ScreenCrush’s Comic Strip is a weekly roundup of the hottest superhero movie/TV news items. From Marvel to DC and points in between, if it pertains to costumed comic book heroes, we’re covering it here, bringing you our expert analysis. This week, Batman v Superman spoilers are revealed, the big screen and small screen Suicide Squads butt heads, and Joss Whedon spills his guts on Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Here Are Some Minor Batman v Superman Spoilers

We know a lot of tiny details about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but shockingly little about the actual plot or why these two heroes feel the need to throw down. Other than director Zack Snyder quoting dialogue from their infamous bout in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, we have very little to go on.

Now, Badass Digest has shed a little light on how their conflict begins, but not the why. This isn’t a huge spoiler, but it’s a very effective tease. You know you, so feel free to skim to the next section if you want to remain completely spoiler-free:

In Batman v Superman Superman is no lackey of the government; if anything many of the world's governments distrust the guy. But it is Superman who goes to Gotham and starts the confrontation ... at the behest of Lex Luthor. And unlike The Dark Knight Returns, Superman comes out swinging, pulverizing the Batmobile with one punch. Why would Superman do Lex Luthor's bidding? What is Lex hoping to accomplish? That would be spoiling. But know that when the fight is over, Batman will be able to point to Superman and say, "He started it!"

Even without knowing any of the details, we like this already. Lex Luthor is never be a physical match for Superman and his greatest strengths lie in trickery and deceit. Getting the most powerful being on the planet to go after another superhero and do his dirty work for him is his modus operandi. Plus, the visual of Supes demolishing the Batmobile with a single swing is just plain delightful.

Bring on that first teaser, guys. We are ready to forgive that terrible title as soon as you give us something to get excited about.

A Tale of Two Suicide Squads

We’re going to delve into minor spoilers for season four of Arrow in the very next sentence, so you know the drill.

Deadshot, a regular nemesis of Oliver Queen and a member of the group known as the Suicide Squad, seemingly perished in a recent episode of Arrow. But since this is the comic book world, he could easily come back, right? Not quite. When asked about his potential resurrection, series producer Marc Guggenheim said that the character is “off the table” for the time being. If this sets off some conspiracy theory alarms in your head, you are not alone.

Unlike Marvel television, which exists alongside the movies and operates in the same universe, DC shows like Arrow and The Flash are completely separate from the films. Various heads from both DC film and TV have claimed that both will operate independently, acting as two distinct worlds in a multiverse, an explanation that was geeky enough to satisfy the fans. But surely it’s no coincidence that Deadshot is being taken off Arrow right before the Suicide Squad movie gets ready to go before cameras. With Will Smith set to play the character on the big screen, did the Powers That Be demand that his small-screen counterpart get axed to avoid confusing the audience? Will Arrow’s version of the Suicide Squad get quietly thrown aside to make way for the film version? If so, what does this mean for the TV version of the Flash, who will soon have to co-exist with Ezra Miller’s take on the character in Justice League?

From the outside looking in, this looks like a creative clash between two groups who don’t want to share and don’t trust the audience to understand that everything isn’t connected. Then again, maybe they’re worried that Marvel has trained everyone to think everything is connected.

But hey, at least we have an idea of what Smith’s Deadshot may look like! Latino Review’s El Mayimbe has been spilling all kinds of superhero movie news tidbits on his Instagram page and Suicide Squad has been his chief subject for the past few weeks. First, he has a rough description of how this potentially hokey character will make the jump to the movies:

Speaking of potentially hokey villains who are getting reinvented on their way into Suicide Squad, he also revealed some details about Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang. Quick, someone hide the TV version of this character before they kill him off too!

Oh, and here’s one more. This is about a certain item in Amanda Waller’s trophy case and it may be spoiler. Or maybe now. Who knows with this movie? Just tread carefully.

