Stories by @justincasts

Batman Beyond: Hush

Following the events of "JL: Infinite Crisis", Terry McGinnis travels back to his home timeline in the future, now altered due to those events. Brother Eye is no longer a threat. But a new threat has risen, and is going around Neo-Gotham committing violent and deadly crimes in the style of Batman's classic rogues, targeting and killing those still alive. Bruce Wayne, Terry's mentor, is a casualty and he too falls to this mysterious new villain who calls himself Hush. With help from an older retired Barbara Gordon and other Bat Family members, they work to take down Hush and reveal his true identity. In the end, Terry identifies the true enemy behind the curtain, Amanda Waller, who reveals a stunning truth that rocks his world forever.

Birds of Prey: War Games

This film follows Stephanie Brown and Black Canary, as the latter forms a team of heroines (with Huntress, Dove, and Lady Vic) to take down the last remaining branch of Levitathan, led by Bane. Backed by Barbara Gordon, now Commissioner of Gotham PD, Dinah must reckon with her friendship to assemble the team and stop Bane, working with Scarecrow and the Joker-lite Punchline, from spreading the dangerous drug "thrill". Stephanie grapples with being rejected by Batman and Tim Drake and with her unresolved relationship with her father. When she steals Batman's master plans to infiltrate Leviathan, she ends up causing a violent street war that the new team must now combat to save her. Barbara and Dinah fight each other and Batman. Bane tortures and kills Brown. But she saved by an unlikely ally who confronts Bruce with an ultimatum that will put the entire Bat Family to the test. Artwork is mine.

Batman 6: The Vigilante

Gotham City is on the rise, with an influx of money, it is revitalizing after the "No Man's Land" event. The political structure has stabilized (on the surface) and Gotham PD is reorganizing, and working with Pres. Luthor's anti-vigilante decree to keep crime down. Bruce Wayne, wary of Batman activities, is enjoying a casual night out on the town, when he suddenly comes home to a dead woman - Vesper Fairchild, whom he once dated - in his home and is accused of murder. This takes him on a whirlwind journey into his consciousness and the world of popular opinion in Gotham. But it turns out, this was all a ruse set up to test him by a man called David Cain, who is Cassandra's father and Bruce's brutal one-time mentor. Meanwhile, Barbara is grieving her father's death and wrestling with a decision to follow in his footsteps. She mentors Cassandra and a new vigilante named Stephanie Brown, who's criminal father is involved in David Cain's twisted plot. Batman starts to question his abilities and role.

Black Canary

This shows the origin of Dinah Lance as Black Canary and why she is such an indispensable force on the JL. The film is set in the present day, in Star City, as she and Green Arrow work out their feelings and fight to take down the mysterious shadow terror organization Leviathan. Dinah also confronts her history as a spy, an expert fighter, and of getting superpowers through govt experimentation, discovering that Leviathan was embedded in the govt and was behind it all. She and Oliver Queen use their skillsets to rescue Sam Lane and take down the leader, Mark Shaw, and the resurrected Talia al Ghul before they start a global war for power. We also see Dinah's friendship with Barbara Gordon. She tries to convince Barbara not to take up her father's job as Commissioner. This film takes place after Batman 6. Artwork is mine.

Suicide Squad: Pledge of Allegiance

Amanda Waller recruits and threatens an unconventional team of disgruntled villains to try to stop a presidential assassination and election by the shadow organization, Leviathan. But they don't and end up causing more chaos. The attack was carried out with a Kryptonite bullet, and they have to figure out why and find who did. Lex Luthor takes advantage of the chaos and takes the reigns, entering the race for President (thus precipitating the events in the Superman and Batman films). Of course, he wins, and it turns out Waller set everything up to help Luthor achieve his goals.

