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, check out the latest spoilers from your most anticipated superhero movies, read what to expect from upcoming episodes of The Flash and Arrow, and learn exactly why Groot wouldn't let Drax see him dancing.

Let’s Talk About Batman and Suicide Squad

Latino Review’s El Mayimbe is infamous for his major internet scoops and his latest target has been Warner Bros.’ Suicide Squad, which is set to begin filming next month. If you even remotely follow superhero movie news, you’ve probably already seen his Instagram post detailing how Ben Affleck’s Batman is connected to the film, which will star an ensemble of B-list villains and a single A-lister in Jared Leto’s The Joker. But just in case you need a refresher:

Although we hadn’t heard those exact details, we have been hearing for quite some time that the Dark Knight himself would show up for a brief appearance in the film. But now, we’re starting to hear that Batman may be the glue that holds the entire DC cinematic universe together. Badass Digest published some new details and if you’re remotely spoilerphobic about the basic outline of the next few films in this new comic book world, turn back now.

Okay, let’s start with this:

Batman acquires Lex Luthor's files on metahumans, and he uses them to form the Justice League. It seems possible that those files contain many more names than just Aquaman, Wonder Woman and The Flash.

That’s all well and good and it certainly reflects Batman’s popularity. Of course the most popular superhero is the one who assembles the Justice League, not the natural born leader (AKA, Superman). But let’s get back to Suicide Squad. The report suggests that El Mayimbe is right: Batman is in the movie. However, his role may be a little larger than expected:

I've been told that Batman makes an appearance in the film, and not just on a monitor. Like, he interacts with characters. I'm guessing that between now and Justice League II Batman is going to be one part Nick Fury - the binding agent - and one part Iron Man - the celebrity cameo that you can sell to general audiences - as they build the DC Movieverse.

Once again, Batman’s popularity makes him ideal for this kind of role. If you’re going to have somebody popping up to offer support to the lesser known characters, it might as well be the guy who headlined three massively successful films in the past decade. Everyone get ready: soon, your Nicky Fury end-credits jokes will be obsolete. Start honing your Batman comedy now.

Here is an In-Depth Description of an Avengers 2 Scene

You are aware that Avengers 2 opens in just a few weeks, right? It’s okay. You don’t have to read a detailed description of a major action scene. You are stronger than that. You can wait until May 1 and let everything surprise you. You can-

Okay, fine. Fine. Here you go. Someone who saw footage screened for Disney shareholders wrote all about the big showdown between Iron Man and the Hulk. And yes, it sounds really cool. And yes, we regret reading it and wish we could have seen it fresh. Be strong than us! Don’t read! Don’t:

Let us start with the new clip from Marvel’s Age of Ultron (May 1, 2015). The clip so nice, Robert Iger made the quiet joke twice. The scene opens with an armored police vehicle arriving on the scene. An incredibly angry and destructive Hulk is witnessed tearing up the streets, destroying cars and spreading all-out panic. Police, heavily armed with machine guns, openly fire on the Hulk to no avail. In the distance comes Iron Man, flying at super speed to the scene. ‘Hold your fire,’ he commands to the responding teams below. He is flanked by large metal objects that speed along through the air with him, keeping up every step of the way. We cut back to the menacing Hulk and all of a sudden, a large steel (?) surfboard-shaped object slams itself down in the pavement in front of him. Then another. And another. Before you know it, Hulk is trapped inside a giant, solid metallic ‘box.’ At least, that is, until Hulk smashes free and then continues his rampage. And then, it assembles — piece by piece — the Hulkbuster, almost in Mark 42 fashion. ‘The witch is messing with your brain,’ Stark tells Hulk. ‘You’re smarter than her, you’re Bruce Banner.’ This yields an even angrier response from Hulk and it’s on. Hulkbuster vs. Hulk. The Hulkbuster usually seems to have the upper-hand, as they drag each other through the streets, tearing up the pavement. At least until Hulk ends up on the Hulkbuster’s back, impaling the shoulder with a traffic light pole. ‘Dick move, Banner’ responds Stark as they continue to fight. Then the damaged pieces of the Hulkbuster fall off and are quickly replaced with new parts. Different parts. And now Hulkbuster is atop Hulk, Stark treating Hulk’s head as a punching bag, literally pounding Hulk’s head into the pavement over and over and over (much to the amusement of the audience). ‘Sleep, go to sleep’ chants Stark, but spoiler alert: it doesn’t work. Then, one of the replaced parts of the Hulkbuster, the arm missing a hand, wraps itself around Hulk’s arm and sucks him in and Iron Man takes flight, toting Hulk by the arm.

