If you were in charge of the DCEU...

[gregpersons]

How would you get the DC films to be a viable alternative to the Marvel Machine?

On one hand, I think DC should be the "graphic novel" version of comic book movies, and focus on stand-alone films/trilogies. Audiences want more "The Dark Knight" and "Logan" and fewer movies that feel like incomplete 'episodes' like "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." I say, do "Red Son." Do "Injustice." Do Grant Morrison's "Batman Inc." or Tom King's "Batman & Catwoman."

On the other hand, watching "Avengers: Infinity War," I realized that this was essentially a "Justice League: Final Crisis" movie in a lot of ways. Though it helps to have seen the previous Marvel movies, you don't actually need to because the story is all about Thanos. Obviously, Thanos appeared in little easter eggs previously, but "Infinity War" is our true introduction to him. So, if "Infinity War" is your first Marvel movie, you're still able to understand the story, though you might not catch every reference.

If we could go back in time, DC would have been wiser to develop the George Miller version of "Justice League" and then spin-off into individual films thereafter. As it happened, instead DC attempted to do a short-cut version of Marvel's strategy with "Man of Steel" "Batman v Superman" "Suicide Squad" "Wonder Woman" and then "Justice League." So instead of 1 big movie, which might be good or bad, they went with 5 big movies, only 1 of which received widespread praise.

When you re-watch "Infinity War," imagine it's a "Final Crisis" movie, and imagine this is the first entry in the new franchise.

The big advantage DC has over Marvel is we're already familiar with most of the cast -- and the ones we aren't, casual fans will be introduced to in this context. If the movie is successful, then we'd have individual franchises.

SPOILERS

Thanos = Darkseid.
Gomorra = Orion.
Infinity Gauntlet = Anti-Life Equation.

Iron Man = Batman.
Spider-Man = Nightwing.
Doctor Strange = The Flash.

Captain America = Superman.
Black Widow = Catwoman.
Winter Soldier/War Machine = Red Hood.

(Just like in "Infinity War," we'd quickly establish that Batman & Superman had a falling out & aren't speaking. Superman is joined by the 'gray area' allies of the Bat -- Selina & Jason -- which only deepens the divide, but also makes it more powerful when they come together.)

Black Panther = Wonder Woman. (Themyscira is hidden like Wakanda.)

Hulk/Vision = Cyborg. (Victor struggles with controlling his 'machine' self, and his Motherbox is the key to protecting Earth from the Anti-Life Equation -- so he's the target which must be protected)

Scarlet Witch = Zatanna.

Thor = Aquaman. (His home has been destroyed by Darkseid's forces, via Boom Tube. Just like Thor joins GOTG, Arthur would join the Green Lanterns, since "space is like an ocean.")

Guardians of Galaxy = Green Lanterns (Hal, Kilowog, John, Kyle are the "space cops" guarding Sector 2814, aboard an advanced spaceship called 'Green Lantern.' The ship's central battery is a ring, which can be worn by any of them as a kind of "super space suit." The ring has all the power as in the comics, but it draws from the ship's battery, so it can only be used briefly before needing to be recharged. Hal Jordan is like Star-Lord. Kilowog is like Drax. John Stewart & Kyle Rayner are like Rocket & Groot; John has a temper and he protects Kyle, who is naturally softer but possesses the rawest power.)

Captain Marvel = Supergirl. ("There is another." The last hope.)
--

So basically the story goes the same as "Infinity War" just reconfigured to be a mix of "Final Crisis", "Crisis On Infinite Earths", and "Darkseid War":

• Orion observes that the god of evil, Darkseid, has finally acquired the equation that will eliminate all life. Orion watches as his adopted home, New Genesis, is ruined. He escapes to warn the rest of the galaxy.
  
• The Green Lanterns find Orion heading to earth. He tries to warn them. They mistakenly believe Orion is the threat, as Kilowog knows Orion is Darkseid's son. Orion escapes and lands in Central City. The next day, Barry Allen discovers that Orion has been "shot" with a "god bullet." Someone has murdered a god.
  
