'Justice League' Trailer: A Frame-by-Frame Breakdown

The Justice League trailer has finally landed. After Warner Bros. tantalized comic book fans with footage at San Diego Comic-Con last summer, this weekend brought new looks at the pantheon of DC deities assembling to take on a threat too great for just one of them to handle. Unless you’ve paid close attention to casting reports, the name of the “big bad” still eluded the new trailer. With a treasure trove of characters, enemies, and superheroic tricks, here’s a look at the biggest moments. 

First is Batfleck. After the supposed death of the Man of Steel in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the Caped Crusader (Ben Affleck) and Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) are looking to assemble a team of meta-humans to take on a catastrophic threat heading for earth — or as Diana says in the trailer, a threat that’s “already here.” That leads Batman to this small seaside town, a haunting ground of Arthur Curry, a.k.a. Aquaman (Jason Momoa). 

You’ll recognize this cosmic contraption from Cyborg’s brief scene in Batman v Superman. It’s called a Mother Box, an artifact from DC lore that’s basically a supercomputer of epic proportions. In the comics, one of their functions is to open portals across the galaxy, which brings us to this alien pest…

Scandal star Joe Morton returns as Silas Stone, father of Victor Stone (Ray Fisher), but he’s not alone. In BvS, we saw him use the Mother Box to save his son from death and transform him into Cyborg, but now an alien presence is tracking the item. By all accounts, these creatures are Parademons. They are beings from the planet Apokolips and typically the flying monkeys for a titan called Darkseid — who’s basically the Thanos of the DC universe. You might remember Darkseid’s symbol was scorched into the earth in one of Batman’s fever dreams in BvS, while these minions swarmed him in the desert.

As Batman said in the Comic-Con trailer, Aquaman emerges from the ocean during the King Tide to bring villagers food — but we see he’s also a guardian of sorts, saving a sailor from a watery death and claiming booze as his reward.

“I really wanted to show Cyborg’s birth because I feel like he plays such a strong part coming up, and I really wanted to give a sense of him,” director Zack Snyder told EW. “I really want [the audience] to know how far he’s come.” Since Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman all get the spotlight in the films leading up to Justice League, the other heroes are getting their time to shine.

Cyborg is a technopath, someone with the ability to mind meld with and manipulate all forms of technology. Since he’s also been fused with a Mother Box, he’s now made up of “organic and bio-megatronic body parts” capable of tackling tanks and transforming his limbs into canons.

Grant Gustin has enjoyed his reign as The Flash on The CW’s DC lineup, but now it’s time for Ezra Miller to become Barry Allen. The scarlet speedster is wreathed in electricity as he shows off his skills — and new suit. Unlike Gustin’s Barry, this uniform has less spandex.

Batman’s got new goggles and a new look, as shown in photos released by Snyder. Here we see him attacking those Parademons at what seems like their base of operations.

Jason Momoa told fans not to pass judgment on Aquaman before they see him on the big screen, and here he makes good on his promise in realizing a more “badass“ version of the fish-speaking hero. We also get a better look at the Parademons as he spears them with his trident.

It’s unclear where this scene is taking place, but it looks like some kind of museum. In the Wonder Woman teaser for the trailer, the character is seen polishing a Grecian statue, and here there is stonework that could possibly be from an exhibit. What is she doing there? Who are those guys she’s knocking unconscious?

Speaking again of that Iron Man comparison, Cyborg earns his wings as he takes off like a rocket. Will Smith’s Deadshot would probably appreciate his get-up.

This scene pulls the camera back on a moment from the Comic-Con trailer in which The Flash is dodging energy blasts. Now we see his assailant, although this one doesn’t have wings like the other Parademons.

Money is power, apparently. Wonder Woman and Aquaman are essentially gods, The Flash is incredibly fast, Cyborg is a living robot, and then there’s Batman. Barry pokes fun at the Dark Knight for just being a “rich” guy, which recalls a moment from the New 52 Justice League comic from Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, where Green Lantern can’t get over the fact Batman is just “some guy in a Bat costume.” That comic, as it happens, also featured an invasion of Parademons.

Justice League production designer Patrick Tatopoulos told reporters visiting the film’s set that Bats is getting some heavy-duty equipment, one of which is the Night Crawler. The massive vehicle is essentially a massive forklift capable of scaling and breaking through walls.

Before Victor became a superhero, he was a promising football player. After an accident left him mangled, his father fused him with robotics to bring him back from the brink of death. Before Fisher headlines his own solo film in 2020, we’ll at least get glimpses of this comic book origin.

When things get rough, Wonder Woman’s always got her gauntlets. Combining them with her shield produces a powerful energy wave, as when she knocked back Doomsday in BvS.

Amy Adams returns as the intrepid journalist for The Daily Planet, but how might she factor into the story since the apparent death of her Kryptonian love? We say apparent because that final BvS scene teases his inevitable return.

Meet Aquaman’s underwater squeeze and co-ruler of Atlantis. Amber Heard will appear as Queen Mera, who has the ability to manipulate water with her mind and, obviously, survive miles underneath the ocean’s surface. She’ll return with Momoa for the Aquaman movie, directed by James Wan, set for release next year.

Billy Crudup was cast as Henry Allen, Barry Allen’s father, in The Flash solo movie, but he makes his debut in Justice League. His jail-time meeting with Barry points to a plot point used for The CW’s The Flash, wherein Henry was blamed for the death of his wife and Barry embarks on a mission to clear his name.

Warner Bros. revealed Connie Neilsen would reprise her role as Queen Hippolyta, ruler of the Amazons on the island of Themyscira and mother of Diana, for Justice League. Now we see how she may factor in as the Amazonians ride into battle amid a Mordor-esque fight. Is this a flashback, or will they too join the fight against the alien invasion?

Batman’s main ride is getting an upgrade. The Batmobile is equipped with some heavier artillery as the Caped Crusader shoots down an encroaching Parademon.

How will the DCEU envision the underwater kingdom of Atlantis? Now we have an idea as Aquaman dodges fiery debris in his ripped skinny jeans.

Wonder Woman leads Aquaman and Cyborg inside some alien hideout, the same one Batman is shown swinging around. Based on reports and that BvS deleted scene, Steppenwolf, a general of Darkseid, could be the main villain, but the film has yet to confirm the character. 

“It’s good to see you playing well with others again,” says J.K. Simmons as Gotham City’s Commissioner Gordon. Too bad all the muscle he got bulking up for the role is hidden beneath a trenchcoat. Screenwriter Chris Terrio teased a lighter tone for Justice League, and this scene flaunts some comedy — though, again, Batman is the one getting picked on. 

With the heroes united, DC can have more fun mixing and matching. Since Aquaman can’t fly or sprint as fast as The Flash, he’ll need a little help from his friends.