Fans have barely started to digest all of the amazing sequences in Zack Snyder’s 4-hour cut of Justice League, but it’d be no overstatement to suggest that the director kept the most explosive and insane one for last. By that, of course, we’re referring to the Knightmare epilogue that showed a post-apocalyptic Earth conquered by Darkseid, with the remaining members of the DCEU team on the run from an evil Superman.
We initially saw glimpses of this in 2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice as part of Bruce Wayne’s nightmare. When he woke up, a future Barry Allen appeared through the Speed Force to warn the Caped Crusader about the dangers that lie ahead, noting that Lois Lane is the key to it all.
Fans of the Snyderverse originally assumed that this was a setup for Justice League. But when the movie came out, there was no mention of the hellish dream in the theatrical cut. Luckily, though, the filmmaker got the chance to revisit the surreal setting, once again through Bruce’s unconscious self.
In it, he, Cyborg, a grieving Mera, Slade Wilson and Jared Leto’s Joker are trying to hide from a sinister version of the Man of Steel. The Dark Knight’s archenemy also seems to hint that had he sacrificed himself, things would’ve turned out different.
Now, another scene in the Snyder Cut had already depicted Darkseid vowing to return to the Earth for the Anti-Life Equation, the weapon that allows him to control people’s minds. And since the director once said that losing Lois would make the Last Son of Krypton more susceptible to the device, it’s a simple matter of putting two and two together: Batman somehow messes up and Lois dies, allowing the supervillain to overwhelm Superman’s mind and turn him against the team.
Alas, the extended sequence ends with Martian Manhunter waking up Bruce moments after Clark tracks down the group in the dream world. And should the director get a chance to produce the next two movies in his planned trilogy, we’ll finally be able to see how that epic confrontation will play out. But since our heroes have been tested against Superman, and rather embarrassingly so, they’ll have to find another way of bringing their rogue teammate around.
Tell us, though, what were your thoughts on that explosive epilogue? And do you think WB will trust Snyder with a sequel to his Justice League? Sound off in the usual place below.