• At the same time, Atlantis is struck by Parademons via Boom Tube. Aquaman fights back, but all is lost. He sends a distress signal before he passes out.
  
• The Flash recruits Batman & Nightwing to figure out what's happening. The 3 detectives work together to deduce that it's an attack on time/space/reality, by the legendary god of evil, Darkseid -- a foe that Superman once faced in the past. They reach out to Superman, but before they can connect, they're attacked by the Army of Apokolips via Boom Tube. Batman is beaten and kidnapped. Nightwing impulsively follows into the Boom Tube against The Flash's recommendation, but The Flash follows.
  
• Superman, ironically now more of an outlaw than Batman, has been working in the shadows with Catwoman & Red Hood (He learns to see the "gray" of things from Selina & Jason, and they learn from his selflessness). At some point in the past, we get the impression that Superman was framed or feels guilty about accidentally attracting evil to Metropolis. Now Superman is learning to "work small." What's fun about this is that, Superman is working with Batman methods, and Batman is working with Superman methods — we see that the Justice League needs them working together to be most effective.
  
• Superman, Red Hood, and Catwoman takes down the Parademons in Gotham City, but Batman/Nightwing are nowhere to be found. Barry Allen is missing, too.
  
• Superman recognizes this is Darkseid & takes his team to Themyscira. They learn from Wonder Woman that they are under attack from an ancient enemy. They are able to find Cyborg and Zatanna, knowing their abilities will be needed for the upcoming war, and bring them to Themyscira, too.
  
• The Green Lanterns follow the distress signal to find Atlantis is destroyed, but Aquaman is floating among the wreckage. Hal Jordan uses the ring to take down the Apokolips Army, and Aquaman is revived. The GLs & Aquaman take it upon themselves to protect Earth, get revenge for Atlantis, and kill Darkseid.
  
• Nightwing and The Flash have snuck into Darkseid's Lair on Apokolips, hoping to save Batman. The Flash still has the "god bullet" from his forensic job, and Nightwing reasons if it could kill Orion, it could kill Darkseid. Working together, The Flash & Nightwing rescue Batman from the torture chamber, and are determined to now finish the job.
  
• We follow the three tracks of heroes — Superman/Wonder Woman's army in Themyscira; Green Lanterns/Aquaman in space heading to Apokolips; and Batman/Flash/Nightwing in Darkseid's Lair — as they each look to defeat Darkseid before he unleashes the Anti-Life Equation.
  
• The GLs/Aquaman arrive to fight Darkseid straight on, which allows for Batman's plan to fire the "god bullet" at Darkseid (instead of a gun, The Flash would throw it at super-speed). But, in fact, Darkseid wanted the heroes to come to Apokolips. The Darkseid here is a cruel illusion from Granny Goodness. The heroes have left Earth unprotected.
  
• Realizing they've been tricked, Batman/Flash/Hal Jordan try to figure out the fastest way to return to Earth.
  
• We realize that Darkseid has been on Earth the entire time — hiding beneath The Daily Planet. That's why they had to eliminate Atlantis first, because only Aquaman protects the "depths." The other heroes spend so much time above ground, in the skies, or in space, to realize the true evil has been under their nose the whole time.
  
• Metropolis, Gotham City, Central City are all attacked by a small force of Parademons, but even a small force is too much without the superheroes. Darkseid gets on television and brings the entire populace under his control with Anti-Life Equation. It is Hell on Earth.
  
• The full army of Parademons attack Themyscira to obtain Cyborg's Mother Box, which, combined with the Anti-Life Equation, will give Darkseid the power to wipe out all life everywhere — instantly.
  
• Distracted by Parademons, Superman/Wonder Woman are unable to prevent Darkseid from Boom Tube'ing to Cyborg. He gets the Mother Box.
  
