Zack Snyder Says Justice League Nearly Used Avengers: Endgame's Storyline
Zack Snyder may have been the overseer of the DC Extended Universe, but as we give up all hope of seeing another movie from the house that Henry Cavill's Superman built, the director is shedding some light on the ambitious Justice League arc you'll (probably) never get to see.
While Snyder and Joss Whedon shared directorial duties on 2017's box-office bomb, it was supposed to form the first part of a trilogy, which looks like it would have pre-empted Avengers: Endgame.
To help pass the time during the coronavirus pandemic, Snyder shared a rewatch of 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with a commentary from the man himself. Although there were a tonne of big reveals, the one that stood out more than most was Snyder's insight into his harrowing "Knightmare" sequence.
Depicting Ben Affleck's grizzled Bruce Wayne dealing with a dystopian future and a sadistic Superman who'd been corrupted by the Anti-Life equation, it left fans with more questions than answers for nearly four years.
In Batman v Superman, Ezra Miller's Barry Allen/Flash was briefly introduced to the DCEU when sent back in time with the use of the Cosmic Treadmill to warn Batman of what's to come.
Amy Adams' Lois Lane was key to the future, and her impending death at the hands of Darkseid was the catalyst that would have seen the Knightmare future become a reality.
Fans already knew Snyder planned on expanding the Knightmare timeline at some point in his DCEU future, but now, he's explained this was one of two timelines he wanted to explore. Speaking to fans during the live stream, Snyder confirmed Flash was going to be sent back in time on a second occasion to kickstart a whole new timeline.
For those who were disappointed by the lack of character development for Ray Fisher's Cyborg, Snyder went on to reveal the mechanical hero was integral to the time-travel plot as the one who came up with the brainwave to send Flash back to a different point of Bruce's past. Coming straight from the horse's mouth, Comic Book translated Snyder's words from the viewing party:
"In the future, Bruce says to Cyborg 'Well, what times would you send me back to... What time right now would you send me back?' And Cyborg says 'I'm leaning toward this.' And Bruce says 'Do the other one, because you already sent him back here and it was too early – so send me to the other one.'
"So that's how he's able to get him [Flash] back again. Because in the new timeline he goes to a different point in time that's closer to the event that we haven't seen yet in this film."
It's no secret that Darkseid was going to be teased as the big bad of Justice League 2, but it's interesting to note Snyder had already mapped out his complex DCEU plan before Batman v Superman hit cinemas. Similar to how the Avengers were left for dust (quite literally) at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, Snyder's plans for Justice League 2 saw Darkseid rise from the shadows and decimate the team.
The proposed third movie was going to go full Avengers: Endgame and echo Joe and Anthony Russo's complicated time heist. Snyder has previously confessed he intended to kill Batman during his DCEU arc, so there's another uncanny coincidence that the team's leader would have potentially bowed out in a heroic sacrifice like Iron Man did in Endgame.
Sadly, Justice League couldn't have been further away from the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the climactic Endgame if it tried. As well as a rushed post-production, the movie reportedly lost Warner Bros a hefty $60 million. No one will really know how Snyder's vision for the League would have panned out if he hadn't stepped away due to personal reasons and handed the reins to Whedon.
Fan-favorites like Gal Gadot and Jason Momoa are still attached for Wonder Woman 1984 and Aquaman 2, while Screenrant confirms Ezra Miller's long-delayed Flash standalone was due to start production in April 2020 — until COVID-19 got in the way.
However, as the MCU powers ahead with Phase 4 and fans look toward a potential Avengers 5, the DCEU has rebranded as the Worlds of DC and fallen into its own Knightmare timeline.
There are still talks that Henry Cavill could ditch his blonde wig from The Witcher and suit up one last time for Man of Steel 2, but with Affleck already being replaced by Robert Pattinson as Batman, the League has disbanded.
Couple this with both Amy Adams and Laurence Fishburne (Perry White) saying they think they're done with DCEU, and it looks like Man of Steel 2 is off the cards, let alone Snyder's Justice League arc. For the time being, we'll just have to hold out hope for Justice League's mythical Snyder Cut.
You Might Also Like
