suggests Batman recruiting Flash, is
      NOTHING like Civil War’s Stark & Spidey. Stark
      better be careful messing around with Aunt May,
      Pepper Potts now has Extremis superpowers,
      and can use the Iron suits.

      • Elizabeth

        Jeepers, calm down dude. I was talking about the Marvel/DC cinematic universes, not insulting your mother. I have no clue about their respective comic book histories and I don’t care because it’s not relevant to my point.

        DC never considered doing anything resembling a cinematic universe before Marvel successfully did it (nobody had). And yes, the scene in the trailer for JL where Flash is recruited is EXTREMELY similar to the Civil War scene where Stark recruits Spuder-Man. Spider-Man/Flash returns to their civilian home to find Tony/Bruce waiting for them, denies being a superhero until Tony/Bruce makes them reveal their powers. Heck they’re even the same types of characters, a suave yet tech savvy rich guy recruiting a young, socially awkward, yet brilliant superhero. And the entire style of the trailer was far more like the typical Marvel blend of humor and light drama than the somber trailers for Man of Steel or BvS.

        • Timcharger

          Apologizes Elizabeth. Sometimes tone cannot
          be easily communicated from text. No motherly
          insults were taken or given.

          Comic history is quite relevant if you are trying
          build a case of who copied who. To judge the
          cinematic universes alone suggests that the
          writers of the movies didn’t read the comics,
          didn’t read the source material?

          About this “EXTREMELY similar” claim of yours.
          I will join your plagiarism chant if Batfleck shows
          Youtube clips to Flash. If Bruce Wayne does witty,
          10-jokes-a-minute banter, interrupts the Flash
          half-way through every response with a quip, if
          Batfleck does that, then you’re right.

          Yes, Wayne and Stark are both billionaires, but
          Bill Gates and Trump (he claims to be) are too,
          and how similar are Gates and Trump?

          Throwing a deadly weapon at Flash is very
          different than showing Youtube clips and finding
          Spidey’s costume. But you’re focused on finding
          the similarities.

          I could be wrong. You may be right. Batfleck
          may have talked his way into Flash’s place by
          flirting with Flash’s aunt and lied to her about
          how delicious her walnut date loaves are.

          Maybe when Justice League comes out there
          will be a sliced video of the similarities between
          Stark-Spidey and Wayne-Flash. So we can visually
          and aurally compare just like with Melania and
          Michelle. Until then, I can’t join your plagiarism
          chant.

    • I agree with everything Elizabeth said. I only have a hard time to believe Superman is supposed to be an all American guy (because he’s an alien from another planet). Other than that, good recap and conclusion.

      • Timcharger

        I agree too with EVERYTHING Elizabeth said.
        I only have a hard time with the exceptions I’ve
        already mentioned and dozen more if I take a
        moment to think about it.
        🙂

      • EM

        I expect all countries have immigrants, but the mythos of immigrants and their offspring and the “melting pot” are a keystone of the narrative and identity of America in a profound way that is not the case in most countries (particularly in your native Europe). Superman was raised from early childhood in America and, in some tellings of his origin, was even born here (having gestated in an artificial womb-ship). He is an exemplar of the American dream.

    • NJScorpio

      My only issue…I had enough with “Asperger syndrome Lex Luthor”, I don’t feel like watching “Asperger syndrome Barry Allen”.

  5. Bolo

    ‘Justice League’ is the only one that I would consider a bad trailer. I agree with Elizabeth that it seems they are trying to go against the heavy tones of the ‘Batman vs Superman’ trailers by forcing a jokey cocky vibe (while keeping a bleak colour palette) and it’s just not working for me.

    The other trailers all look at least okay, though I think I will probably never see any of these films.

    ‘Skull Island’ probably has the highest chance of me checking it out if I’m bored that day. I thought the trailers for the last American ‘Godzilla’ movie were great, but then I was really disappointed by the movie. So that might have made me more pessimistic about this one. Also, I think I still resent the decade of my life I lost watching Peter Jackson’s take on the material.

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