• Darkseid wins. All over Earth, the entire population is under his control. He speaks the Anti-Life Equation to Mother Box, and everything ceases to exist.
  
• The heroes lose. Existence is gone. Everyone is dead.
  
• Except, in a parallel universe, Supergirl receives the distress signal that Aquaman sent initially. In this reality, the heroes are different versions: Batwoman/Kate Kane. Flash/Wally West. GLs/Jade & Alan Scott. They are visited by the other child of Darkseid — Mister Miracle, and his wife, Big Barda. They've come to warn them — all of existence has been wiped out, except them.
  
• Cliffhanger. The end.
  
• The sequel will have the "parallel universe" reversing time for the "original universe" and joining them in battle to thwart Darkseid. It's kind of like the plot of the "Injustice" game, except instead of fighting Dictator Superman, they are fighting Darkseid.
  
• By the end, we will have met a large number of superheroes, AND established a "Mulitverse." This allows for the "Justice League" franchise to run concurrently with, for example, a "Batman" or "Superman" franchise that has no interest in additional superheroes. It means that the "Dark Knight Trilogy" does exist in the Multiverse, even if we never see Christian Bale in a "Justice League" film.

/SPOILER

What do you think?

How would you do it?

[Restingvoice]

If I'm in charge of DC movies I'm rebooting everything, including some of the costume design.

Man of Steel
Superman's suit will be the Rebirth version. Krypton doesn't look like a Xenomorph nest. The Kents are alive. I don't mind the moral dilemma of killing Zod, but I want Faora/Ursa... whatever her name this time... to be pregnant with Lor-Zod.

Batman vs Superman
Adapting Byrne's Man of Steel #3 and World's Finest instead where Batman pretends he's gonna blow up someone if Superman doesn't work with him while Luthor and Joker are working together. There can still be fight between the two under manipulation of Joker and Luthor, but no Death of Superman and most certainly no Death of Jimmy Olsen. Also Batman is young.

Suicide Squad
The reason the team was formed is the same, to subdue superheroes if they get dangerous, and their powerhouse Enchantress still goes berserk. Superman is alive but that doesn't matter since he can't take Enchantress alone.

Wonder Woman
Move it to present day so Steve Trevor love story can continue. Better design for Ares.

Justice League Part 1
Change it to Trinity instead. Steppenwolf can still be the enemy. The other heroes, Aquaman, Cyborg, Flash, and Green Lantern can be the cameo that will lead to the formation of Justice League. Then Justice League Part 2 can be Justice League proper.

The purpose of all these break down and simplification is so the movies don't have too many subplots that end up having to be cut.

[Trey Strain]

Marvel's movies have beaten DC's movies simply because on average they've been written significantly better.

At this stage, DC needs to go to stand-alone, elseworld movies. There's nothing wrong with that, and they could get some very good stories from that approach.

[skyvolt2000]

First I would stop worrying about what Marvel is doing and realize that is what happens-when you don't let one franchise hold your company hostage.

Once that is realized-we can move on.

I am with Trey- DC needs some stand alone films that can be in the same universe but don't need to mention it.

And to start by targeting those left out demographics and keeping budgets RESPECTABLE.

I don't need a $100 million Blue Beetle film-when I can do it for say $50.

While Black Panther has the black superhero lead on LOCK-I can go after black women with Vixen.

I can go for teen boys with Static and if he's out-Batman & Signal-here we come. Show how Batman trains a person to be a hero and handle a public life.

Show me the world of Doom Patrol.

Show me the worlds smartest man in Michael Holt.

Who is Ragman?

It's not about making a billion of dollars but slowly showing folks DC can make decent films. It's about building a resume like Marvel did.

To where no one will question can DC do (blank) they have 10-15 films that say they finally got it right.

It might means waiting till 2027 for another JL or Batman film.

