Could we truly see a return of the Snyderverse? The man behind this branch of the DCEU seems to be open to it!
The Snyderverse is one of the most divisive topics among DC Comics movie fans. When Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice premiered in 2016, Zack Snyder and Warner Bros planned for it to spawn a full DC cinematic universe with entries for Justice League, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, and more.
As we all know, that didn’t happen. When Snyder had to bow out of Justice League due to a personal tragedy, Joss Whedon took over the film for rewrites and reshoots, turning it into a critically ravaged mess. Wonder Woman and the first Aquaman were successful, but things got worse, culminating in 2023’s disastrous The Flash.
That led to James Gunn taking over to relaunch a new DC Universe film slate. There is still a push by many for Snyder’s vision to continue, driven by the Justice League Snyder Cut. Speaking to Josh Horowitz to mark the 10th anniversary of Batman V Superman, Snyder discussed the chances of his planned sequels happening or not.
"I would never say that there's no way. I would never because I was on the ride that created Justice League. And if you were in my shoes, there were numerous times, dark times, when I would say there is no chance that there will ever be my version of Justice League. It will never exist, and it can't. Cost, politics, everything stood against it, and yet it exists. And you know, I think the fans should never forget that they did that. They also raised a ton of money for suicide prevention, and they really did a lot of good. I think that they catch a lot of flak for being toxic or whatever, but they literally saved human lives. So, you can go f*** yourself if that's what you think."
It’s well known now that Snyder’s plans included the League facing off against the Legion of Doom, sustaining brutal losses, which paved the way for Darkseid to invade Earth (explaining the “Knightfall” dream in Batman v Superman). That would require some time-travel antics to fix things.
It may seem that it is dead, but Snyder seems to think it could happen and is even talking about it!
Snyder was asked if there was a chance his sequel plans could be shown in a comic book form or even an animated movie and he appeared to agree that it could happen. "We've absolutely talked about it quite a bit. I mean, we live in a world where all that's possible, and whatever form it would take, that would be amazing."
It would make perfect sense for the Snyderverse to continue as a comic book. We’ve seen the Batman '89 comic giving us Tim Burton's unrealized plans for his Batman movies. A comic book offers far more freedom to showcase Snyder’s ideas with the matching artwork and go in directions that a movie budget wouldn’t allow.
As for Gunn, Snyder made it clear there are no hard feelings and looking forward to what the man has in store for the DC characters.
“I mean, James has been very kind. I wish them all the best. [My] three movie trilogy is a weed that just won't die, and so it grows on its own. It has its own life and is not concerned with James's Superman, which is amazing. I can't wait to see the next movie, and it's just awesome. It just really to me it's it's just not the same thing. It's just like a different thing."
While the chances of ever seeing the Snyderverse return on the big screen seem to be nil, the idea it could survive in comic book form would be terrific for its fans!