Glorious Godfrey in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice?

I was going to write about the tragedy of the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer leaking in shaky cam, forcing Warner Bros. to launch the teaser trailer several days ahead of schedule and very shortly after Star Wars Episode VII's amazing trailer.  However, what is there to really say about this? Yes, it sucks. The person that did this probably also likes telling people that Dumbledore dies on page 596 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Was the teaser trailer better than Star Wars' trailer? No. Did it need to be? Also, no. This was a teaser. It was something to get you excited about the movie coming out in a year.  Remember when Star Wars did that back in November, almost a year before Star Wars is set to release?

Now that all of that is said, let's get into the geeky speculation.  First, if you haven't seen the teaser, here it is:

The trailer brings a lot of messages about Superman being a subject of controversy (funny considering some of the controversy surrounding Man of Steel).  You see a statue of Superman spray-painted with "False God." The trailer continues leading up to the epic showdown of Batman and Superman. Granted, after Kryptonians tried to terraform Earth, people may blame it on Superman.  However, he did ultimately save the planet. So, why would so many people hate him?  They obviously loved him enough to build a statue of him.

I've got one answer for you - Glorious Godfrey. I'll save you from reading the entire Wikipedia page.  Glorious Godfrey is the master manipulator of Darkseid, the planet conquering villain thought to be the villain in the Justice League film. Godfrey poses as a tv personality, G. Gordon Godfrey, on Earth in an effort to turn the Earth's population against superheroes.  He does this after Earth's superheroes are attacked by monsters causing major collateral damage.  Ultimately, the goal is to remove Earth's superheroes from the picture, making it easier for Darkseid to take over the Earth.

In the DC Cinematic Universe, Darkseid may see an opportunity.  In the wake of the near destruction of Metropolis, he just needs people to no longer see Superman as a savior honored by monuments. He needs them to see the Man of Steel as a threat they are powerless against.

That's how it starts -
the fever, the rage,
the feeling of powerlessness
that turns good men cruel.

This may even be the cause of Batman and Superman fighting.  Even Batman may prove somewhat susceptible to GG's manipulative powers.

While I don't think that we'll see Darkseid in this movie, I think it's very possible to see something post-credits of Glorious Godfrey reporting to Darkseid (see Avengers post-credit scene of Thanos).

Who might be playing Godfrey?  There is one cast member that I think would make an interesting choice, as he does not have a confirmed role: Callan Mulvey.

Compare his picture to the most recent comic appearance of Glorious Godfrey.

 

Possible MCU Origins for Ultron

As most comic book fans know, Hank Pym (a.k.a. Ant-Man) created Ultron. Since Joss Whedon said Ultron will have an origin without Hank Pym, fans have wondered how they will introduce Ultron. Many have speculated that it would be a damaged JARVIS AI from Iron Man. I have a feeling that we have been given a few clues to the origins.

WARNING - CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER SPOILERS AHEAD

Let's start with the first movie that could lead to Ultron, Iron Man 2.  Remember the Senate subcommittee hearing.  Garry Shandling's character requested that Tony Stark turn over the Iron Man armor.

The government eventually gets the Iron Man armor when Rhodey turns it over.  Justin Hammer augments the armor to become War Machine and be operated remotely.

This leads us to Captain America: The Winter Soldier (AGAIN, SPOILERS AHEAD).  Garry Shandling reprises his character of Senator Stern from Iron Man 2 briefly.  He leans into Agent Sitwell and says, "Hail HYDRA," revealing the two of them are HYDRA agents embedded in SHIELD and the US government (also inspiring multiple internet memes).  While his character is taken in by the FBI at the end of the movie, I think he already performed at least one deed to help HYDRA in the future.

We can assume that since HYDRA was embedded in the US government, HYDRA has plans to the Iron Man armor.  Senator Stern was likely tasked with getting the armor turned over to the US government to help HYDRA.

There is only one planned MCU movie between now and Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy.  I don't believe that Guardians will tie to the rest of the MCU outside of a possible end-credits scene.  This means that the world that we left Captain America: The Winter Soldier will be the same world that we see at the beginning of Avengers: Age of Ultron.  SHIELD is disbanded and HYDRA is a threat, and that is all that we will know (outside of episodes of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD) going into Avengers: Age of Ultron.  Many have theorized that it is a malfunctioning JARVIS technology that becomes Ultron.  At the end of Iron Man 3, Tony blew up everything related to Iron Man though.  Having HYDRA create their own Iron Man suit with AI would give Tony reason to recreate Iron Man.  A malfunctioning JARVIS technology is something we might see in an Iron Man 4; however, HYDRA is something that would be big and bad enough to unite the world's greatest heroes together again.