Blue & Gold 2: Unto the Reach

It's a buddy cop time travel comedy heist movie. Mina Ali is now Goldstar working alongside Jaime Reyes as Blue Beetle to stop a heist and a villain who threatens to alter past events, damaging reality and existence as we know it. But this is just the cover. The real villain is a conquering alien race called The Reach, and it's governing Hivemind, which created the Scarab a millennia ago with the purpose of infiltrating and conquering Earth. Reyes must confront this reality and fight against being corrupted by his Scarab and The Reach into being a world destroyer.

Batman 5: No Man's Land

Lex Luthor is now a two-term President, and is more popular than ever with his anti-metahuman and vigilante agenda. Criminals are emboldened, overwhelming police departments. The rogues in Gotham see Batman's protection of Joker in the Injustice crisis as validation for their behavior and they get more extreme and aggressive. A mega earthquake strikes Gotham, killing thousands, razing all its bridges, and cutting it off from the mainland. Luthor seizes the opportunity to isolate Batman. He declares that Gotham is exiled from the country and is now a no man's land, sending the military to block its borders. Bruce spends a month away poorly lobbying Congress on behalf of the city. When he returns, he sees the devastation and lawlessness that has overtaken the city. Superman tries to assist but Bruce declines. They agree to a truce. Batman teams up with the Bat Family, including Huntress and a mysterious Cassandra Cain, to get things back in order. Bruce figures out that Lex was behind all of it- the earthquake and the lawlessness- in order to take control of the city for himself. But before he gets to reveal it, Lex announces that he will allow Gotham to rejoin the country and will personally fund the rebuilding. He says he will make Gotham the gateway to America, where all are welcomed - except vigilantes and superhumans. He activates the military and claims that it is every American's "duty" to detain or eliminate vigilantes and superheroes on sight.

Superman 4: House of L

In the wake of “Injustice”, Lex Luthor takes advantage of the destructive superhero rift and the sentiment of paranoia in the country, and runs for President. He wins on an anti-metahuman/superhero platform and immediately starts hammering down on superhero activities across the country. Lex uses propaganda to frame Superman for the death of Manchester Black and for terrorizing the citizens of Gotham and Metropolis. He claims that Superman only pretended to be a hero and is growing tired, thus becoming the alien monster invader Lex foresaw. When Americans start to reject Superman's assistance, spreading the gospel of Lex, Clark retreats to Smallville. Government scientists learn of a large Kryptonite meteor headed straight for Earth. Lex capitalizes on this and also blames Superman, thus making himself appear as humanity's savior. He knowingly uses ineffective weapons to stop the meteor from striking with the plan to let it hit so that he can remake the world in his image. He also knows that Superman won't call on Batman to help and doesn't have access to hi-tech weaponry to stop the disaster from happening. But Superman, always willing to help humanity, does get help from an unlikely ally, Toyman, who builds a one-time use robot exoskeleton that allows Superman to deflect the meteor, leaving him sustained with major injuries. Meanwhile, Jimmy and a now-healthy Lois out themselves in danger trying to infiltrate a black site being used to inhumanely detain metahumans.

Batman 4: Injustice

Batman, Tim Drake, Black Lightning, and Wally West investigate a string of crime lab thefts in Gotham, Central City, San Francisco, and Metropolis. Jack Napier has become the Joker once more, and even more unhinged than ever. He has kidnapped Lois Lane as well as Scarecrow and Poison Ivy, broken into crime labs and is developing a new toxin that will trick Superman into attacking the woman he loves more than life itself. His actions against Lois and the Joker will trigger a bitter rift with Batman - who ends up protecting the Joker from the Man of Steel's wrath - that will reverberate violently throughout the superhero community and the country. In the end, Joker/Napier agrees to be placed in a newly reorganized Arkham Institute, headed again by Huge Strange but, as the post-credits scene shows, Harley Quinn enters the room and immediately kills him and (because he threatened her and Ivy) plans her own revenge on Joker.

