10 Lessons The DCEU Must Learn From Avengers: Infinity War
4. Make The MacGuffins Meaningful
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a masterclass in the art of the MacGuffin. This is the role the Infinity Stones have played since they were first introduced in Phase One, and these cosmic rocks are more than just an excuse for Thanos to do evil things.
Each gem serves a specific purpose in the story. To obtain the elusive Soul Stone, the Mad Titan has to make a supreme sacrifice, while the Time Stone and the Reality Stone are tied to turning points in the story. In short, they have narrative payoff.
The same cannot be said of Justice League's Mother Boxes to quite the same extent, as the lore behind these items was barely explored in the previous movies, unless you count a Wonder Woman epilogue that was deleted from the final cut.
Sure, they have some narrative weight since one is used to resurrect Superman, but since they're the villain's sole motivation and therefore the reason the heroes came together in the first place, the Mother Boxes should have been given the same billing as the Infinity Stones in the run-up to Justice League.
This is the kind of groundwork future DCEU movies must do if the powers that be are planning to use MacGuffins in the post-Justice League era.