[bat39]

I think a 'soft reboot' should suffice. Obviously, Snyder's vision didn't resonate with audiences as much they'd have wanted it to - though there's growing appreciation of what could have been after the colossal mess that was Justice League. That said, I don't see the need to completely throw the baby out with the bathwater.

IMO, Flashpoint is the best bet for the future of the DCEU. A full-scale adaptation of the story with a warring Aquaman and Wonder Woman, Cyborg as the prime superhero and of course, Thomas Wayne Batman would be a great spectacle in its own right. Not to mention, it'll better establish Ezra Miller's version of the Flash.

But what's more important is the continuity reset at the end.

I'd recreate the scene from the end of the original story where Barry meets Bruce in the Batcave...but Bruce has now changed (recast). Barry finds it weird for a second, but his own memories of the old timeline are fuzzy now, so he goes along with it.

The new timeline would be similar in broad strokes, with a few changes here and there. The WW films are set in the past anyway, so they'll be completely untouched. Aquaman (if its good, which early buzz suggests it is) too will stay intact. Man of Steel will remain mostly intact. Its when it comes to BvS and JL that things will get a little fuzzy. Obviously, Batman is different (and a bit younger to boot). The general idea will be that at some point, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman got together to fight Doomsday and Superman was killed. He was brought back to life as part of another fight against Steppenwolf, in which Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg also participated. But specifics will be avoided on these events.

In terms of films - well, I'd make the solo Batman film a priority of course. Also a Superman film. The latter should have a somewhat brighter pallet and take a more sci-fi/fantasy approach. Less like MOS and more like, say, Thor Ragnarok. I'd go with Brainiac as the villain for that.

Now...for the new Justice League movie. Thanks to retcons, I'd have THIS be the new true origin of the League (they never officially formed the team in the previous film anyway). I'd do the White Martian invasion story, and have J'onn J'onzz be the one to bring the team together. The line-up will be Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter. The movie will also have a Marine, John Stewart, who midway through the movie becomes a Green Lantern and helps with the fight. This will segue into a GLC spin-off film where he meets the first Green Lantern from earth, Hal Jordan, as well as the likes of Kilowog, Tomar Re, Sinestro etc.

As far as stuff like Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey go...well, it depends. Tonally, I'd make them closer to the tone of the new Batman sub-franchise - a little more TAS and a little less DKR, if you get what I mean.

[Lee Stone]

First thing I would do is drop the idea of a shared universe.

At least at the start.
Just tell good stories.
As long as those stories could possibly take place in the real world (ie: no alternate Earth history) then they should be easy enough to piece together later.

The DCEU needs something to set it apart from Marvel and each franchise existing separately is just as compelling as them being intertwined.
More so, perhaps, because of DC's use of fictional cities, such as Metropolis, Gotham, Star City, and others.

And there's also that by the time DC gets to the point where their shared universe gets rolling, audiences will have grown tired of the concept.
So then DC would be forced to scuttle plans and start over again, giving them less credibility and hurting them more in the long run.

There's also the chance that audiences have changed so much that while DC would likely want a DCEU centered on Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Lantern, modern audiences may respond better to different characters.
They need to be flexible.

So, what I would do is roll out several non-connected DC properties, see which ones work, and then make plans later for them to interract.

[DGraysonWorldsGreatestSpy]

Marvel is about to sprint pass DC on the Cosmic Side and they have characters to feature beyond the Green Lantern Corps which dominate DC's cosmic Side. The best bet would be to incorporate extra-dimensional realms in Skartaris, Pytharia, Gemworld, Myrra etc. you already have the Amazons and Atlantis.

