Justice League 2 & 3’s Abandoned Plot Explained By Zack Snyder

The audience finally saw Zack Snyder’s version of Justice League – but as he says, that wasn’t the end of his take on the superhero saga. Snyder had a story in mind for a Justice League movie trilogy that would have covered the team’s entire war with Darkseid.

The filmmaker has spent most of the years since the 2017 Justice League release commenting on what was taken from his four hour version, and what the future story would have involved. Snyder cut ends in cliffhanger teasing upcoming movie, just because that’s how it is would have ended in 2017.

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

The director’s best and most recent thoughts on the subject have come from the press tour for the Snyder Cut, and in an info-dump interview with Vanity Fair, where he described the full story of his trilogy. While we now have the first part of his vision, it seems unlikely that we will ever see Justice League 2 and 3. But that’s okay, because he’s got 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]

Image: HBO Max

The easiest way to understand the history 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 were totally absent from the 2017 theatrical version of Justice League. The visions are back Justice League by Zack Snyder, and Batman isn’t the only one who has them, they also infest Cyborg.

These Knightmares show a terrifying future in which much of humanity is in ruins and Superman is evil. While these are just visions in the films released so far, they would have come to fruition later. Justice League films thanks to the anti-life equation, of which we get a brief explanation in Justice League by Zack Snyder.

The Anti-Life Equation 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 equation, Darkseid, according to Snyder’s account, finds a way around Superman’s will thanks to his greatest weakness: Lois Lane.

Apparently, when Superman left to fight Darkseid, he tasked Bruce Wayne to protect her. Meanwhile, Snyder planned for Lois and Bruce to begin a brief romance – an idea that was apparently rejected by the studio. Eventually, Darkseid would realize that Lois was the key to Superman’s will and would come and kill her. Once Darkseid arrives, Bruce hesitates at a pivotal moment and Lois dies, unlocking Superman to the powers of Anti-Life and ushering in the apocalypse.

The Darkseid apocalypse would have looked a lot like the very last sight of the Snyder Cut. Batman, Cyborg, The Flash, and the motley group of heroes / villains are said to have ventured through the ruined cities, dodging Superman and trying to figure out how to fix the world. Oh, and the Joker is here too now – even though that wasn’t part of the original plan. “The idea with that,” says Deborah Snyder, “was Zack saying,“ Look, 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. ”

Image: Images of Warner Bros.

While details are a bit hazy on what will happen 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 Batman vs. 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 – who makes a cameo on Luthor’s yacht in the film – would have been the main villain of the film’s Batman. Formerly expected Ben Affleck.

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

With Lois saved, Superman would never have fallen under the spell of the anti-life equation and he and the rest of the Justice League could fight Darkseid. Ultimately, Wonder Woman would have led the warriors of Themyscira, Aquaman would have led the Atlanteans, and Superman and The Flash would have led the inhabitants of Earth in a “giant war” against Darkseid.

In addition, Snyder revealed the reason for that mysterious “Force Majeure” brand pregnancy test in Lois Lane’s bedside drawer. In the end, 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 have been named Bruce, and the series would have ended with them taking him to see the Batcave and revealing the child 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’s said in the years leading up to his announcement, it seems unlikely we’ll ever get to see the final two parts of his Justice League trilogy. Then again, we never thought the Snyder Cut would come out either, so we’ll just have to wait and see.