Superman 3: World's Finest

An unlikely pair, Mister Freeze and Silver Banshee team up on a mission to find cures for their tragic conditions. I'm doing so, they wreak havoc on Metropolis, causing mass hysteria. Batman and Superman team up to stop them, employing their skills of excellent deduction and intuition. It's also a film that shows the two of them as real friends, not just colleagues. This is especially important as Clark is trying to make peace with Lois not being in his life. Maybe Bruce will set him up on a blind date with Diana (brief cameo). But they'll laugh and it won't work. Meanwhile, Bruce can be dealing with his own love triangle, with lingering feelings for Selina and a budding romance with Lucius Fox’s daughter. The movie ends on a sweet note with Clark and Lois expressing their love for each other, (and either go their separate ways or get back together). This film importantly occurs just before and leads right into Batman 4.

Batman 3: White Knight

Batman and Robin confront an old enemy who can barely control himself, the Joker. After a violent run-in with Batgirl, he has been given medicine to make him well, and as the lawyer Jack Napier he exposes Batman's crimes and betrayal of Gotham, becoming beloved by the city. But he teeters on the edge of madness. When both the elites and Gotham PD turn on him, exposing his true identity, Batman must ultimately give himself up in order to save the city he loves. Meanwhile, Jack starts dating Lois Lane. This film loosely adapts parts of the award winning "Batman: White Knight" and "The Killing Joke" graphic novels.

Harleen and the Joker

Based on the “Harleen” graphic novel, showing Harley's history with Joker and Ivy. And her time at Arkham as a doctor interacting with various inmates. Harvey Dent is her mentor, friend, and a suitor. The good and the very bad of it all. Hugo Strange is her boss, mentor, and abuser. Joker appears to be a savior at first, rescuing her from Strange and her buttoned up life. But he turns out to be an even worse nightmare. Ivy is constantly recurring as a safe and peaceful presence, and a comedic relief. The film spends most of its time with her innocence and optimism, her descent into madness, then her crimes and abusive period with Joker, and ends with her hopefulness of a future with Ivy.

Batman 2: Gotham Knight

Bruce wrestles with the fact that he can't save everyone and loses his friend Harvey Dent to the darkness. Also, he fights the masterminds behind this slow fall from grace, the Court of Owls, Talon, Azrael, and Riddler - who they want to help instigate a total purge of Gotham. They capture Harvey because he was getting too close to exposing their long held secrets. Bruce learns about the dark history of Gotham and his own family. All the while, Poison Ivy mounts a vast threat to Gotham’s existence, claiming to undo the harm done by men and return it to nature. Batman, weighing allying with the Court of Owls against Ivy, questions his role and capacity as Gotham's protector.

Batman

Batman realizes he needs other people and can't do this alone. Unsure about placing more young ones in danger after Dick, Jason, and Tim, Bruce decides to retreat into independence again. He even pushes away Selina Kyle, the love of his life, after she turned down his marriage proposal. But when his former flame Talia shows up, he takes Alfred's advice and embraces a new kind of Robin in his son Damian. I'm doing so, he fights his own one-time father figure, Ra’s al Ghul. Will Batman be able to save his new son from a life of terror and himself from falling back into his own trauma?

Kingdom Come

In an alternate timeline thirty years in the future, the heroes of the Justice League have become disillusioned with the world and a new generation of antiheroes has taken their place. When they fail to stop a devastating nuclear explosion, the heroes must decide whether they still have the capacity or desire to inspire hope in the world. The story follows Jim Corrigan, who is pursued by a mysterious divine entity, and given the chance to have the power to affect reality itself, though at great personal cost. It also follows Wonder Woman (instead of Superman), who has become violent and disillusioned with the life of a superhero. She convinced Superman to reform the JL, while Batman forms his own team, and in the end, they must work to stop a cataclysmic event. This film is part of the JL Darkseid saga.

