Brow Beat

The First Trailer for DC’s Justice League Movie Tries Real Hard Not to Be So Serious

Is that a smile I see?

Still from the trailer

As it continues to try to kick-start a cinematic universe on the scale of Marvel’s, DC Comics sucked up much of the overcrowded air during last week’s Comic-Con festivities in San Diego. The company unveiled the trailer for Wonder Woman. Viola Davis perfectly side-eyed her co-star Jared Leto at a Suicide Squad event. And after a panel presentation on Saturday, DC revealed its most superhero-packed trailer yet—for 2017’s Justice League, DC’s attempt to out-Avenger The Avengers.

Yet while The Avengers’ witty, banter-heavy style built on the tone of its Marvel predecessors, the light tone of the Justice League trailer stands out for how drastically it contrasts with DC’s recent offerings—especially Batman v Superman, which was widely maligned for being humorless. Here you can see Wonder Woman and Aquaman and the Flash (played by a jaunty Ezra Miller) all happily joining forces (and rattling off quips) against the White Stripes’ “Icky Thump.” Though it may take time to heal the wounds left by BvS’s relentless glowering, it’s refreshing to think that the famously sad Batfleck might actually crack a smile.