It’s no secret that whenZack Snyderset out to makeBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, he was establishing an interconnected universe with long-range plans.Man of Steelwas a test balloon of sorts, and based on the relative strength of that film, Warner Bros. felt emboldened to go full-throttle with their DC properties in direct competition with the burgeoning Marvel Cinematic Universe. Looking back,Batman v Supermansets upa lot, from time-traveling Flash to nightmarish flashforwards that tease a hellscape on Earth created by iconic DC villain Darkseid. And yet, none of these plans will ever come to pass.
Batman v Supermanperformed solidly at the box office but suffered negative reaction from both critics and some fans. By the timeBvShit theaters,Justice Leaguewas already filming, and so Warner Bros. was forced to try to “course-correct” this franchise while the train was already speeding onward. As we all know, Snyder was fired off ofJustice Leagueduring post-production,Joss Whedoncame in to write new scenes, direct reshoots, and oversee editing (albeit with Warner Bros. calling the final shots), and whenJustice Leaguehit theaters, it landed with a thud—it was outgrossed by Warner Bros.’ horror movieIt.
I’m of the opinion that WB should have just let Snyder finishJustice Leaguehis way, for better or worse. And whileZack Snyder’s Justice Leagueis being released on HBO Max, we now have an idea of where things would have gone had Snyder madeJustice League 2andJustice League 3.
On the latest episode of his podcast Fatman Beyond (viaSyfy),Kevin Smithrevealed that when he visited the set ofStar Wars: Episode IX, he spoke to people “who worked on both versions ofJustice League” and got the lowdown on where the trilogy would have gone. According to Smith, these people had access to previsualization materials and other aspects of theJustice Leaguetrilogy plans — albeit acknowledging that plans certainly change over time, and this may not have been where the trilogyexactlywent.
Smith says he was told that in Snyder’s version ofJustice League, the fim’s ending was similar to the one we see now but with one major difference: as Steppenwolf zooms up the Boom Tube back to his home planet, defeated, Darkseid appears at the other end and glimpses the Justice League:
“[The League] saw Darkseid, and Darkseid saw them,” Smith said. “Boom tube closes, and that’s the end of the fucking movie. With them all knowing there’s something out there, and we have to go.”
Smith also says that the shot in theJustice Leaguetrailer ofJeremy Irons’ Alfred talking to an unknown person offscreen was meant to be Green Lantern’s arrival, not the re-emergence of Superman. This would have opened the doors for a sequel set off-Earth:
“Justice League 2was going cosmic as they take the fight to Apokolips … and the Lantern Corps was involved.”
The end ofJustice League 2, however, would have been a defeat, with Smith referencingEmpire Strikes BackandInfinity War, noting that Darkseid would have defeated the Justice League then gone back to Earth to desecrate the world, forming the hellscape we glimpsed in Batman’s Knightmare inBatman v Superman. This would have led to the third and final film being a showdown with Darkseid:
“That was going to be the entire third movie,” Smith said. “The heroes’ last stand against Darkseid and the forces of Apokolips — holy fuck!”
Alas, none of this will come to pass. Warner Bros. has no current plans to revisit theJustice Leaguefranchise, and with news thatThe Batmanwill introduced a new, younger Bruce Wayne, it appears we’re in line for a fractured timeline in whichGal Gadot’s Wonder Woman andJason Momoa’s Aquaman still exist—owing to the success of their individual films—butBen Affleck’s Batman is gone, to be explained away in the upcomingThe Flashmovie which will introduce the multiverse.
So yeah, that’s what Zack Snyder’sJustice Leaguetrilogy would have looked like. It admittedly sounds pretty interesting, and I would have liked to have seen what a Zack Snyder cosmic movie looked like, but the doom and gloom nature ofBatman v Supermansuggests fans may have gotten too exhausted by his tone and aesthetic by the time we got around toJustice League 2.
For now, Darkseid is on ice and Warner Bros. is simply taking it one movie at a time. Meanwhile, Snyder has moved on and is next making a zombie movie for Netflix. Perhaps one day he himself will open up about what he had planned.
Watch the video in which Smith reveals Zack Snyder’sJustice Leagueplans below.