Ugh. Why did you read that? Why are we so impatient? Seriously. It’s wonder we can even sit still. Anyway, here’s the latest poster from the film, showing off Ultron in all of his robotic glory. Look at him. He sooo disapproves of you reading those spoilers.

avengers 2 ultron
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Marvel and DC on TV

Television shows with secret identities can be tricky, especially as they get past the first two seasons. How do you keep an ever-growing ensemble involved without letting them get in on the action? The number of characters on Arrow who know that Oliver Queen is the green-hooded vigilante has steadily grown over the years and it looks like his inner circle is about to get a little wider:

A Paleyfest panel featuring the cast and executive producers kicked off with a sizzle reel teasing the rest of the season. Among the revelations: Oliver's secret identity is no longer so secret, with Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh) and Det. Lance (Paul Blackthorne) both learning he is the vigilante.

Speaking of CW superhero shows where shocking secret identities are discovered, Barry Allen will soon be in for the shock of his life on The Flash. It looks like the show’s central conflict is about to get really personal:

As The Flash’s hunt for the Reverse Flash heats up, Barry (Grant Gustin) will soon learn the devastating truth that his mentor Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) is actually his super powered nemesis who killed his mother. The good news for fans is that we’ll finally discover what Harrison Wells’ ultimate goal is: “Harrison Wells is just a guy who wants to get home,” Cavanagh said cryptically during Saturday’s PaleyFest panel.

If you’re not a DC guy, don’t fret. We also have a little bit of Daredevil news to share, starting with this new photo of Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock. As annoyed as we are by that black costume, Cox really does look like the ideal Murdock. We’ll cross our fingers and hope that he can capture the character’s pitch-black sense of self-loathing.

Meanwhile, Vincent D’Onofrio talked about playing Wilson “Kingpin” Fisk on the series and he does that annoying thing actors do where they talk about how good their project is by trashing another. In this case, it’s him going on about how much better Daredevil is than the rest of the MCU:

The series just came out so good. It’s like a 13-hour film. Emotionally, it goes places that I don’t think anybody is going to expect. Unlike the movies, except for maybe what [Robert] Downey does with Iron Man because there’s a lot of emotional stuff with that, this gets truly deep. Everybody’s motivation comes from the core of who they are. There’s not one false moment in the whole thing. They all have very deeply thought-out, emotional lives that drive these people. It’s pretty cool. I’m very proud of it. It was unexpected, and I didn’t know I was going to have the time I had on it, but I ended up having one of the best experiences I’ve had, so far.

Everything Else

So, why exactly was Baby Groot trying to hide his dancing from Drax? James Gunn finally gave us an answer on the latest episode of Doug Loves Movies:

There was actually a scene that we cut from the movie where big Groot was dancing to 'Livin’ Thing' by ELO. And it wasn't such an elaborate dance. It was more that he was just moving up and down like this, and Drax was dismissive and gave him this look like he was a loser when he did that. Dancing is ludicrous to Drax. I don’t think he understands it. If Drax owned a town, if he was a mayor, the first law would be no dancing. But yeah, so at the end of the movie, little baby Groot didn't want to get caught dancing, because he would kill him.

And finally, Nicholas Hoult may be done playing Beast in the X-Men movies. Unless he’s not:

This is the last one I'm signed up for. The first one did so well and [Days of Future Past] got received so brilliantly. It's like, 'Wow, people really want to see the films and the best thing is it's a great crew and cast to work with and he's a fun character. I have a good time playing him so I'd keep making them.

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