Neither Prince nor David Bowie were ever seen running faster than a speeding locomotive or leaping over tall buildings in a single bound, but they were both incredibly gifted musicians. And as far as at least one fake newspaper headline mocked up for the upcoming Justice League movie is concerned, their artistic feats put them on par with Superman.

ComicBook.com reports that at a recent Justice League press junket, one of the promo materials left out for writers to gawk at was an issue of Metropolis' premier newspaper, The Daily Planet — the front page of which was emblazoned with the headline "DID THEY RETURN TO THEIR PLANET?" above a split photo of Bowie, Prince and Superman, and a subhead decrying the planet's "mysterious wave of disappearing heroes."

Whether the paper appears in the Justice League movie remains an open question at this point, but as a promotional trinket, it's pretty clever. As filmgoers are no doubt aware, the headline is a nod to the final act of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, in which Superman (Henry Cavill) duked it out in a battle to the death against the Lex Luthor-created ad guy Doomsday — and seemingly died in victory, even being laid to rest in a funeral during the movie's final moments. The story's rough contours mimic an early '90s story arc from the comics, in which Superman was beaten to death by Doomsday, only to return later on; although it's only been hinted at here and there, it's expected that the big-screen Man of Steel will also make his return from the dead during Justice League.

Unfortunately, fans can't hope for the same regarding Bowie or Prince — but it's still a nice thought on the part of whoever dreamed up the headline. Of course, neither artist was a stranger to the screen; here's hoping when Justice League arrives on Nov. 17, the results are closer to The Man Who Fell to Earth or Purple Rain than Yellowbeard or Graffiti Bridge.

 

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