Justice League: Brainiac

**Justice League: Brainiac** is a 2014 superhero film based on the DC Comics superhero team Justice League. The film is a sequel to *Justice League* and a crossover between/sequel to *Aquaman: Long Live the King*, *Superman: Doomsday*, *Batman 3*, and *Wonder Woman: Uprising*. It was directed by Zack Snyder and stars Tom Pelphrey, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Andrew Garfield, Tessa Thompson, Charlie Hunnam, Chris Pine, Emma Stone, Joivan Wade, Genesis Rodriguez, Peter Gadiot, Jeremy Irons, Keri Russell, Connie Nielsen, Angela Bassett, and Oscar Isaac. It was released on May 2, 2014 and grossed $1.183 billion against a $300 million budget. It ran 154 minutes and received positive reviews from critics and audiences, who praised its acting, screenplay, direction, action sequences, visual effects, and musical score, though many agreed it did not live up to its predecessor and criticized its villain. *Justice League: Darkseid*was released on April 28, 2017 followed by *Justice League: Final Crisis*on April 27, 2018.

## Plot

Six months after Cadmus's takeover of A.R.G.U.S, the Justice League–Bruce Wayne/Batman, Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, Arthur Curry/Aquaman, Barry Allen/The Flash, Dinah Lance/Black Canary, and Oliver Queen/Green Arrow–work with the remnants of A.R.G.U.S., including Steve Trevor, to take down the remaining Cadmus facilities. Raiding one on the Mexican-American border, they discover Cadmus has been doing experiments on refugees attempting to emigrate to the U.S., using the Mother Box acquired during the A.R.G.U.S. takeover. Though they manage to rescue many of the refugees, Cisco Ramon and Cindy Reynolds are smuggled away on a van, while Silas Stone steals the Box from the Justice League and escapes. Barry and Arthur go after the van and arrest the Cadmus officers, while Ramon and Reynolds attempt to protect the officers, specifically Paul Westfield, the Director of Cadmus who Ramon and Reynolds view as their mentor. Barry and Arthur are forced to arrest them as well, though they escape. Returning to Gotham, they celebrate their win, which seems to have been the last Cadmus facility. Wayne and Diana mourn Clark Kent/Superman while together, before they begin setting up a Wayne Enterprises gala.

Queen officially announces his campaign for presidency in 2016, while he and Lance plan their heavily-publicized wedding. At the gala, Wayne, Diana, Arthur, Barry, Queen, and Lance share stories of taking down Cadmus with the public, including with Agent Steve Trevor, Barbara Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth, and Lois Lane, Clark's fiancee. Diana agrees to leave finding the Mother Box to her and A.R.G.U.S., to allow Wayne, Arthur, Barry, and Queen to go back to their normal lives. After the party has ended, leaving the six of them along with Trevor and Barbara, Wayne Tower is shaken by a closeby spaceship landing. Investigating the spacecraft, they discover Brainiac, a cybernetic alien with a genius intellect. He attacks them and warns them that he has come to take Earth as a trophy. They try to stop him, but he eventually escapes. Trevor places a tracker on the ship, but it is destroyed upon impact, and the ship cloaks itself. Recouping, they realize that they will have to go after him. Trevor leaves to ready the A.R.G.U.S. forces, while Barbara leaves to find her father.

Discovering reports of a large spacecraft hovering over Paris, the Justice League travels there and attacks Brainiac. Bruce and Diana make it onto the ship, where they witness Brainiac shrinking Paris, including Barry trapped in it, and adding it to his collection of cities and planets. Regrouping with Arthur, Queen, and Lance, the five realize that Brainiac has sent spacecrafts to Gotham, Washington D.C., New York City, and Central City and shrunk them, including most of their allies. The five remaining heroes travel to Themyscira to create a plan. In Mexico, Cindy and Cisco are found by Stone, who asks them to help him get to Jump City to help him. Knowing he worked with Cadmus, they use their abilities to teleport to Jump City, where Stone shows them the mangled body of his son, now compelte with cybernetic enhancements. He powers his son with the Mother Box, and Victor awakens. Cindy uses her powers to calm him and show him he is safe. They discover that Brainiac is preparing to shrink the city, so Cisco teleports the four of them out. In Themyscira, the Justice League are contacted by Trevor, who has rendezvoused with Amanda Waller. Brainiac's mission has resulted in 15 million people going missing. Waller reveals that the Stones, Cisco, and Cindy found them and they joined forces. Waller believes that they can use Victor's Mother Box to resurrect Superman.

Both groups meet together in Smallville, where they dig up Clark's body and take it to Martha Kent's farmhouse, where Lois has made her way to. Victor unleashes his power upon Clark, who awakens. He and Lois reunite, but it is cut short when Waller reveals that she has been tracking Brainiac's patterns and he is coming up on Metropolis next. They go to Metropolis, where Brainiac is preparing to shrink the rest of the planet. The Justice League, with A.R.G.U.S.'s help, take on Brainiac's forces. Superman fights Brainiac and is able to beat him, but the shrinking technology has already begun to process. Clark finds Paris and, restoring it, reunites with Barry, who speeds to Metropolis and, slowing down time, ends the process before it can take anything, but the immense power causes him to disappear into the Speed Force. Silas and Cisco are both killed in the aftermath. Silas has Victor promise to use his power for good, while Cindy is devastated by Cisco's death. Clark restores the remaining cities and sends Brainiac to the Phantom Zone, though he promises to return. Queen and Lance marry in a private ceremony, alongside Clark and Lois, attended by Wayne, Diana, Arthur, Waller, Trevor, Barbara, Martha, Victor, and Cindy.

Returning to Washington D.C., Wayne reveals that he is going back to a normal life in Gotham for the time being, while Clark is taking a leave of absence to be with Lois. Arthur returns to Atlantis, leaving Diana and Lance to train Victor and Cindy, with Queen, Barbara, and A.R.G.U.S. as support. In a mid-credits scene, Darkseid learns of Brainiac's failure and realizes he will need a large army to take on the Justice League. In a post-credits scene, Victor and Diana, both holding a Mother Box, begin to ponder where the third Mother Box is. In a mysterious pocket dimension, an elderly wizard holds a staff, glowing Mother Box-like energy.

## Cast

* Tom Pelphrey as Bruce Wayne/Batman
* Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman
* Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman
* Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry/Aquaman
* Andrew Garfield as Barry Allen/The Flash
* Tessa Thompson as Dinah Lance/Black Canary
* Charlie Hunnam as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow
* Chris Pine as Steve Trevor
* Emma Stone as Barbara Gordon/Oracle
* Joivan Wade as Victor Stone/Cyborg
* Genesis Rodriguez as Cindy Reynolds/Gypsy
* Peter Gadiot as Cisco Ramon/Vibe
* Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth
* Keri Russell as Lois Lane
* Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta
* Angela Bassett as Amanda Waller
* Oscar Isaac as Brainiac

## Reception

### **Box office**

**Justice League** grossed $370.9 million (31.4%) in the United States and Canada and $811.9 million (68.6%) in other territories for a total of $1.183 billion. Worldwide, it is the highest-grossing 2014 film. It achieved a worldwide opening weekend of $402.5 million. *Deadline Hollywood* calculated the net profit of the film to be $190 million, making it the seventh most profitable release of 2014. Despite being a box office hit, the film fell below expectations.

### **Critical reception**

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 86% based on 285 reviews, with an average rating of 7.37/10.