Jennifer Lawrence Gets it...

Understanding Katniss in the book is the key to portraying Katniss in the movie

During the 2013 Comic Con convention, the stars and director of Hunger Games: Catching Fire held a panel to discuss their upcoming movie. There were some interesting answers to some of the questions asked, but a few responses gave me a good feeling about how I can expect Jennifer Lawrence to portray Katniss Everdeen in this installment of the Hunger Games trilogy. 

Responses from the questions from the Comic con convention

Here is Lawrence's response to her view of Katniss in this movie.

"She's struggling with post-traumatic stress from the Games," Lawrence said, "and she has this new life now where she never has to worry about food. She's living in the Victors Village, and that kind of leaves her feeling useless."

Absolutely! 

In the first third of the book, Katniss is trying to find her place in District 12. She's different, everything is different. While she desperately trys to live her past life hunting the woods with Gale. She knows deep down that everything is different. Gale is now in the mines. Peeta hasn't spoken to her in six months. Now that she is a Victor, Katniss will never have to worry about food and now lives in the Victor's Village. 

As for the post-traumatic stress, we can see this too. Katniss can't sleep. Her only joy in winning the Hunger Games is the once a month shipment of food for the rest of District 12. Who can blame her. This hits upon one of the main overall themes of the entire trilogy and that is the concept that war changes people. Often times on the most basic, emotional, and psychological level. The book is more graphic and bloody than the stylized vision of past director Gary Ross.

  
Discussing Katniss's love triangle with Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and Gale (Liam Hemsworth), she continued: "She has to adapt to this new life. She's now experienced something with Peeta that only the two of them can understand.

"So with Gale, who she's known most of her life and who she always felt understood certain parts of her, now really Peeta understands a part of her that Gale never will."

Exactly!

While I scoff at the notion that this love triangle storyline is just a Twilight knockoff, the relationship Katniss has with Gale and Peeta becomes clearer in that there is a better focus at juxtaposing their relationships. Since Peeta is also a Victor, he is the only person who understands Katniss' emotions and experiences. For anyone who has read the book, the only time Katniss can ever get a good night sleep is in the arms of Peeta. On the Victory Tour, Katniss and Peeta sleep together a lot. No, literally sleep together a lot. Both finding comfort in each other. 

I'll be curious to see if the movie will address this facet. Only because it succinctly portrays Katniss' post-tramatic stress and her very rational response to want to be close to Peeta because only he knows what she went through. As for Peeta, well, he's always been in love with Katniss,  their relationship grows deeper throughout the entire book.

What I find interesting is seeing the difference in the relationship between Katniss and Peeta as it relates to the Hunger Games. Outside the Hunger Games and Capitol, Peeta and Katniss are distant. They didn't talk during the six months after the Hunger Games. It's weird, but on purpose. I can't think everything is wonderful and perfect after going through the trauma of the Hunger Games. At their core, both Katniss and Peeta are different people. He has blond hair and blue eyes, she has olive skin and gray eyes. He is part of the better off merchant class of District 12, she is a part of the working class, poor Seam. She is an outdoor hunter, he is NOT and outdoorsy type of guy. However, in the context of the Hunger Games and Capitol, both Katniss and Peeta grow closer. I look forward to seeing how this relates and is portrayed in the movie.  

As for Gale, he is now 18 and working in the mines. Their only interactions is on Sunday when they both go into the woods to hunt. It is clear that Gale is also in love with Katniss. (Remember at the beginning of the Hunger Games, when Gale asks Katniss to just run away with him) Game even sneaks in a kiss one day while he and Katniss were done with hunting. Katniss spends some time trying to internalize the kiss. It's meaning. Her reactions. This relationship comes to a head when Katniss attempts to ask Gale to run away with her. Her reactions, when Gale tells her he loves her, is not what Gale expected.

As a fan, its good to know that the main actor, Jennifer Lawrence, understands her character. It shows that she respects the book and story. Having won an Oscar, I have no doubt Ms. Lawrence will be able to handle the emotional heavy lifting the role of Katniss Everdeen comes with. 

And thats not even addressing the craziness of Mockingjay...

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will be released on November 21 in the UK, and November 22 in the US.