Man of Steel doesn't open for another couple of days, but Warner Bros. is feeling gutsy enough to already green light the sequel. The decision pretty much bumps Justice League off the radar for another couple of years, but opens up a wealth of other possibilities. Along with giving Superman wider berth to evolve as a cinematic character, it offers the chance to introduce other heroes and lay the foundation for a shared superhero universe. Fans will want to watch Man of Steel closely for a couple of early attempts at doing just that (keep an eye on the buildings and spy satellites), but there's one reference that many will probably glance right over.
Screenwriter David Goyer, who also worked on Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, says that a comment in the film is basically a tease for the hero known as Cyborg, a prominent member of the Justice League...
Goyer: "We mentioned S.T.A.R. Labs at one point, that's kind of a connection to Cyborg."
Cyborg was primarily known as a member of the Teen Titans, who were sort of like the New Mutants to Marvel's X-men. Thanks to some recent continuity tweaking over DC Comics, Cyborg is now considered one of the Justice League's founding members, standing beside Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Green Lantern, Flash, and Aquaman. S.T.A.R. Labs is responsible for the experiment that caused his body to be destroyed, leading to his rebirth as a cybernetic hero.
Merely hinting at the presence of Cyborg suggests that Warner Bros. is already looking at ways to expand their universe, and fit other heroes into this new world Superman inhabits. What's also clear is that the Batman of Nolan's trilogy doesn't fit into any future plans....
Goyer: "The 'Dark Knight' films do not exist in the same universe [as 'Man of Steel']. Zack [Snyder] has gone on record. The fact that we have Wayne Industries on the satellite, Bruce Wayne exists in this universe. Lex Luthor exists in this universe. Other metahumans do exist in this universe, so the hope is, depending on how the film does, that we'll be able to roll into some other films."
Perhaps in Man of Steel 2 we'll see a reference to Guillermo Del Toro's Justice League Dark? [MTV]
