Justice League, the fifth installment in the DC Extended Universe, is right around the corner. It has been in the making for quite a long time, and now the blockbuster is only a day away from release. This childhood dream of mine is finally coming to the big screen, and my excitement is nearly uncontainable. In this article, I will share my thoughts and expectations on the upcoming film.

Henry Cavill’s Superman was the hero who kickstarted this universe in Man of Steel. Cavill mastered the perfect accent, got into excellent shape, and studied up on the comics for his role. For me, he has become the definitive live action Superman. He himself is a compassionate man who believes in good and togetherness, making him a great choice for the role. He embodies the essence of the character on and off the screen. In both Man of Steel and Batman V Superman, his character goes through true pain and struggle. He is not depicted as a perfect person who is always there to save the day, but rather a troubled person who has the impossible job of trying to protect everyone. There is great controversy revolving around him and who he decides to save. One of his most controversial acts was causing massive amounts of destruction while battling General Zod at the end of Man of Steel. Buildings collapsed and lives were lost in the battle, leading some to consider him a menace. However, he learned from his mistakes. When fighting Doomsday at the end of Batman V Superman, he immediately brought Doomsday to space for the battle. In just two movies, his character evolved impressively, and then was supposedly killed. It is obvious that Cavill will reprise his role as Superman in Justice League, but the way in which he will return is a mystery at this point. Thanks to a teaser picture of a black Superman logo on Cavill’s Instagram several months ago, it is widely speculated that he will return in an epic black version of his iconic suit, as he did in the comics after being killed by Doomsday. Early viewers of Justice League have stated that Superman has some excellent scenes, but the nature of his return is yet to be revealed.

Ben Affleck made his debut appearance as Batman in Batman V Superman. He plays an older and more seasoned Batman, similar to the version of the character from Frank Miller’s famous comic book storyline The Dark Knight Returns. The decision to go with this incarnation of the character was questioned by many fans, especially now that other members of the Justice League are significantly younger, making the age difference rather odd. However, the iconic fight between Superman and Batman (in his mech suit) occurs in The Dark Knight Returns, making it fitting for his debut movie. Also, this version of Batman is willing to kill, justifying many of his actions in Batman V Superman, and giving him room to grow as a character. I like this version of Batman. I love that he is something of an urban legend at this point in the story, ascending from the shadows only for brief moments to fight criminals and bring justice. Affleck’s amazing performance of Batman, and his alter ego Bruce Wayne, is a great addition to this universe. It’s hard to say that Affleck is the definitive Batman, since there have been so many phenomenal Batman actors who have all provided their own takes on the character. But Affleck is easily my favorite. Batman will be the one assembling the team in Justice League, and I am thrilled to see where his character goes in this leadership role. Trailers and official images from the film have shown that he will don multiple new suits in this movie. I am excited to see the updated Batman in action.

Gal Gadot debuted as Wonder Woman in Batman V Superman, and she was quite the show-stealer. The actress has an accent and a physique that are not extremely similar to Wonder Woman in the comics; however, she portrays the character excellently, and that is what counts in my books. She is a fierce warrior, who also has a side of herself dedicated to preserving love and peace. Fighting is not her first option, but she is willing to battle for the greater good. Much like Cavill and Superman, Gal and Wonder Woman share many personality traits, which makes her especially fit to play the character. In her solo movie earlier this year, Wonder Woman, she continued to slay at the role. Her relationship with Steve Trevor was fantastic, yet it did not subtract from the idea that she was an independent and capable woman. In fact, she was the one saving him in most instances, as opposed to the typical dynamic between male heroes and their female love interests. Wonder Woman breaks the norms and is a dope character that will surely keep up her streak of being awesome in Justice League.

Ezra Miller will be playing The Flash. He made two cameo appearances in Batman V Superman, neither of which fully explained his character, or showed him in his typical costume, but both of which displayed his epic powers. He was not fully revealed until last year’s Suicide Squad, when he showed up in his self-made red suit and stopped the criminal Captain Boomerang from robbing some diamonds. His suit was seen more closely in Justice League trailers this year, and his character was more established through some dialogue with Bruce Wayne. Miller is certainly shorter and thinner than Barry Allen, not to mention he has a different hair color and ethnicity. But as I stated in the case of Gadot and Wonder Woman, physical characteristics are not the most important aspect of portraying a character. Miller seems to be doing a fantastic job at displaying Barry Allen’s fun and awkward personality in the trailer clips. His take on the character appears to be significantly different from Grant Gustin’s take on The Flash television show, but I believe it could potentially be even better. I am a fan of the television series, but I believe Miller may make the character even more lovable. His suit is not as solid as the one in the comics, and this is because it is a prototype. He is still experimenting with his abilities, and since he is just a kid who does not have a steady income, he built the suit from various stolen materials. The wires that run across the suit are considered a questionable addition by some, but I believe they essentially exist to channel the lightning which could look very aesthetically cool. The lightning he generates in the movie is blue. In the comics and television show, he typically produces a yellow or orange lightning. Blue is usually reserved for only the fastest speedsters, or moments when Barry is running at unusually high speeds. I believe that the blue lightning in Justice League may be due to the fact that Barry is still mastering the Speed Force, so he is extremely fast, but does not have great control over it. As he takes the steering wheel on his powers in future movies, it may begin to refine into a yellow or orange color. But then again, keeping it blue will help make his character even more notably different than the version in the television show, allowing both versions of the character to coexist more easily.

Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Ray Fisher’s Cyborg both made cameo appearances in Batman V Superman. Judging by the trailers, and remarks made by Momoa himself, Aquaman will be at the beginning of his character arc in Justice League, not yet king of Atlantis, and dodging responsibility rather than embracing it. He will be having a solo film in October of next year, and that will give him time to evolve as a character and become more like the version of Aquaman in the comics. Fisher’s Cyborg will also be at the very start of his character arc, having just recently received his mechanical body, he will be exploring his new abilities and coping with the loss of his human self. Cyborg is typically depicted as a more loose and comical character, and I think this is a transition that will occur at some point.

Green Lantern has not yet appeared in the DC Extended Universe, but I can almost say with certainty that there will be some kind of Lantern involvement in Justice League. Hal Jordan, after all, is a founding member and an iconic part of the superhero team. It seems peculiar to me that this movie would be made without him. I always tell people to imagine if Marvel had made The Avengers without an iconic character like The Hulk. That is essentially what seems to be happening. When questioned in interviews about Hal Jordan (or any Green Lantern, since there are many) appearing in the film, the cast members of Justice League all dodged the question humorously, insinuating that they may be hiding a secret reveal. Actor Dan Amboyer played a pilot in Batman V Superman, and he was speculated to be playing Hal Jordan for quite a long time. He looks almost identical to the character, and Hal’s occupation in the comics is a pilot, so it would be logical. Amboyer refused to say anything on the matter when he was asked about it in an interview sometime around the film’s release. Actor Armie Hammer later teased fans on Twitter about being cast as Hal, but he eventually stated in an interview that he was just pranking his followers. However, the words of an actor cannot always be believed, especially regarding a role that is intended to be kept secret. A silhouette of Hal Jordan does appear in DC’s new movie intro sequence, which leads viewers to believe that DC may have planned for him to be involved in upcoming films. And lastly, in the second official trailer for Justice League, Steppenwolf (the main antagonist) states “No protectors here… no Kryptonian… no Lanterns”. This is a reference to Superman’s absence, and perhaps the fact that there are no Green Lanterns protecting Earth for some reason. Not much can be deducted from that statement, but the mention of Lanterns in the DC Extended Universe is still awesome. Hopefully Hal or another Lantern will be making a surprise appearance in the movie tomorrow.

The villain of the film, Steppenwolf, is a lesser-known character. He is from the distant world Apokolips, more commonly known for its evil leader, Darkseid. It is probable that Darkseid will be teased at some point in the movie, since he is quite simply a bigger and badder version of Steppenwolf that will likely appear in a future movie, if not this one. But whether Darkseid makes a cameo or not, I am excited to see how Steppenwolf compares to previous villains in the DC Extended Universe.

Lois Lane and Martha Kent, two classic characters in the Superman lore, will be returning in this movie for the third time. And JK Simmons will be making his debut appearance as Commissioner Gordon, which should be awesome to see.

Aside from the cast and characters, I believe the movie will be lighter than previous films. Judging by the trailers alone, the filming style seems to be more grand and less close-up than Man of Steel and Batman V Superman. The movie is also being scored by Danny Elfman rather than Hans Zimmer, which will bring more classic superhero theme music, rather than Zimmer’s emotional melodies. Also, the cast has stated that it was always Zack Snyder’s vision to begin with a darker DC universe, and make it lighter as the characters unite. I think it makes sense that Man of Steel would be dark; it was about Superman coping with his abilities and his other-worldly origin, and doing so almost entirely on his own. Batman V Superman was also dark because it was about major controversy centered around Superman, and a vigilante dedicated to stopping him from posing a potential threat to the planet. But Justice League will be lighter because all the metahumans of Earth will be coming together at last to face a common enemy, and they will be able to help one another through their issues as they form a bond.

Overall, I believe the movie will be terrific. These actors will surely do a great job at playing my favorite heroes as they unite in this epic film. I am hyped out of my mind to see Justice League tomorrow. I have loved every DCEU movie so far, and I have a feeling that DC will continue to deliver.