Although Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s main draw is seeing the Caped Crusader and the Man of Steel together in live action for the first time, the other half of the movie’s title is equally important. Yes, "Dawn of Justice" does indeed mean that the movie will be laying foundation for the formation of the Justice League, which will make its official cinematic debut a year later. In terms of how the 2016 blockbuster is going to connect to Justice League: Part One beyond its featured heroes, director Zack Snyder is reportedly turning to his 2009 movie Watchmen for inspiration.
Remember the Watchmen opening credits montage following The Comedian’s death? It showed audiences the history of crimefighters in this world from the 1940s to 1985 while Bob Dylan’s "The Times They Are a-Changin" played. Here, watch it again:
According to Heroic Hollywood, Snyder will use this same technique for the closing credits of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which will set up Justice League: Part One. The article didn’t mention what would be shown during that, but did note that this is how Warner Bros will distinguish the DC Extended Universe from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, using this kind of montage rather than a post-credits scene to tease moviegoers on what’s coming.
So the big question is what kind of montage could lead into Justice League: Part One. Well, let’s first look at where we’ll likely be in the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s final minutes. By the time all is said and done, Batman and Superman will have made up (though they probably won’t be the best of friends), and they’ll have defeated Doomsday with Wonder Woman's help, leaving Lex Luthor to either be arrested or simply embarrassed. Where does that leave us?
Easy: the other heroes who will be gracing the big screen. Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash are also set to make minor appearances, so perhaps this montage will have Batman, Superman or Wonder Woman (or all three) going around the world to recruit other mighty defenders. This could also make for a good in-continuity explanation for why Green Lantern doesn’t show up. If he, be it Hal Jordan or John Stewart, is on an extended mission elsewhere in their sector, then he wouldn’t be around to chat with the DC Trinity.
Keep in mind that even if we do see hero recruitment while the credits roll, that doesn’t mean the team will be formed when Justice League: Part One begins. Remember, Nick Fury came to Tony Stark’s mansion in the Iron Man post-credits scene to bring him into the Avengers, but by Iron Man 2, we found out he wasn't on board. Outside of seeing the main DC heroes, maybe the final moment of the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice montage could be the subtlest of hints towards the movie’s antagonist, be it Darkseid, Brainiac or another big DC baddie. If you have your own thoughts on what the montage could feature, make sure to let us know in the comments. Heck, feel free to even leave a song suggestion in case they don’t use part of the movie’s score.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will be released on March 25, 2016, with Justice League: Part One arriving on November 17, 2017.