Aquaman 3: The Heart of Kings

This film involves the history of Atlantis and the devastating conflict between King Atlan and his brother Orin. Atlan created seven mystical objects to combat his brother and take back the kingdom. Atlan also imprisoned Orin's right-hand man, the evil sorcerer Kordax, in a prison for all time unsure of how to kill him. In the present, climate change and warmer oceans have released Kordax from his icy prison, and he goes on a killing spree in Atlantis. Nearly unstoppable, he sets his sights on the youngest heir of King Atlan, Aquaman's infant son. He kills recklessly to get to him, including Siren and other notable Atlanteans who sacrifice themselves to help Aquaman and Mera escape with the baby. He will need to assemble a team of unlikely allies (including Orm and Black Manta) to help him locate the seven relics in order to combat and stop Kordax once and for all. Will they betray him or help save his baby and the kingdom from this evil entity?

Aquaman 2: Rise of Atlantis

This film takes place in the aftermath of the events of JL Drowned Earth. Two years later, Atlantis is still reeling from the devastation caused by the ancient sea demons gods. Aquaman's Trident has been broken as has the spirit of his people. The Atlanteans are angry and threaten to rise up against Arthur. He leaves Orm in charge of Atlantis while he goes on a worldwide adventure to locate magical relics that can repair the divine weapon and restore order to Atlantis. Meanwhile, the rival kingdom of Xebel, led by Mera's sister and figures from her past, invades Atlantis hoping to take advantage of its present disorder. Also, Black Manta begins to plant seeds of doubt in Orm's head and tries to manipulate Atlanna, but ends up falling for her instead.

Aquaman: Before the Fall

This film should release after JL Drowned Earth but serves as a prequel to it. It shows how Aquaman and Atlantis angered and awoke the ancient sea gods to begin with, and how Poseidon really died. This is sort of an origin film for the bitter Aquaman-Black Manta conflict. And it's a movie really about BM, who is the son of a man who used to work for Lionel Luthor building weapons. But Lionel cut him out of the company and stuffed him away. The JL fight with Amazo reaches the ocean and Atlantis but Aquaman, the king, does not want to intervene. He causes a flood in the city to shield his borders from the surface world conflict. This unintentionally kills the man, and his son grieves, eventually learning that the flood was not natural but Aquaman. David creates a powerful supersuit and calls himself Black Manta and vows revenge, he learns of the ancient sea demons who tell him how to kill Poseidon and steal his Trident to take over Atlantis, which he does. This causes the conflict in JL 3, which ends with Arthur taking back the throne and imprisoning David. This film ends, however, with David taking the throne of Atlantis and expelling Aquaman-- which is how he ends up with the JL on the surface.

The Justice League 3: Drowned Earth

This movie introduces Aquaman to the team as ancient sea demons kill Poseidon (who captured them long ago) and unleash a watery hell on earth. The core members are fighting at their best, and are reaching their peak as the Justice League. But while the world generally loves them, there is a brewing sentiment that the disaster would not have happened if there were no superpowered people. There is also wonder and fear among humans of the newly exposed Kingdom of Atlantis that will be further explored in Aquaman films. This film should precede the WW film with Athena, further justifying her revenge. This film should also precede the first Aquaman film, which should deal with the aftermath of this event. Eventually, Mera will become Atlantis' representative to the surface world and on the JL, to help smooth over tensions when needed. The sea demons gods will wipe Coast City off the map, which will have a direct effect on the Green Lanterns. The flooding will also tie into, later, the "Red and Green" mini-series, as well as one of the Batwoman/Nightwing films. And could serve as a very early pretext for Batman 5 (the one with Freeze/Ivy). So basically, this movie is a way to open up the DC landscape.

The Justice League 2: The Savage Age

Following the events of The Flash 2, the team reorganizes to combat Vandal Savage and his newly formed Injustice Society to set in motion a plot to take over the world and wipe out all superhumans. The team consists of the original seven, but with added appearances from Cyborg and Green Arrow, but no Green Lantern this time. Cyborg discovers a secret and dangerous power and risks his safety to try and contain it.