Zack Snyder has revealed that his originally planned Justice League trilogy would have culminated in the sacrificial death of Batman. After helming 2013’s Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Snyder returned to the director’s chair for Justice League. Conceived as part of a five-movie DCEU plan, Snyder’s Justice League would have merely been the first part of three films. The saga would not only have spanned time and become ever more cosmic in scope but would have featured Darkseid much more prominently. Unfortunately, those plans were scrapped when Snyder was forced to step away. In his stead, Joss Whedon completely reworked the story - with up to 80 script pages of reshoots that included making Steppenwolf the sole antagonist.

In the wake of Justice League’s poor reception by fans and at the box office, the Snyder Cut movement was born. Despite two years having passed, the campaign to see Snyder’s original vision released has continued to rage. Though Superman actor Henry Cavill continued to have doubts, Snyder proved definitively that his Justice League cut exists via social media. The anniversary of Justice League’s November release date only served to escalate those efforts further. The associated hashtag trended worldwide for an entire weekend. Numerous images were released by Snyder himself, teasing a vastly different and potentially more emotional story. Even Justice League stars Gal Gadot and Ben Affleck, who starred as Wonder Woman and Batman, respectively, pledged their voices to the Snyder Cut cause.

Though calls for the Justice League Snyder Cut has continued to be felt, one question has remained. What happens to Justice League sequels if the Snyder Cut is released and proves successful? Unfortunately, that question will likely remain up in the air - especially with Warner Bros. having switched tracks regarding their DCEU output. Snyder, however, has revealed on Vero that he knew exactly where the story was headed. Responding to a fan question, Snyder stated that they “always had that plan” that Batman would have sacrificed himself to help stop Darkseid and that fans would have seen “that in the final chapter.” A screenshot of the exchange (captured by ComicBook) can be seen below:

Affleck debuted as Batman for the titular clash in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Though the overall film was largely criticized, Affleck’s DCEU portrayal of Batman was almost universally praised among fans and detractors alike. Affleck later returned for a cameo in Suicide Squad and, of course, Justice League. For a time it appeared that Affleck’s Batman would get a solo outing - one which Affleck would also direct. Unfortunately, those plans were also scrapped.

One of the main elements of criticism levied at Snyder’s depiction of Batman was the hero’s willingness to murder. Based on Snyder’s comments, however, it was clearly always the intention to have Batman’s journey be from such darkness back to light. It sounds eerily similar to previous comments that Superman’s journey would take him from a reluctant hero to the hopeful boy-scout fans know from the comics. Having Batman ultimately sacrifice himself in service of protecting fellow Justice League members and the world would also have made a poetic parallel to his brutal actions against Superman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. As well as set up numerous avenues for spin-offs. As such, it lends credence to recent comments that fans would have loved Snyder’s DCEU had he completed it. Equally, if fans were already passionate to see the Snyder Cut released, these new details will no doubt fuel their desire to see Snyder’s entire Justice League trilogy circled back to - even if belatedly.

More: Justice League: Why WB (Probably) Won’t Release The Snyder Cut Soon

Source: Zack Snyder, ComicBook

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