8 Epic Moments From The Justice League Comic-Con Trailer

2016's San Diego Comic-Con gave us our first look at Justice League, just when fans needed some hope after Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice let a lot of people down. Here we are though, a year later, and the DC Extended Universe is in very different shape. Suicide Squad came and went and unfortunately proved to be an even bigger disappointment for most than BvS. Thankfully, we've also had Wonder Woman since then, which has reinvigorated people's faith that DC might be able to pull off a cinematic universe to rival Marvel's, after all. This third Justice League trailer, courtesy of the latest SDCC, is yet another good sign for the DCEU. The extra-long four minute presentation is stuffed full of action, humour, excitement and more. It gives us the best feel for the plot of the film of any trailer yet but - unlike many previous teasers for this franchise - it knows when to hold back and keep us guessing. So, from Alfred's one-liners to Steppenwolf's reveal to a mystery reappearance, here are the eight best moments from the recent Justice League trailer. As always, if you've got any that we may have missed, feel free to add them in the comments section. Wonder Woman's Weekend After a showy intro, the trailer kicks off proper with a focus on one Justice Leaguer in particular. We see some shady armed men parade in what could be the Louvre in Paris. Thankfully, Wonder Woman is on hand to intervene and save the day - after making an explosive entrance that Batman would kill for. Being the demi-goddess that she is, Diana then effortlessly dodges a bullet and doesn't even flinch when a rifle is bashed over her head. She finishes off with a moment seen in a previous trailer - the most badass L'Oreal-esque hair-swish ever. Things then cut to Diana back in her civilian guise where she's fixing up a statue at the museum. "What did you do this weekend, Diana?" asks her colleague. "Me?" she says, playing innocent. "Nothing very interesting." Seeing as the world has just fallen in love with Wonder Woman off the back of her phenomenally successful movie, it makes a lot of sense for the trailer to begin with Gal Gadot as the new poster girl for the DCEU. Speaking of which, you might recall that Wonder Woman ended with the Amazon warrior leaping away into action at the end of the movie. Does Justice League follow on from that scene directly? Steppenwolf Arrives After some world-building clips that show that everyone is still reeling from Superman's death, Batman and Wonder Woman talk about "the age of heroes" coming again. "It has to," Bruce says. "We don't have any more time..." Why's that, Bats? Could it be because some big alien nasty is about to land on Earth? Why yes, actually, it is. We then cut to Diana's homeland of Themyscira, where Queen Hippolyta and the Amazons are gathered around a Mother Box. A tube of light - you could say - booms into existence and leaves behind a hulking, antlered figure. Though he isn't named, fans will know this to be our first proper glimpse at the film's main villain, General Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds). The reveal of the character is handled really well here. It's exciting enough that we get a brief look at him, but the trailer cleverly doesn't show us his face. It looks like DC have learned their lesson after spoiling Doomsday in the trailers for Batman V Superman. "No Lanterns. No Kryptonian." As if that wasn't enough, the evil alien from Apokolips then delivers an ominous speech that, just as so many supervillains have done before, promises that he'll take over the Earth. "You can't protect these people," he warns the League, through his heavily-modulated voice. "No Lanterns. No Kryptonian. This world will fall. Like all the others." This speech brilliantly packs a lot into just a few lines. For casual viewers watching the trailer, this gets across what sort of threat the League will be facing in this movie: some kind of alien warlord who has subjugated many other worlds before coming to our planet. For hardcore fans, though, there are some welcome references here. Obviously, "Kryptonian" refers to Superman, but this is actually the first ever reference to Green Lanterns in the DCEU! Many rumours have stated that we'll see at least one of the Emerald Knights in the movie, and we're starting to think that will indeed be the case. It also touches on the fact that the League are true underdogs, as their abilities - while great - don't exactly make it even odds against an entire alien invasion. Alfred And His Exploding Wind-Up Penguins It's surprising that in a trailer that has to sell each of the five main heroes, it's not one of the supers who steals the Justice League preview. It's actually Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth. His Alfred was already promising in Batman V Superman, but this trailer teases that Batman's butler will be the MVP of Justice League, thanks to his sarcastic reactions to this crazy new world he finds himself in. First, Alfred chats to Batman in the Batcave about the apocalypse-level threat they are facing. "One misses the days when one's biggest concerns were exploding wind-up penguins," he quips. This is, of course, a nod to the Dark Knight's frequent foe Oswald Cobblepot AKA The Penguin. Another reminder that Ben Affleck's Batmam is long in the tooth and has had a full career as Gotham's protector before teaming up with the League. Plus, though they weren't wind-up, this could also be a callback to the kamikaze penguins from 1992's Batman Returns. Alfred's