Zack Snyder's Justice League Trilogy Would Have Killed The DC Universe For Good

Zack Snyder fans have long campaigned for the "Rebel Moon" director to finish his planned trilogy of "Justice League" films — and based on this treatment, it would've been the end of the DC Universe.

As shown at the 2021 "The Dreamscapes of Zack Snyder's Justice League" expo in Dallas, Texas, the polarizing DCEU godfather had plans for two sequels to his version of "Justice League," which he developed with writer Chris Terrio and DC Comics Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee (a transcript of these plans was published by Bleeding Cool in 2021). Though HBO Max released the confusing four-hour epic "Zack Snyder's Justice League" the same year, neither it nor the frankensteined Joss Whedon cut depicted Snyder's original vision for the film, rendering the two outlined sequels somewhat orphaned.

They're also robbed of the siblings necessary to establish this cinematic universe: Ben Affleck's canceled "Batman" film and an earlier, unrecognizable version of "The Flash." Still, there's enough connective tissue between what we've seen of the Snyderverse and this lengthy synopsis of its two-part finale for fans to get a clear picture of the whole messy Snyder tapestry.

The two-part "Justice League" sequel begins with the titular team fully formed after the previous film, saving the world while still unsure of their place in it. After acting against a natural disaster, the six current members separate to address what are essentially loose ends from their solo outings, largely unrelated to one another or the film's central storyline.

Diana and Menalippe — Diana's Amazonian combat trainer, who presumably left the mystical island of Themyscira to warn Wonder Woman about Steppenwolf's arrival in Snyder's original "Justice League" — discover a way to "remember" the path back to their home. Together, they use the Lasso of Truth to retrace their steps and are welcomed back by the Amazons as well as Diana's family. Meanwhile, in Atlantis, Arthur and Mera finally unite the last of the seven kingdoms, The Unseen (the titular "Lost Kingdom" of the upcoming "Aquaman" sequel). Finally, Barry's father is exonerated by new evidence and freed from prison — with the help of Cyborg, who is, for whatever reason, the only leaguer without an individual story.

Slightly less involved is Clark Kent, as Kal-El has now decided that, while Superman was raised from the dead, his Daily Planet alter ego was not (apparently they're two separate entities now). This obviously puts Lois Lane in a tough spot, especially when she learns she's ostensibly carrying their unborn child.

As this soap opera is unfolding, Lex Luthor is uniting his own Injustice League comprised of himself, Orm/Ocean Master, Black Manta, Doctor Poison, Captain Cold (who apparently would have been the villain in an early draft of "The Flash"), and the Riddler. The treatment implies Riddler would've been established in Ben Affleck's "Batman," though previous reporting confirmed the main villain was to be Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke, who appeared at the ends of both "Justice League" cuts and is curiously absent here.

Batman tracks his old foe to the Canadian wilderness, where he learns that Luthor has enlisted the Riddler to decipher the Anti-Life Equation for him. Though he was successful, the knowledge has convinced the Bat-foe that all life is meaningless, a "truth" that Luthor plans to spread across the world in order to seize global control. The Riddler then kills himself in front of Batman for some reason (the Anti-Life Equation must give you the sixth sense of dramatic timing).

At a location called the Three Rivers (possibly the Canadian city), Luthor unites the three Mother Boxes and unwittingly summons Darkseid to Earth. Learning of this, Batman, Superman, and Lois meet at the Batcave before Superman abandons them to take on the evil New God. Before he leaves, he tells Bruce that Lois is "his world" (it's unclear if this is Superman or the "dead" Clark talking — even Harvey Dent would have trouble making sense of his characterization here). Lois and Bruce have an argument about the Injustice League (one of many vague spots throughout the movie), when Lois tells him he's "not the father" — revealing to the audience that they had begun sleeping together (contextually, it reads like she was cheating on Kal-El). And here's where things somehow get even messier.

Instead of meeting Superman head-on, Darkseid teleports to Lois, vaporizing her as Batman just ... sorta watches. Superman flies back to the Batcave and, seeing Lois' ashes, is easily taken over by Darkseid. Meanwhile, the rest of the Justice League finally enter the main plot, only to be instantly slaughtered by the Injustice League.

Orm and Black Manta kill Arthur at his coronation; Dr. Poison uses a gas to kill all of the Amazons, including Diana, before succumbing to the weapon herself; and Cyborg is torn in half trying to save The Flash from Captain Cold. Luthor celebrates his success briefly before Superman returns to Three Rivers to light him on fire.

The story then leaps forward to five years later, bringing us to the Knightmare timeline seen in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Zack Snyder's Justice League." Batman leads a group of rebel soldiers and The Flash (carrying the scraps of Cyborg) through Gotham, which is now inexplicably covered in sand (apparently Apokoliptian terraforming takes great inspiration from "Mad Max: Fury Road"). They take shelter in what remains of Wayne Manor, and the film ends.

Part Two finally introduces a Green Lantern to the DCEU by crashing him into the Apokaliptic Earth. Based on concept sketches, it appears to be Hal Jordan, though the outline specifies neither the name nor the species of the character. He is quickly united with Batman, who has formed a small team comprised of The Flash, Cyborg's torso, Mera, and Deadshot. Their plan is to send The Flash back in time using the cosmic treadmill (which they can only do once a year for 15 seconds) so he can deliver a message to Bruce: "You have to stop Lex." It's a bit redundant.

Luckily, Batman's high IQ allows him to realize this, so he gives Flash a new message: "Lois lied to you. You're the father." How Bruce knows this (or if it's even true) is not explained in the treatment. As Superman and Darkseid's forces attack (and the audience gets to see the Justice League die a second time), Flash travels back to warn Bruce. Now that he knows the baby is his, past-Bruce actually heeds Lois' warning about the Injustice League. And when Darkseid attacks the Batcave in order to kill Lois, he jumps in front of the attack to save her. Thank goodness they had that affair.

Bruce somehow survives the attack but is mortally wounded. Superman then arrives to beat Darkseid into submission before flying away to save the Justice League from their respective ambushes. Bruce leaves to join the fight, but not before telling Lois, "I could've had a life outside of the cave with you." (It's a good thing Clark isn't alive to see this — he might rat them out to Superman.)

What happens next is basically the "Avengers: Endgame" final battle (ironically, the two films were due out the same year, with "Endgame" likely beating "Justice League 3" by a few months).

The now-surviving Justice League members prepare for Darkseid's impending invasion. Aquaman convinces the Seven Kingdoms to welcome the new Eighth Kingdom — Earth; Superman inspires the various militaries of the world to take up arms as one; Wonder Woman brings the Amazons into the conflict; and even the Green Lantern Corps flies down to pitch in. The war is finally won when Batman defeats Darkseid by sacrificing his life a second time. (Take that, Tony Stark!)

With Apokolips gone, the world begins to heal. Diana capitalizes on the unity to negotiate world peace; Arthur is finally the uncontested King of Atlantis; Cyborg becomes the god of technology (and also appears human again, somehow). Lois admits to Superman that the baby was Bruce's, and, for whatever reason, this convinces him to become Clark again. They embrace, and it seems as though they will raise the baby together.

Twenty years later, as crime returns to Gotham, Lois takes the child to the Batcave, where he learns for the first time who his biological father truly was. The film ends with a new Batman rising over the city as its protector (hopefully the kid has some defensive skills, despite only just learning Batman was his dad). It seems as though this would be the end of the Snyderverse. Although it's bloated and a bit incoherent, perhaps it would've been worth making just so Twitter would have something else to talk about.