More than a decade after The Matrix trilogy was completed, actor Lawrence Fishburne entered the DC Universe to play Daily Planet editor Perry White in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. Fishburne reprised his role in last year’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but he has just confirmed that he won’t be in Justice League. The actor also offered his opinion on why Marvel has been destroying DC while admitting he liked the lesser elements of Dawn of Justice, such as the maligned “Martha” coincidence.
While on the press tour for John Wick: Chapter 2, Fishburne said he was offered a day on Justice League but “couldn’t work it out, schedule-wise.” “And really, what do you need the newspaperman in Justice League for?” he said rhetorically in a recent interview. “You want to see the Flash. You want to see Aquaman. You want to see Wonder Woman. You want to see the Lantern.” (It seems that no one told him Green Lantern isn’t in Justice League.)
Fishburne, who describes himself as a comic book geek with his own collection, says every fan has been waiting “years for these [heroes] to show up on the screen.” He asks, “What were they doing over there? Marvel has been kicking their ass.”
With his own self-professed geekdom established, Fishburne was confused as to why Dawn of Justice was received so harshly; the film has a “rotten” 27 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. “I love what Zack Snyder does,” Fishburne said. “Jesse Eisenberg, this little nebbishy guy, as Lex Luthor? For me, that’s a genius move.”
Fishburne added he found the “Martha” coincidence — how both Batman and Superman have mothers named Martha — “heartwarming.” “I must be sentimental, but that’s some heartwarming [stuff] to me. So I don’t get it.”
Justice League will hit theaters November 17.