next awesome moment comes when Cyborg hacks into the Batmobile. "Relax, Alfred," Victor Stone says coolly. "I got this." Clearly affronted that he has lost control of the car, Alfred - from back in the Batcave - asks "Uh, do I know you?" "Superman Was A Beacon To The World" It's an understatement to say that there has been somewhat of a backlash against the DCEU's presentation of Superman so far. For some critics, Henry Cavill's Man of Steel hasn't been the symbol of truth, justice and the American way that the character should be. Well, those fans will be very pleased with Batman's speech about the Big Blue Boy Scout in this trailer. "Superman was a beacon to the world," says the melancholic Mr. Wayne. "He didn't just save people, he made them see the best parts of themselves." We know from the end of BvS that Batman is inspired to unite a team of metahumans and protect the world in honor of Supes, so it's nice to see this idea is being followed through in Justice League. This speech also plays over footage of the League in battle, which suggests that the rest of the team is inspired by him as well. There had been a rumour going around that Superman would return from the dead and turn against the League. This sort of talk, however suggests that, actually, the character's death and resurrection will be used to nail the most important aspect of the hero: that he's all about optimism and hope. Aquaman Being Awesome Three trailers in and it's becoming clearer what exactly each of the Justice Leaguers bring to the team. Batman is the leader, Wonder Woman is the heart, Cyborg is the tech genius and Flash is the comic relief/novice (more on that in a moment). That leaves Aquaman to fill the role previously nailed by The Avengers' Iron Man or X-Men's Wolverine - the cynical loner who thinks everyone else is stupid. "This is crazy," admits the King of Atlantis in what looks to be a group meeting with his fellow heroes. "Honestly, I think we're all going to die." We guess there's not a lot of need for tact when you talk to fish, eh, Arthur? Elsewhere on Aqua-Watch, we also get another look at Arthur's underwater battle with Steppenwolf - where the general nearly catches Aquaman with his axe - which we previously glimpsed in the last trailer. Furthermore, in place of Arthur cheering while riding on the outside of the Batmobile, this trailer delivers another scene that proves how much of an adrenaline junkie he is. One clip sees him flying through the air as he tussles with a Parademon. The duo crash into a building and our aquatic hero surfs his way out of the rubble without even wavering. It's been said before but it's true: Jason Momoa is totally going to dispel any lingering preconceptions that Aquaman is a sissy. Flash (And) Gordon Ever since last year's Comic-Con trailer featured that scene with Bruce and Barry in the Flash's place, we've known that Ezra Miller's Scarlet Speedster would be the comedic heart of the movie. Perhaps his funniest moment we've yet seen is dropped in this new trailer, though. The assembled League chats with Jim Gordon on a Gotham rooftop. The police commissioner looks away while speaking and when he looks back, the heroes have gone... all except Flash, that is, who clearly didn't get the memo that superheroes should skulk off into the night. "Oh, wow, they really just... vanish, huh? Oh, that's rude," he mumbles, before awkwardly zipping away. An earlier scene in the trailer promises that Flash won't just be the comic relief, though. "It's really cool you guys seem ready to do battle and stuff but I've never done battle," he opens up to Batman. "I've just pushed people and run away." Clearly, Barry will have his own character arc across the movie as he starts to grow into the fully-fledged hero we know and love from the comics. We also have to mention the gorgeous scene where Barry Allan speed-pokes his finger through a window and it breaks in slow-motion, like water. It's a fantastic visual, and if you glance over to his left it looks like Kiersey Clemons' Iris West. "He Said You'd Come." As is the way with all trailers, the biggest talking point is saved until last. Just who is Alfred speaking to at the end? In classic Jurassic Park style, we see Alfred's glass shake as someone unseen makes a loud entrance in the Batcave. The faithful butler looks up from his engineering work and is shocked to see a familiar face. "He said you'd come," Alfred says to the stranger. "Now let's hope you're not too late." Naturally, this has to be another superhero who will come to the Justice League's aid - presumably in time for the movie's third act, just as Batman's team are at their darkest point. And knowing the League's line-up, there are really only two characters it could be: Superman or Green Lantern. Well, and Martian Manhunter, but an appearance from him would be a bit out of left-field. Some believe that it's Green Lantern, as you could say there's a small green light reflected in Alfred's glasses. Based on all the evidence, though, it's most likely that this is the Man of Steel risen from the dead. If you look closer at Alfred's glasses, it looks more like Superman's 'S' shield. And then - here's the clincher - there's the matter of the red cape glimpsed at the bottom right of the screen. While our knee-jerk reaction is to want to see a glimpse of Superman now, it's much better to play the delayed gratification card here and wait to see him unveiled in the movie itself. Nice job on this one, Warner Bros. You really pulled a top-notch trailer out of the bag, one that bodes well for Justice League as a whole.