[DebkoX]

I'd give up in the sense that, I'd just go all out cheesy comic book movies that are fun. The DCEU has suffered poor planning, so I would make:

Wonder Woman 2
A Batfamily movie with Black Mask as villain
Superman sequel with Brainiac
Birds of Prey movie

[Brian B]

What Warner Bros. needs is somebody with a vision to guide the DCEU film franchise. They need a Feige. That's all they need. They thought they might have it with Nolan, but he wasn't that interested. They wanted it with Zack Snyder and his wife, but their personal tragedy with the loss of a daughter, they can't do it. Snyder's record was a bit polarizing anyway. The movies weren't all successes. The DCEU has tried to get the some of the solo adventure movies made without an overseer of the line, such as Aquaman and the MIA Batman solo film. Clearly, that's not working. They need Zack Snyder back, but he can't.

They need to replace Zack. Joss Whedon seems like the logical choice to me, despite Justice League. I don't think you can blame that mess on Whedon who probably performed an admirable save. If he's willing to do it, it seems like Whedon has the chops and background to do it.

The only other person I can think of who might have the vision to do it, but he doesn't have the experience with these big budget and effects extravaganzas, is Kevin Smith. He certainly understands the characters. He does have the advantage of making movies cheaply, which could be handy to a big studio.

I don't think Warners is going to get the message though until Aquaman lands like a big, stinky dead fish. Then, maybe, they'll realize they need someone with vision to guide the DCEU.

It's not too late to make the DCEU a huge success. The executive team and board just need to find someone to lead their franchises.

[Charlus]

IW is making in a single weekend as much as JL did in its entire worldwide run. It’s so sad.

[Thor2014]

They need to fix the Batman franchise. That has always been the 'sure bet' for DC and they need to get his film franchise straightened out ASAP. More Wonder Woman and other female-led films. This #MeToo era is very receptive to positive female characterizations. DC needs to take full advantage of that. They had a head start over Marvel (not that it matters) with Wonder Woman, they need to do more. Follow through with the Birds of Prey movie, use the next solo Batman film (whenever that is) to introduce Catwoman and spin her off into her own film. Zatanna, Black Canary and Vixen would be good starts. Use the New Gods movie to introduce Big Barda, she could be a breakout character similar to Wonder Woman if played right.

[Superfly Frankenstein]

How would you get the DC films to be a viable alternative to the Marvel Machine?

On one hand, I think DC should be the "graphic novel" version of comic book movies, and focus on stand-alone films/trilogies. Audiences want more "The Dark Knight" and "Logan" and fewer movies that feel like incomplete 'episodes' like "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." I say, do "Red Son." Do "Injustice." Do Grant Morrison's "Batman Inc." or Tom King's "Batman & Catwoman."

On the other hand, watching "Avengers: Infinity War," I realized that this was essentially a "Justice League: Final Crisis" movie in a lot of ways. Though it helps to have seen the previous Marvel movies, you don't actually need to because the story is all about Thanos. Obviously, Thanos appeared in little easter eggs previously, but "Infinity War" is our true introduction to him. So, if "Infinity War" is your first Marvel movie, you're still able to understand the story, though you might not catch every reference.

If we could go back in time, DC would have been wiser to develop the George Miller version of "Justice League" and then spin-off into individual films thereafter. As it happened, instead DC attempted to do a short-cut version of Marvel's strategy with "Man of Steel" "Batman v Superman" "Suicide Squad" "Wonder Woman" and then "Justice League." So instead of 1 big movie, which might be good or bad, they went with 5 big movies, only 1 of which received widespread praise.

When you re-watch "Infinity War," imagine it's a "Final Crisis" movie, and imagine this is the first entry in the new franchise.

The big advantage DC has over Marvel is we're already familiar with most of the cast -- and the ones we aren't, casual fans will be introduced to in this context. If the movie is successful, then we'd have individual franchises.

SPOILERS

Thanos = Darkseid.
Gomorra = Orion.
Infinity Gauntlet = Anti-Life Equation.

Iron Man = Batman.
Spider-Man = Nightwing.
Doctor Strange = The Flash.

Captain America = Superman.
Black Widow = Catwoman.
Winter Soldier/War Machine = Red Hood.

