Justice League 2 and 3’s abandoned plot explained by Zack Snyder

The public finally saw the version of Zack Snyder Justice League but as he tells it, it was not the end of his vision for the superhero saga. Snyder has a story in his head for a trilogy of Justice League movies that would cover the team’s entire war with Darkseid.

The filmmaker has spent most of the years since 2017 Justice League release with commentary on what was cut from his four-hour version, and what the future story would entail. The Snyder Cut concludes with a wreath hanger that teases the next film, simply because it is so would ended in 2017.

“The end of the movie, where we left it, was what we originally intended,” Deborah Snyder told Polygon.

The director’s best and most recent thoughts on the subject come from the press tour for the Snyder Cut, and in an info-dump interview with Vanity Fair, where he outlined the entire story of his trilogy. Although we now have the first part of his vision, it seems unlikely that we will ever see it Justice League 2 and 3. But it’s OK, because has all the pieces he’s dropped over the years.

[Ed. note: Potential spoilers for Zack Snyder’s Justice League Parts 2 and 3, should they ever get made]

Alien villain Darkseid sits on a throne in a burning room in Zack Snyder's Justice League

Image: HBO Max

The easiest way to understand the story of the trilogy is through what Snyder teased in the Knightmares. The post-apocalyptic visions that Batman has throughout Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was completely absent from the theater version of 2017 Justice League. The visions are in again Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and Batman is not the only one getting it, but they are bothering Cyborg as well.

These knight mares show a frightening future in which much of humanity lies in ruins and Superman is evil. Although it was only visions in the films released so far, it would have come true later Justice League films thanks to the Anti-Life comparison, in which we get a brief explanation Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

The Anti-Life Comparison is a magical spell used by Darkseid to control the minds of most people on earth. While Superman would normally be resistant to something like the Anti-Life comparison, according to Snyder’s maintenance-driven storytelling, Darkseid finds a way to overcome Superman’s willpower through his greatest weakness: Lois Lane.

When Superman apparently fought Darkseid, he apparently instructed Bruce Wayne to protect her. During that time, Snyder planned to start a short love affair with Lois and Bruce – an idea that was apparently rejected by the studio. Eventually, Darkseid would realize that Lois was the key to Superman’s willpower and kill her. After Darkseid arrives, Bruce hesitates at an important moment and Lois dies, opening Superman to the forces of Anti-Life and ushering in the apocalypse.

Darkseid’s apocalypse would have looked a lot like the very last vision in the Snyder Cut. Batman, Cyborg, Flash and the ragtag group of heroes / villains would have ventured through the devastated cities, dodging Superman and trying to figure out how to fix the world. Oh, and the Joker is there now too – even though it was not part of the original plan. ‘The idea with that,’ says Deborah Snyder, ‘was that Zack was like,’ Listen, I’ve always wanted to do a scene with Batman and Joker, and this is my last chance to do it. I want to take it now. ‘”

Batman's knight mare from Batman v Superman

Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

Although the details are slightly unclear about what happens next, Batman and Cyborg will eventually find a way to send Flash back in time to warn Bruce that Darkseid is coming and how to stop him. This scene actually takes place in Batman v Superman, as we see Flash appear and explain that Lois is the key. According to some recently revealed storyboards, the remaining crew may have fought Lex Luthor’s Legion of Doom, while Deathstroke – which makes a brief turn on Luthor’s hunt in the film – is the primary villain of Ben Affleck’s once planned Batman film would have been.

After some time travel, Bruce would finally realize that he had to sacrifice himself to save Lois and the world – this is what the Joker means when he wonders how many realities Batman had the “cajones” to die in.

With the rescue of Lois, Superman would never have fallen under the spell of the Anti-Life equation, and he and the rest of the Justice League could take the fight to Darkseid. Eventually, Wonder Woman would have led the warriors of Themyscira, Aquaman would have led the Atlantians, and Superman and Flash would have led the people of the earth in a ‘giant war’ against Darkseid.

Snyder also reveals the reason for the mysterious ‘Force Majeure’ pregnancy test in Lois Lane’s bedside table. As it turns out, the test came back positive and she and Clark would have had a baby by the end of the trilogy. Not only that, but he would also be called Bruce, and the series would have ended with them seeing him after the Batcave and revealing the kid as the new Batman.

Unfortunately, based on everything Snyder has said since the release of his version of Justice League, and of course everything he said in the years before it was announced, it seems unlikely we will ever see the last two parts of his Justice League trilogy. Again, we also never thought the Snyder Cut would come out, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

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