by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor
Forget everything you know about the DC Universe! Justice League: Gods and Monsters is here, and it is about to change the way you look at Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. The newest DC Universe Original Movie features the return of animation legend Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series), and features a very different take on DC’s Trinity. On a parallel Earth, Superman is the son of Zod, Batman is a vampire, and Wonder Woman is a former New God. With this information at hand, do we really want to trust these three to save the world?
In a different timeline, Kal-El is not our hero in blue, Batman is not Bruce Wayne, and Diana Prince never left Paradise Island. Gods and Monsters is a very different world than the one we know, but still features some familiar faces. Throughout the movie, we learn bits and pieces about the origins of the new heroes, and how the trinity came together:
- Superman: As Krypton was exploding, Jor-El went to launch his unborn son into space (via a DNA pod), but was stopped by General Zod. Zod instead overwrites Jor-El’s DNA with his own, and launches HIS son into the unknown. The ship crashes to Earth, and was found by Mexican migrant farmers. Raised with slightly different ideals, this Superman still looks out for the little guy, but has no problem with drastic action.
- Batman: Kirk Langstrom might be known as Man-Bat in our universe, but in this world, he is BATMAN. Langstrom attempted to develop a cure for cancer, and ended up transforming himself into a genetically modified vampire. Now he uses his scientific knowledge and bat-like abilities to save lives, and also hold off his growing thirst for blood.
- Wonder Woman: The New Gods and forces of Apokolips have come together to celebrate the arranged marriage of Bekka and Orion! After years of war, peace is finally within reach… In this world, the New Gods launched a last ditch effort to take out Darkseid and his minions, which lead to a sneak attack at Bekka’s wedding. When her fiance is murdered, Bekka heads out into the universe to escape her past and forge a new destiny.
Present Day: The power of the recently formed Justice League has gotten out of hand. Their complete disregard for authority and brutal actions have raised a lot of questions by the governments of the world. When Victor Fries (Mr. Freeze), Ray Palmer (The Atom), and Silas Stone and his son Victor (Cyborg and his dad), are murdered under mysterious circumstances, the blame falls to the League. With a little help from his old college friend Will Magnus, Batman must race to uncover the truth behind “Project FairPlay”. How does it link to Lex Luthor? And who wants the Justice League taken out of the picture?
Cast and Crew
Justice League: Gods and Monsters features Benjamin Bratt (24: Live Another Day) as Superman, Michael C. Hall (Dexter) as Batman/Kirk Langstrom, and Tamara Taylor (Bones) as Wonder Woman. These three did a fantastic job as the twisted versions of the characters that we know and love. Taylor stood out as my personal favorite of the three, with Hall taking a close second. Jason Isaacs (Star Wars: Rebels) was the perfect choice for this new version of Lex Luthor, and did a great job making the role his own. I felt that his take was very different than the previous versions of Lex, and the casting worked out better than I could have expected. I also wanted to give a shout out to Josh Keaton (Green Lantern: The Animated Series), who voiced Orion. While his role might have been small, the chemistry between Keaton and Taylor ended up being one of the best pieces of the film.
Bruce Timm’s return to the animated world has been something that fans have been waiting for. His character designs for this project were creative and fresh, and you can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia seeing his animation style come to life once more. The amazing Andrea Romano (she has too many credits to list…so here is her IMDB page) is back as Voice Director for this feature, and brought another all-star cast to the table. The script was written by Alan Burnett (Batman: The Animated Series), who wrote one of the best DC Universe Original Film scripts that we have seen in a while. The quality of the writing was drastically improved over some of the more recent releases, and we can only hope that Burnett will continue to contribute his talents to the growing slate of DC Animated projects.
*ALTERNATE REALITIES: Infinite Possibilities Featurette- A look at some of the alternate universe versions of the DC Universe.
*CALCULATED RISKS: The Making of Gods and Monsters Featurette – Bruce Timm discusses taking the concepts of the DC Universe and finding a way to do something completely new with existing heroes.
*The New Gods – The 2010 Jack Kirby Documentary
*Sneak Peak at DC Universe’s Next Animated Movie – Batman: BAD BLOOD: This installment will continue where Batman VS Robin left off. When Batman suddenly disappears, it is up to Dick Grayson to fill the role of the Caped Crusader! This film will also introduce Batwoman to the DC Universe Original Film series.
Bruce Timm’s Justice League: Gods and Monsters is a big win for Warner Home Video, and proves to be one of the best of the recent slate of original projects. There really isn’t anything that I would change about the film. All parties involved in the creation of this project brought their “A-Game”. Fans will be pleased to know that this isn’t the last time that we will be seeing the Gods and Monsters Universe, as a follow up Digital Animated Series will be released in 2016. I personally can’t wait to see what they do next.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives Justice League: Gods and Monsters 5 out of 5 uses of the Metal Men.