(Just like in "Infinity War," we'd quickly establish that Batman & Superman had a falling out & aren't speaking. Superman is joined by the 'gray area' allies of the Bat -- Selina & Jason -- which only deepens the divide, but also makes it more powerful when they come together.)

Black Panther = Wonder Woman. (Themyscira is hidden like Wakanda.)

Hulk/Vision = Cyborg. (Victor struggles with controlling his 'machine' self, and his Motherbox is the key to protecting Earth from the Anti-Life Equation -- so he's the target which must be protected)

Scarlet Witch = Zatanna.

Thor = Aquaman. (His home has been destroyed by Darkseid's forces, via Boom Tube. Just like Thor joins GOTG, Arthur would join the Green Lanterns, since "space is like an ocean.")

Guardians of Galaxy = Green Lanterns (Hal, Kilowog, John, Kyle are the "space cops" guarding Sector 2814, aboard an advanced spaceship called 'Green Lantern.' The ship's central battery is a ring, which can be worn by any of them as a kind of "super space suit." The ring has all the power as in the comics, but it draws from the ship's battery, so it can only be used briefly before needing to be recharged. Hal Jordan is like Star-Lord. Kilowog is like Drax. John Stewart & Kyle Rayner are like Rocket & Groot; John has a temper and he protects Kyle, who is naturally softer but possesses the rawest power.)

Captain Marvel = Supergirl. ("There is another." The last hope.)
--

So basically the story goes the same as "Infinity War" just reconfigured to be a mix of "Final Crisis", "Crisis On Infinite Earths", and "Darkseid War":

• Orion observes that the god of evil, Darkseid, has finally acquired the equation that will eliminate all life. Orion watches as his adopted home, New Genesis, is ruined. He escapes to warn the rest of the galaxy.
  
• The Green Lanterns find Orion heading to earth. He tries to warn them. They mistakenly believe Orion is the threat, as Kilowog knows Orion is Darkseid's son. Orion escapes and lands in Central City. The next day, Barry Allen discovers that Orion has been "shot" with a "god bullet." Someone has murdered a god.
  
• At the same time, Atlantis is struck by Parademons via Boom Tube. Aquaman fights back, but all is lost. He sends a distress signal before he passes out.
  
• The Flash recruits Batman & Nightwing to figure out what's happening. The 3 detectives work together to deduce that it's an attack on time/space/reality, by the legendary god of evil, Darkseid -- a foe that Superman once faced in the past. They reach out to Superman, but before they can connect, they're attacked by the Army of Apokolips via Boom Tube. Batman is beaten and kidnapped. Nightwing impulsively follows into the Boom Tube against The Flash's recommendation, but The Flash follows.
  
• Superman, ironically now more of an outlaw than Batman, has been working in the shadows with Catwoman & Red Hood (He learns to see the "gray" of things from Selina & Jason, and they learn from his selflessness). At some point in the past, we get the impression that Superman was framed or feels guilty about accidentally attracting evil to Metropolis. Now Superman is learning to "work small." What's fun about this is that, Superman is working with Batman methods, and Batman is working with Superman methods — we see that the Justice League needs them working together to be most effective.
  
• Superman, Red Hood, and Catwoman takes down the Parademons in Gotham City, but Batman/Nightwing are nowhere to be found. Barry Allen is missing, too.
  
• Superman recognizes this is Darkseid & takes his team to Themyscira. They learn from Wonder Woman that they are under attack from an ancient enemy. They are able to find Cyborg and Zatanna, knowing their abilities will be needed for the upcoming war, and bring them to Themyscira, too.
  
• The Green Lanterns follow the distress signal to find Atlantis is destroyed, but Aquaman is floating among the wreckage. Hal Jordan uses the ring to take down the Apokolips Army, and Aquaman is revived. The GLs & Aquaman take it upon themselves to protect Earth, get revenge for Atlantis, and kill Darkseid.
  
