The DC Extended Universe movies usually aren’t shy about racheting up the death toll, so does anyone not make it to the end of its biggest superhero extravaganza to date?
Note: This article contains what should be considered sizable spoilers for Justice League. Reader discretion is therefore advised.
The current wave of DC Comics-based superhero flicks haven’t been shy about sending characters to meet their makers. Whether it’s sidekick/love interest types or the many average citizens that clearly bought it during the Superman-Zod donnybrook in Man of Steel (followed by the villain himself), it’s more common than not that someone or a bunch of someones fails to see the closing credits in a DCEU movie.
Justice League is no exception, but it’s all nameless folks who go to meet their maker. Steppenwolf definitely kills a few nameless S.T.A.R. labs employees while searching for the Mother Box guarded by mankind. He also slays several Amazons and probably some Atlanteans in the process of acquiring the Mother Boxes in their homes.
Civilians, though, mostly emerge from the bit set pieces in pretty good shape. The Justice League makes a point of clearing away the normal people in harm’s way in Russia, with Flash and Superman both detouring from the big brawl to make sure innocents are cleared to safety. That’s about as big a change from Man of Steel as you can get.
Some of the Parademons are torn to bits or blown up, but the movie makes it unclear if they are even really alive. Wonder Woman, while retelling the tale of Steppenwolf’s first invasion, makes them sound like some kind of space zombies.
As for main characters, not only are all the heroes alright, one even comes back from the dead. That would be Superman, of course, whose return was one of the worst kept secrets in recent movie history, despite his resurrection serving as one of the major plot points.
Next: Justice League review: Not bad, but is that good enough?
So to sum up, a few poor scientists and some warriors from cultures who know they may fall in battle end up dying (and maybe Steppenwolf as well, as things don’t look good for him but his final fate is left ambiguous) in Justice League. For a DCEU outing, that’s really not too bad.