Zack Snyder’s Justice League: Each Main Character, Ranked By Story Arc

Due to the expanded runtime in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the characters involved had a lot more to offer than the original release. Moreover, there were so many plotlines included in this cut that the characters’ storylines were different in many ways than what fans had expected.

Overall, everyone got an arc of their own in addition to their contribution to the main storyline. These were instrumental in establishing the characterizations of the heroes and villains. While they all got their specific moments of importance, some characters did have more notable arcs than others. Due to this, it’s worth taking a detailed look into who got the best one.

10 Martian Manhunter

The revelation that Calvin Swanwick is the Martian Manhunter is certainly an intriguing idea. However, he wasn’t given as much to do in the movie compared to the others. The Manhunter’s role was to push characters like Lois and Bruce Wayne toward the paths that would avoid catastrophes in the future.

What’s notable about his arc is that he’s been established as a pacifist, meaning his role in Man of Steel retroactively ties into this movie to reveal that he’s been working behind-the-scenes to ensure that things never get out of hand.

9 Lois Lane

Lois’s onscreen presence was lighter compared to Batman v Superman, but she was crucial to the plot as the person who got the revived Superman to return to his senses. She was also shown under depression for most of the movie, making the theme of loss central to her plot.

It was a good way to show to the audience the impact of Superman’s death, with Lois also tying in with Martian Manhunter’s arc. With the reveal that the movie’s Knightmare future was influenced by the Injustice comics, Lois’s status as the moral compass of Superman makes her all-important going forward.

8 Aquaman

Arthur’s arc involved him mellowing down and learning to trust someone other than himself for once. For the most part, though, his development was restricted in order for the Aquaman film to fill in the gaps of his past.

Still, it was heartwarming to see him lose his gruff nature and realize that there truly is strength in numbers and not everyone is out to do harm to him. It could have been a lot more but Aquaman’s story was just right to set the stage for his future.

7 Wonder Woman

Like Aquaman, Wonder Woman’s own sequel has been set up, meaning this movie had her play the role of bringing the team together. She didn’t have as much of a development of character, but was central to the conflict and for introducing the lore behind Darkseid.

Wonder Woman’s main arc involved seeking vengeance for Steppenwolf’s actions against the Amazons, which she closed off by taking his life in the movie’s closing moments. It was a classic angle involving a hero giving the villain their comeuppance.

6 Superman

Despite missing for almost three hours of the movie, Superman was the character around whom the plot revolved. He was the reason the heroes could face the threat of Steppenwolf and Darkseid, although the story also left out room for his actions in the possible dark future.

His main plot, though, was a conclusion of the plotline that began in Man of Steel and Dawn of Justice as Superman accepted the responsibility that came with his status as the protector of Earth to return just in time and aid the Justice League.

5 Batman

On the face of it, it might appear as if Batman factored in the least against Steppenwolf, but the victory of the Justice League was the end of his arc from Dawn of Justice. He was able to make amends for his role in Superman’s death and prevented the disaster he felt was about to happen from years prior.

Of course, his arc also involved tackling the possible Knightmare future, which places Batman as the key to avoiding this from coming to pass. In essence, Batman was the one who kept the grand scope of things as a constant reminder for the viewer.

4 Darkseid

Darkseid’s role was more than just to dole out villainous monologues, as his backstory of the first invasion of Earth established his arc to be his pursuit of the Anti-Life Equation. His defeat is what added the layer to his character, as Darkseid’s contempt at his greatest failure was clear.

Although he wasn’t the primary antagonist, Darkseid being set-up as the greater scope villain ties the future of the DCEU with him. He’s also the character that’s meant to represent the true face of evil within this cinematic universe.

3 The Flash

The DCEU took a nod toward the comics by showing The Flash using his powers of time travel. This rounded off his arc of overcoming adversity as he’d been done hard by life up until that point due to his failure to get a job or free his father from prison.

The Flash’s story was one of self-worth, as he had to save the Earth to realize that he was “one of the best of the best.” Staying true to his character, the movie made his plot to be a relatable one with Barry facing problems like financial woes that the average person can understand.

2 Steppenwolf

While the movie stayed true to Steppenwolf’s role in the comics of being Darkseid’s underling, he was also given a sympathetic characterization. His story was him being a reluctant weapon for Darkseid who used him to destroy worlds.

Steppenwolf really only wanted to go back home, a request he had been denied for centuries as his penance was to vanquish thousands of worlds. It was a good arc that allowed Steppenwolf to be more than just a generic villain looking to conquer, as it was understandable how he was trapped in this situation.

1 Cyborg

Zack Snyder’s Justice League showed just how much of Cyborg’s scenes had been cut from the original release. In this version, he was arguably the main character as his tragic background of losing his mother and his own body played out front and center.

His arc had to do with Cyborg accepting his new form and that he was only alone if he felt that way. He had another storyline of his estrangement with his father, whom he posthumously reconciled with to realize that he had loved his father all along. The movie truly made Cyborg a complete character, one who was the heart of the main plot.

About The Author

Saim Cheeda
(1344 Articles Published)

Saim Cheeda is an entertainment writer covering all of Film, TV, Gaming and Books. He’s been a writer for Valnet since 2017, contributing 500+ articles for The Gamer, The Things, Game Rant, Comic Book Resources and Screen Rant. Apart from freelance writing, Saim is a lifestyle blogger, co-owning the blog 3 States Apart.

http://3statesapart.com

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