8 Epic Moments From The New Justice League Trailer And What They Mean

The final Justice League trailer had a lot riding on it. As the first preview that could include material from the extensive reshoots undertaken by Zack Snyder's replacement Joss Whedon over the summer, it was set to offer our clearest look yet at what the film would be like when it arrives in cinemas next month. Now, it's finally here and is sending DC fans everywhere into meltdown, and understandably so. That being said, some people are still saying that they preferred the bombast of the previous trailer to this one, which emphasizes its characters over action for at least half of its length. But who says that's a bad thing? In order to avoid the typical spoiler-heavy final previews for superhero films that have sadly become the norm lately, DC have decided not to blow all their secrets this time and are continuing to tease rather than reveal. In any case, it's not like this trailer has nothing new in it. Far from it, as there are some excellent fresh scenes ranging from moving character moments to thrilling team-up action. There are jokes, battles and, yes, even Superman's (kind of) return. Join us as we pick out the trailer's best bits, analyzing them for deeper meaning along the way. Clark Kent (Not Superman) Returns After the big cliffhanger of the last trailer teased the return of Superman, following his death at the hands of Doomsday in BvS, everyone was expecting the Man of Steel to fly onto the scene for real in this teaser. Trailer logic dictated that he would likely appear at the end. In a genius move from the movie's marketing department, though, the very first thing this preview does is drop Henry Cavill's long-awaited comeback. It means the trailer opens on a massive reveal that the rest doesn't arguably top, but it is a very clever play on our expectations. At the Kent's farm in Smallville, Amy Adams' Lois walks out into the field to find a serene Clark Kent facing away from her. "I'll take that as a yes," he says enigmatically, before explaining that he's referring to the engagement ring she's wearing. BvS viewers will remember that Martha Kent revealed that Clark was planning to propose to Lois before he died. Though it isn't the triumphant full reveal of Superman that we expected, this small-scale scene is a wonderful reintroduction to the character, focusing on his human side and - look, everyone, he's smiling! It's a promise that Superman might be a little more relatable going forward. Plus, the use of Hans Zimmer's brilliant Man of Steel theme is also a welcome touch. A World Without Hope Of course, this scene was actually a dream, as revealed when the trailer cuts to a maudlin-looking Lois in bed, stroking the absent Clark's pillow beside her. What sounds like a TV news anchor then confirms that the rest of the planet is missing the Big Blue Boy Scout, too. "The world remains in mourning after the death of Superman," the news reporter laments. "Violence, acts of war and terrorism are all on the rise." A stack of newspapers is then thrown on the rain-sodden ground, the headline reading: "A world without hope." Following on from similar moments in previous trailers, this is more evidence that Justice League will be emphasizing the point that Superman was a figure of hope to the world, in contrast to the lengthy discussions about whether the world needs a protector like him in the last two movies. The wider impact of his loss is inherited from previous teasers, then, but the personal side of things, demonstrated through Lois' grief, adds a whole other dimension to it. Arguably, Superman's sacrifice in BvS did not hit home as much as it should have. But if JL manages to effectively portray how big a hole he left, not just to the world but to his loved ones, then Superman's resurrection should be much more emotional than his death. Apokolips Now But hey, enough with emotion - we're here for alien invasions and action scenes, right? Well, the final Justice League trailer has us covered on those fronts, too. As Bruce Wayne handily reminds us of his prophetic vision of a post-apocalyptic (or should that be Apokoliptic?) future in BvS, we get our best look yet at the ancient battle between Steppenwolf's forces and the Themyscirans, as teased in previous trailers. One intriguing moment sees a male soldier transform into what could be a Parademon. The attack of the Apokoliptians is not just limited to the past, however, as following scenes show spaceships coming to Earth in contemporary times. "Invasion!" Diana decrees. Bruce, however, thinks there's something else going on here. "I think it's something more," he corrects her. "I think it's something darker." And that's pretty much all the trailer gives us, in terms of revealing more about the evil forces the League will be facing in the movie. For fans after instant gratification, it might be frustrating that we still know next to nothing about Steppenwolf's actual goal in Justice League. However, it's got to be a good thing, overall. Let's not forget how disappointing it was when the final BvS trailer blew the big surprise that Doomsday would appear in the film's third act. "The Strongest Man Is Stronger Alone" Luckily for the world, Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince are on hand to head up a band of heroes to go against the alien invaders. The only trouble is that they have to convince the likes of Aquaman, Flash and Cyborg to risk it all for the sake of humanity. "We're asking people we don't know to risk their lives," Diana warns Bruce, over some awesome shots highlighting each of the characters. There's the legendary image of Batman standing on a rooftop with the Batsignal in the sky, as the Batwing arrives to pick him up. There's Aquaman down in the deep. Diana standing on