Zack Snyder’s Justice League ending explained: What does [SPOILER] really mean?

Zack Snyder’s Justice League has arrived but what does the jaw-dropping epilogue mean?

It once seemed like a fan fever dream that would probably never happen. And yet here we are, three years after Justice League arrived in theaters, talking about the ending of the much-anticipated Snyder Cut.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League was announced last summer by Warner Bros. as an exclusive that would arrive on their streaming service HBO Max. After fans waited for so long to see it come to life, they surely didn’t mind waiting another year.

The Snyder Cut officially made its presence felt on the world, unveiling Zack Snyder’s vision for Justice League and the DCEU to us all. However, it featured an ending that left fans in shock.

What happened in Zack Snyder’s Justice League ending?

After the Justice League united to take down Steppenwolf, each of the heroes returned to their own lives. Clark and Lois were helping Martha Kent move back into the Kent Farm (with a little assist from Bruce Wayne), Bruce was exploring Wayne Manor for the first time in who-knows-how-long, Diana was missing her family on Themyscira, Arthur had returned to the fishing village and Barry got himself a job in a crime lab.

Following that, Lex Luthor met with Deathstroke/Slade Wilson and revealed Batman’s true identity to him, making the mercenary very happy. However, immediately afterwards, we were then thrown into a hellscape in which Batman had teamed with The Flash, Cyborg, Mera, Deathstroke and, yes, even the Joker to take on an evil Superman. Bruce then woke up, revealing to us that it was all a dream, only for him to then be met by Martian Manhunter.

What does the ending of Zack Snyder’s Justice League mean?

The meeting between Lex Luthor and Deathstroke went a little differently than it did in the theatrical version of the movie. While the 2017 original had Lex discuss setting up an Injustice League with Slade, Snyder’s variation saw Lex reveal Batman’s identity to Slade instead.

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This was, of course, a reference to the potential sequel The Batman – which would have, at one point in time, seen Ben Affleck’s DCEU Batman go up against Deathstroke in a movie that Affleck himself nearly wrote and directed too. However, after Justice League failed to impress audiences, that iteration of the movie was eventually scrapped and it then eventually turned into the Robert Pattinson-led reboot.

Meanwhile, the hellish landscape that Bruce saw was another reference to the Knightmare sequence from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Remember when he spoke to Diana about how he thought it meant something more? Well, it’s clear that this was teasing the DCEU’s Endgame, if you will – a great event far off in the future in an alternate timeline in which Batman’s nightmare came true and Superman was turned evil.

Speaking of events in the future, Bruce’s interaction with Martian Manhunter, of course, hinted at the possibility of him (and others) joining the Justice League in the planned Justice League: Part Two.

Will there be a Justice League 2?

Regardless of where the Knightmare sequence fits in, it’s clear that Darkseid was supposed to bring his armada of ships to earth and challenge the League in the second film – something that would have seen J’onn J’onzz join forces with Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman to stop him.

After the poor critical and commercial performance of Justice League, it’s unlikely that the DCEU will continue down that path. However, given the response to Snyder’s cut of the film, we shouldn’t rule out the possibility of a sequel just yet.

Remember there was once a time when the Snyder Cut seemed like an impossibility, so who knows whether Justice League 2 will or won’t happen.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is available to stream on HBO Max now.

What did you think of Zack Snyder’s Justice League? Let us know in the comments below!