One of the biggest what-if stories in all of superhero media has just become that much more interesting, with a new, never-before-seen reveal of one of its core cast members. Long before Zack Snyder ever tried to bring the DC pantheon to life on the big screen, director George Miller practically scratched and clawed every step of the way in order to turn the fabled blockbuster “Justice League: Mortal” into a reality. By now, superhero fans have lived for years with hints and rumors of what this team-up film would’ve looked like. The original pitch would’ve starred Armie Hammer as Batman (consider that a bullet dodged, in retrospect), Megan Gale as Wonder Woman, D.J. Cotrona as Superman, Adam Brody as The Flash, Jay Baruchel as Maxwell Lord, and, yes, none other than Common as the Green Lantern.
But the most intriguing addition was always Martian Manhunter, the fan-favorite extraterrestrial who would’ve made his live-action debut at the time and been played by the late “Mad Max” star Hugh Keays-Byrne. The character has gone on to feature in “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” along with a number of animated shows and movies in recent years (plus the live-action “Supergirl” TV series), but it’s safe to say that the character still hasn’t received his just due for moviegoing audiences. Perhaps, however, “Justice League: Mortal” could’ve given us exactly the portrayal that fans have long clamored for.
That’s the debate currently being reignited in the wake of a new look at how J’onn J’onzz would have appeared in the Miller film, courtesy of a now-deleted Instagram post by Antony McMullen, a longtime makeup and prosthetics artist who worked on the scrapped superhero movie. But, deleted or not, the internet is forever and fans were quick to weigh in with their thoughts. Check out the pictures below!
George Miller’s Justice League: Mortal would’ve had a practical Martian Manhunter
Hugh Keays-Byrne is best remembered for portraying two legendary villains throughout George Miller’s “Mad Max” franchise: Toecutter from the original 1979 film “Mad Max” and the Immortan Joe in “Mad Max: Fury Road.” (Lachy Hulme took over as a younger version of the character in “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.”) However, the late, great actor came this close to putting his mark on superhero movies. Now, comic book nerds can feast their eyes on what could’ve been, thanks to a fresh behind-the-scenes look at Keays-Byrne decked out as the shapeshifting Martian Manhunter.
The DC Film News account on Twitter was one of many to circulate the photos teased by Antony McMullen on social media, who apparently deleted his original Instagram post. His caption indicated that this came from an over 15-year-old makeup and suit test with Keays-Byrne — the only one of its kind before the film was canceled, incredibly enough. As he explained:
“Flashback — I just rediscovered these images from just over 15 years ago on an old hard drive — the early & only full Martian Man Hunter foam latex prosthetic make up & suit test on the late Hugh Keays Byrne, from the unfortunately unrealised, George Millers ‘Justice League Mortal.’ There was going to be some colour work tweaks & fine tuning but unfortunately this was the only test we got to do in the end before the production shut down & never started up again.”
Does this miss the mark, or is it just right? Although obviously not the finished product, the images give some significant insights into Miller’s conception of the more cosmically-inclined members of the Justice League — and, frankly, it feels pretty perfect. What do you think?