What are the executives behind the making of the new Justice League film thinking? Whether it's buckling to the legions of pasty faced fanboys screaming that they don't want dueling actors in the roles or whether they feel that if successful enough with a first they could talk Brandon Routh or Christian Bale into coming aboard for a second, one thing appears to be certain: Batman and Superman will not be appearing in the upcoming Justice League film. And I could not think of a more monumentally stupid, fundamentally moronic business decision.

Look, I'm an old-school comic dork. I love the Flash, The Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, the whole gang. In fact, I really love the Green Lantern; it's one of my deep-fried favorites. But a movie with all of those characters…without Superman and Batman? Here's an idea: This year let's celebrate Thanksgiving without stuffing or pumpkin pie. Don't worry, there will still be plenty of turkey and corn and mashed potatoes for everybody. Just no stuffing. Or pumpkin pie. Why not? Oh, because we couldn't get the exact same stuffing or pie we had last year. Don't worry, it's for the best. We've come up with a really great excuse for the guests as to why we don't have it: The stuffing is dead and the pie got kicked out for some reason.

Hey, here's a novel idea. Let's get Guns n' Roses back together without Axl Rose. Or how about having Paul McCartney join up with Ringo Starr's All-Star band and we'll call it a Beatles concert? Yeah. The kids will love that.

Great. Awesome. Swell.

Mon. Unmentally. Stupid.

Seriously. Who's manning the bridge over there on this sinking ship? Did somebody not sit down and say, "Look, we can't do this. Every press outlet and their mothers are going to write stories both now and right before release that asks: Why no Superman or Batman?" Because we will ask that question. And so will our mothers. Audiences will want to know. People will actually avoid seeing the movie because: "It's just not the Justice League without Superman or Batman." Because it isn't. They've tried it in the comics before. You know what always happens? Superman and Batman always show up again. And so do the readers when they do.

Someone needs to think this through. Having Superman dead from fighting Doomsday is great and all…if we've just watched a movie in which Superman gets killed by Doomsday. And having Batman kicked out works…if the movie opens with Batman and why he gets kicked out…and the rest of the movie is about the fallout over that decision. But something tells me that's not what they're going to do.

Batman and Superman are not actors. Routh and Bale do not own them. They are simply stepping into their mantle for the time being. You can make a good Justice League movie without Routh and Bale. You cannot make one without Batman or Superman.

C. Robert Cargill - - - Email Me

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