And while we’re on the subject of Amanda Waller, the fantastic Viola Davis spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the part and she’s certain saying the right things:

You know what that’s a tough one, but I would give it to Amanda Waller. I’ve been doing my research on Amanda Waller and I’m a little scared because she’s really unapologetic. I mean seriously, it's beyond 'she don't play'. She’s on the right side of the law, but really she should probably be at Rikers Island — that’s just my opinion, Amanda!

We’re talking about a character who can stare Batman into a corner, so it definitely sounds like Davis knows exactly what she’s getting into. Forget about Deadshot and Captain Boomerang, Davis as the DC universe’s most devious bureaucrat is the real reason to get excited for Suicide Squad.

A Tasty Batch of Avengers 2 News

Before we dive into the proper news, make sure you take 30 seconds to enjoy this new Avengers: Age of Ultron TV spot. We have a sickness and the only cure is this movie. Well, that’s how it feels at least:

To be fair, the only person more excited for the Avengers sequel than you is Anthony Mackie, whose Falcon plays a minor role in the film. In fact, Disney should just hire him to be the movie’s official hype man because hyperbolic descriptions of movies don’t get much better than this:

Remember the first time you saw a 3D movie, and got a headache, and were like, 'What happened to my brain?' Avengers: Age of Ultron is like that, with The Rock punching you in the face. It's like Disneyland for adults. It's like going to Vegas with an unlimited credit card. It's by far the most stupendous film experience you'll have. It's just ridiculous.

Elsewhere (on Buzzfeed, actually), director Joss Whedon chatted about the role of “the Twins,” a.k.a. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. We already knew that they begin the film as villains, but Whedon claims that their point of view will be sympathetic and represent how much of the world feels about a group of superhumans going wherever they want and dispensing justice as they see fit:

They don’t like America, and they don’t like the Avengers. We only touch on it briefly — there was more. When the movie was an hour longer, everything got explained a lot. The Avengers are like a world power, and not everybody’s on board with the Avengers coming in and starting fights, even in the name of justice. So you need that dissenting voice, and you need to understand it and sympathize with it.

And yes, Whedon isn’t very happy about Quicksilver also showing up in X-Men: Days of Future Past. He tries to spin it into a positive statement, but you can still feel the disdain in text form:

There’s going to be an entire season of The Flash that’s gone on before my movie too, and what Aaron is doing and what I wanted him to do is so different from what they were doing in that movie, that I think we’re fine. I think there’s room for more than one Quicksilver. But yeah, I was never thrilled.

And because it will fit nowhere else in today’s Comic Strip column, how about we end this Avengers section with a new TV spot for Netflix’s Daredevil series! That makes sense, right?

The X-Men Movie Universe Grows (as Hugh Jackman Hangs Up His Claws)

First, Hugh Jackman posted this message to his Instagram feed (because everyone does everything through Instagram these days):

WOLVERINE ...ONE LAST TIME. HJ

A photo posted by Hugh Jackman (@thehughjackman) on

Yep, that’s Jackman saying that he’s ready to hang up his claws and retire from playing Wolverine. This would be a Big Huge Deal if he hasn’t almost quit playing the character a half a dozen times in the past. We’ll believe it when we actually see it.

After all, he’s still set to play the character two more times. He’ll have a supporting role in X-Men: Apocalypse before moving on to The Wolverine 2, which will be his actual final time wearing those claws. Or so he claims. Seriously. We don’t believe you, Jackman.

But even with Jackman potentially on his way out, director Bryan Singer has been steadily adding tons of new mutants to the ensemble. The latest of them is Jubilee, who will be played by the young unknown Lana Condor in X-Men: Apocalypse. And yes, Singer did announce this news via Instagram:

I'd officially like to welcome our newest mutant #JubilationLee, #Jubilee @LanaCondor to #XMEN #Apocalypse

A photo posted by Bryan Singer (@bryanjaysinger) on

And then there’s the fact that the X-Men franchise already has a character prepped to fill the Hugh Jackman-shaped hole that will soon appear in the franchise. Like it or not, Channing Tatum’s Gambit is probably going to be the face of this series going forward ... and it looks like he’ll be making his debut in Apocalypse:

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