• Nightwing and The Flash have snuck into Darkseid's Lair on Apokolips, hoping to save Batman. The Flash still has the "god bullet" from his forensic job, and Nightwing reasons if it could kill Orion, it could kill Darkseid. Working together, The Flash & Nightwing rescue Batman from the torture chamber, and are determined to now finish the job.
  
• We follow the three tracks of heroes — Superman/Wonder Woman's army in Themyscira; Green Lanterns/Aquaman in space heading to Apokolips; and Batman/Flash/Nightwing in Darkseid's Lair — as they each look to defeat Darkseid before he unleashes the Anti-Life Equation.
  
• The GLs/Aquaman arrive to fight Darkseid straight on, which allows for Batman's plan to fire the "god bullet" at Darkseid (instead of a gun, The Flash would throw it at super-speed). But, in fact, Darkseid wanted the heroes to come to Apokolips. The Darkseid here is a cruel illusion from Granny Goodness. The heroes have left Earth unprotected.
  
• Realizing they've been tricked, Batman/Flash/Hal Jordan try to figure out the fastest way to return to Earth.
  
• We realize that Darkseid has been on Earth the entire time — hiding beneath The Daily Planet. That's why they had to eliminate Atlantis first, because only Aquaman protects the "depths." The other heroes spend so much time above ground, in the skies, or in space, to realize the true evil has been under their nose the whole time.
  
• Metropolis, Gotham City, Central City are all attacked by a small force of Parademons, but even a small force is too much without the superheroes. Darkseid gets on television and brings the entire populace under his control with Anti-Life Equation. It is Hell on Earth.
  
• The full army of Parademons attack Themyscira to obtain Cyborg's Mother Box, which, combined with the Anti-Life Equation, will give Darkseid the power to wipe out all life everywhere — instantly.
  
• Distracted by Parademons, Superman/Wonder Woman are unable to prevent Darkseid from Boom Tube'ing to Cyborg. He gets the Mother Box.
  
• Darkseid wins. All over Earth, the entire population is under his control. He speaks the Anti-Life Equation to Mother Box, and everything ceases to exist.
  
• The heroes lose. Existence is gone. Everyone is dead.
  
• Except, in a parallel universe, Supergirl receives the distress signal that Aquaman sent initially. In this reality, the heroes are different versions: Batwoman/Kate Kane. Flash/Wally West. GLs/Jade & Alan Scott. They are visited by the other child of Darkseid — Mister Miracle, and his wife, Big Barda. They've come to warn them — all of existence has been wiped out, except them.
  
• Cliffhanger. The end.
  
• The sequel will have the "parallel universe" reversing time for the "original universe" and joining them in battle to thwart Darkseid. It's kind of like the plot of the "Injustice" game, except instead of fighting Dictator Superman, they are fighting Darkseid.
  
• By the end, we will have met a large number of superheroes, AND established a "Mulitverse." This allows for the "Justice League" franchise to run concurrently with, for example, a "Batman" or "Superman" franchise that has no interest in additional superheroes. It means that the "Dark Knight Trilogy" does exist in the Multiverse, even if we never see Christian Bale in a "Justice League" film.

/SPOILER

What do you think?

How would you do it?

I like this

[My Two Cents]

D C needs to stop walking away with there ball every time things don't go 100% as planed.

[Colossus1980]

IW is making in a single weekend as much as JL did in its entire worldwide run. It’s so sad.

Speaking from someone who enjoyed Justice League I do find that so disappointing. JL got some unnecessary hate from critics and general audience as well. Should have made more than Suicide Squad IMO.

Man to have the JL team up with the Teen Titans or LOSH or even JSA together onscreen would have been fantastic. With all the characters and action sequences in IW makes me sad thinking that the DCEU might never reach that state where all those heroes team up for one film.

[BatmanJones]

D C needs to stop walking away with there ball every time things don't go 100% as planed.

I'd fault WB more than DC but it's a good point.