Zack Snyder’s Justice League: The original plan for the sequels

Justice League 2, Part 2

The second part of Justice League 2 would jump ahead “five years later.” And if you’re thinking, “Wait a minute? Isn’t that what Avengers: Endgame did?” Yes, and trust me, the comparisons don’t stop there. As seen in the infamous “Knightmare” sequences, Batman would lead a ragtag resistance group against the forces of Darkseid and Superman which consists of The Flash, Cyborg, Mera, and Deadshot (Will Smith) from Suicide Squad (2016). Yes, it seems Deathstroke became a substitute for Deadshot, probably as a result of Suicide Squad’s poor reception.

There was another addition to Batman’s crew: The last surviving Green Lantern. In the original storyboard, it’s strongly implied that this would’ve been Hal Jordan, with the hope that Ryan Reynolds would reprise the role. Another possibility would’ve been John Stewart, who would’ve also have appeared to Bruce in the epilogue of the Synder Cut instead of Martian Manhunter (Calvin Swanwick). The Snyder Cut itself shows a dead Kilowog as part of Cyborg’s vision. Either way, whoever the “Last Lantern” ended up being, Justice League 2 would’ve been a rebooting of the Green Lantern franchise.

You may also wonder where the Joker (Jared Leto) is in all this. That’s because he wasn’t. The reason he’s included in the epilogue of Zack Snyder’s Justice League is because Snyder felt there had to be at least one confrontation between Batman and Joker in this cinematic universe. Since he felt he wouldn’t ever get another shot at a DCEU movie, he, according to Snyder’s wife, and producer, Deborah Snyder, felt the new cut of Justice League was his last opportunity.

This is what the Joker in the Snyder cut means when he tells Batman, “How many alternate timelines do you destroy the world because, frankly, you don’t have the cajones to die yourself?” He’s essentially foreshadowing what Batman’s character arc will be to the audience.

But although this was new footage Snyder exclusively shot for the director’s cut, it still contains dialogue between Batman and Joker hinting at the Dark Knight’s ultimate plan. That plan, according to the original storyboards, was that Batman’s team would attempt to steal a Mother Box in order to power the Cosmic Treadmill. Flash fans may recognize this as the thing which allows Barry to travel back in time. Thus, Bruce will tell Barry to give his past self a message in order to prevent the future from happening.

The catch, however, is that Flash can only use the treadmill for a limited time before the energies generated rip him apart. Also, because of the Earth’s rotation, Flash can only travel back five years to the exact same orbital position that the Earth is in now. Meaning if they miss that window, they’ll have to wait months or even years to try the plan again. This explains that weird moment in Batman V Superman in which Bruce sees a Future Flash telling him he was “always right about [Superman]” and that [Lois] is the key,” only to realize he was “too soon.”

And things would’ve played out the same way if not for Batman realizing that his original message won’t work. So he whispers to Flash a very different message. Thus, as evil Superman attacks and starts killing off Batman’s squad, Flash goes back in time moments after Lois tells Bruce that he’s not the father of her child and tells Bruce, “Lois lied. You are the father!”

Because of this, when Darkseid arrives to kill Lois, Batman leaps in front of her and gets hit with the Omega Beams instead, with the armor of his Batsuit absorbing the brunt of the blast. Superman arrives and battles Darkseid, who this time flees. Also, because Lois no longer dies, she’s able to warn the Justice League in time about the Legion of Doom and alert the entire world about Darkseid’s arrival.

Thus, in a deliberate echo of the “Age of Heroes” flashback as seen in Snyder Cut, the armies of Earth, alongside the Justice League, the Atlanteans, the Amazons, and the Green Lantern Corp, would fight back against the armies of Apokolips. Batman, already dying from Omega Beam radiation poisoning, would somehow kill Darkseid and thus sacrifice himself in the process. This is what the Joker in the Snyder Cut means when he tells Batman, “How many alternate timelines do you destroy the world because, frankly, you don’t have the cajones to die yourself?” He’s essentially foreshadowing what Batman’s character arc will be to the audience.

In any case, the world is saved. Lois tells Clark that Bruce is the father of her unborn baby, but apparently Clark already knew and that it doesn’t matter because he loves her. As for the rest of the Justice League, Wonder Woman becomes Queen of the Amazons, Aquaman becomes King of the Seven Kingdoms, Flash frees his dad, and Cyborg becomes “a god of the digital age” and can revert himself back to human form.

Cut to “twenty years later,” where Gotham City and other superheroes “memorialize” Batman. Lois tells her now grown son that Bruce was his real father, and shows him the Batcave. The movie then ends with Lois and Bruce’s son becoming the “All-New Batman” to protect Gotham. Somehow, I have a feeling both Batman and Superman fans wouldn’t have been too happy if this was the ending we got.

In any case, you can see why a lot of this didn’t come about. The parallels between this and Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) are impossible to ignore. Despite having a plan in place, there some definite changes from the top, especially once Zack Snyder left production of Justice League because of the tragic death of his daughter. Combined with the underperformances of both Batman V Superman and the original cut of Justice League at the box office, that put a definite end to any Justice League sequel.

Even so, if you feel disappointed that we never got to see the “Snyderverse Saga” come to a fruition – or if you see its demise as a blessing in disguise – you do have to admit it’s an interesting look at what might have been. At least Zack Snyder’s Justice League offers the closest we’ll likely ever have.

What are your thoughts about the original plans for the Justice League sequel? Would you have liked to see Justice League 2 and the subsequent sequels? Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!