The Unexpected Character Zack Snyder Would Have Made The Next Batman
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Contains spoilers for Zack Snyder's Justice League
Zack Snyder's Justice League was released on HBO Max because fans of Warner Bros.' DC Extended Universe wanted to see what the director had originally intended for the first big-screen, live-action appearance of the Justice League. Though Snyder was once at the helm in 2017, Joss Whedon took over Justice League during post-production after Snyder stepped down from the role his daughter's death. Joss Whedon's Justice League was poorly received by critics, hence the demand for Snyder's version. Snyder's film went on to fare considerably better critically. Included in Snyder's extensive, four-hour cut are glimpses at a future in which the villainous Darkseid has invaded Earth and obtained a dark power called the Anti-Life Equation. Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Batman are all dead in that timeline, and Superman is under the control of Darkseid. The Joker, in his hyped cameo appearance, essentially explains that Superman's heel turn is the result of Lois Lane's death, which is Bruce Wayne's fault.
As Snyder explained in an interview with Vanity Fair, Justice League was supposed to be the third movie in a five-film series and Superman's dark turn was going to be part of the fourth chapter in that story. Naturally, Superman wouldn't have been evil forever, though Bruce Wayne was going to have to sacrifice himself to save Lois Lane and stop Darkseid. That said, Snyder's story eventually included a replacement Batman in the wake of Batman's death, and the character he had in mind may shock you.
Who is Bruce Wayne's super-successor?
Zack Snyder revealed to Vanity Fair that the next Batman would have been the son of Superman-slash-Clark Kent and Lois Lane. In fact, Zack Snyder's Justice League includes a hint that Lois Lane is pregnant during the events of the film. In a scene just prior to Superman's resurrection, in which Lois Lane opens a drawer in her nightstand to look at an old press pass from her time at The Daily Planet, a pregnancy test is visible among the drawer's contents. The fictional company named on its box is "Force Majeure," which is a legal term that refers to an unforeseen circumstance, like an unplanned pregnancy.
Lois' pregnancy was among the content Snyder had planned to include in Justice League back in 2017. Warner Bros. ultimately made the decision to remove any mention of it the first time around. Snyder also revealed that, despite having a super-powered parent, Clark and Lois' son would not have had superpowers himself. Thus, both in honor of Bruce Wayne's sacrifice and due to his lack of superpowers, he would have made a fitting Batman.