a statue of Lady Justice. Victor Stone showing off his tech at home. And, finally, the Flash cracking a cheeky smile. As with the other trailers, Aquaman proves himself the most difficult to coax into joining the team. "The strongest man is stronger alone," Arthur Curry tells Bruce as he retreats back into the water. "You ever heard that?" Bruce then sarcastically responds: "That's not the saying. That's the opposite of what the saying is!" It might just be us, but this sounds very much like a Joss Whedon dialogue exchange. It's a testament to how seamlessly the new stuff matches with Snyder's footage that we aren't sure, though. This is yet more evidence that Whedon did not totally change the film and continued Snyder's vision, after all. They Can Be Heroes Of course, Aquaman and the rest come around and the League is formed. As the fight heats up with Steppenwolf and his Parademons, we see the various heroes getting pummeled as they battle alone against their extraterrestrial opponents. "Divided we are not enough," Bruce intones in what sounds like fragments of different motivational speeches. "The world needs Superman. I made him a promise. Which is why I brought you together." There are a lot of different action shots crammed into this segment of the trailer. There's a bit of classic Snyder slow-mo action as the Batmobile blasts its way through a barren street, Aquaman's solo brawl with Steppenwolf, as seen in the last trailer and Cyborg struggling to withhold some glowing Apokoliptian technology. The most notable has to be Wonder Woman's spar with the evil General. He's only on screen for a second, but it gives us our first proper look at him in action. But what really makes it come to life is the song choice. Each of the Justice League trailers has featured some awesome musical backing. The first one utilized The White Stripes' "Icky Thump," while the second employed Gary Clark Jr.'s cover of The Beatles' "Come Together." This one, though, features the most fitting song choice yet - a cover of David Bowie's iconic "Heroes." It's a grand, emotional song and it really works playing over footage of the Justice League in battle. Aquaman And Cyborg Thanks to his rock-star attitude and, let's face it, the fact that he's played by undeniable beefcake Jason Momoa, the DCEU's Aquaman has already become a firm fan favourite... despite all we know about him coming from these Justice League trailers. Once again, though, he probably steals the show. This time due to teaming up with an unexpected ally. As the King of Atlantis tumbles through the sky, slaying Parademons with his trident as he goes, he's saved by Cyborg. "The ride ain't over yet," Victor tells him. A clearly thrilled Arthur replies: "My man!" This is a fun scene, as it teases a friendship between two League members that we weren't particularly expecting. We've been told before that we'll be getting some camaraderie between Flash and Cyborg, as they're the two younger members of the team. However, we haven't seen any footage to back that up so far. From the looks of things, it seems like Victor and Arthur are going to be the ones to become firm superfriends over the course of the movie. The League Is All In We've seen plenty of each of the members of the League in the past trailers, but we haven't particularly had a great look at all five of them teaming up in battle. It seems that DC were saving that up for the final preview, though, as we definitely get that here. While Aquaman and Cyborg control the skies, Batman is patrolling the streets below in the Batmobile. When some Parademons attack him though, Diana is on hand to protect him. As the Flash zips past her, she lets slip a grin. Meanwhile, the Batmobile plows ahead - with Aquaman landing on its roof. "Yeah!" Arthur cries, echoing the thoughts of everyone watching. As Wonder Woman's and, in particular, Aquaman's reactions show, this scene is really making an effort to tell us that these guys (and Gal) are enjoying themselves. Much has been made of the gloominess of BvS, so this is just another way in which Justice League is aiming to distance itself from the preceding movie. We're pretty sure this bit wasn't directed by Whedon, as snippets of it have appeared in previous trailers, but the scene feels like the DC equivalent of the iconic moment from The Avengers, when Marvel's mightiest heroes team up for the first time in New York. "Yeah, That's What That Means" Like we said, this final Justice League trailer eschews the predicted big bombshell cliffhanger ending and instead bows out on a bit of comedy. Again, it might annoy some fans, but it continues to drive home the fact that Warner Bros. want you to have fun watching this movie. Bruce, Diana and Barry gather at a Gotham airport when the Batsignal lights up in the sky. Clearly having just been recruited, Barry is overjoyed to see it. "Oh! Awesome! It's the Batsignal!" he yammers excitingly, before realizing that he should probably be a bit more discreet. "That's your signal, that means we have to go now." An unimpressed Bruce replies: "Yeah, that's what that means." Ezra Miller's energy in this scene is great, but it's the reactions of the other two that really make it. Diana's smirk and Bruce's exasperated expression are priceless. As DC fans have been commenting since the first trailer came out, Bats and Wonder Woman are the mother and father of the team - and Barry Allen is their geeky, overly-peppy son. All in all, this is another thrilling trailer for Justice League that promises a very different movie from the entries in the DC Extended Universe we've seen so far (save maybe Wonder Woman). It might be a bit CGI-heavy, which does raise some red flags, but mostly it promises lots of exciting action, fun character dynamics and hopefully some unexpected emotion, too.