How Darkseid's Story Ended In Snyder's Original Justice League 2 & 3 Plan
If Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 and 3 had happened, what were his original plans for Darkseid's storyline, and what would the ending look like?
Had Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 and Zack Snyder's Justice League 3 happened, what was in store for Darkseid and his overall storyline? Zack Snyder's Justice League became the first time that one of DC Comics' ultimate villains got to jump from page to screen. While Darkseid has been in multiple animated DC properties, the Snyder Cut became the New God's first cinematic outing. Ray Porter was the actor to bring Darkseid to life as the four-hour film explored the team coming together to stop him from invading Earth like he had tried to do in the past. While Steppenwolf was the primary villain that the Justice League fought, Darkseid was the overall puppetmaster of the story.
While his debut was big, Zack Snyder's Justice League was only a taste of what was in store for Darkseid as the team's main antagonist. When the Snyder Cut was originally filmed, there were plans for potential sequels since the first installment was just the starting point of the story. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice introduced the Knightmare future, a concept that would have been fully explored in Snyder's Justice League trilogy. However, despite ending the Snyder Cut on a cliffhanger, Warner Bros. is for the time being not continuing that particular version of the DC Universe with Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 and Zack Snyder's Justice League 3.
Even before Zack Snyder's Justice League was released on HBO Max, multiple storyboards and concept ideas had become public, giving fans an idea of Snyder's plans. While some would be changed due to how the Snyder Cut played out, Darkseid's storyline was part of the overall endgame. Despite Warner Bros. proceeding with their next phase of DCEU films, they may one day find a different way to give Snyder's trilogy some form of conclusion. Even if it doesn't happen, what were Snyder's plans for Darkseid in Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 and Zack Snyder's Justice League 3?
While Darkseid only had a handful of scenes in Zack Snyder's Justice League, the HBO Max film gave a good start to his mythology. Before taking the name Darkseid, he was known as Uxas, a being who had attempted to invade Earth thousands of years before the main setting of the movie. Uxas was obsessed with finding the Anti-Life Equation, but his forces from Apokolips weren't prepared for what waited for them on Earth. Amazons, Atlanteans, humans, the Olympic Gods, and even a Green Lantern had come together to stop Uxas as well as the Mother Boxes from forming the unity. Uxas is defeated and is forced to return to Apokolips. This is why Steppenwolf years later tried to reclaim the Mother Boxes while also redeeming himself in Darkseid's eyes. While he is doing all of this for Darkseid, the Snyder Cut also reveals what the Lord of Apokolips's future would look like.
How Batman's Story Ended In Snyder's Original Justice League 2 & 3 Plan
During the second half of Zack Snyder's Justice League, Cyborg has a vision of what would happen if the team resurrected Superman, and Darkseid was at the center of it. Not only does Darkseid murder Aquaman and Wonder Woman, but he also kills Lois Lane. This allows Darkseid to force a grieving Superman to succumb to the Anti-Life Equation and together, they take over the planet. Later, Steppenwolf finds out that the Anti-Life Equation is located on Earth, which gives more evidence to this eventual outcome when he informs Darkseid of the discovery. While the Justice League revives Superman, who eventually gets his memory back and joins them in battling Steppenwolf, Darkseid almost wins. The Mother Boxes initially did join to form the Unity and nearly wiped out the planet, but the Flash managed to rewind time and give the team a second chance to stop Apokolips from winning. Steppenwolf is killed and Darkseid is frustrated that Earth, once again, has defenders. In his final scene, Darkseid tells DeSaad that nothing will stop him from getting the Anti-Life Equation.
While that was Darkseid's role in the Snyder Cut, his arc would have expanded starting in Zack Snyder's Justice League 2. In the sequel, the Justice League would initially be forced to have to deal with Lex Luthor's Injustice League. While Luthor would be putting together his own team of big DC Comics villains, the second installment would see Darkseid's greater impact that would kick off the Knightmare reality. Towards the later part of Zack Snyder's Justice League 2, Darkseid would make his way to Earth by using a Boom Tube – just like Steppenwolf did. Luthor would go on locate the Anti-Life Equation, but Darkseid would show up instantly along with DeSaad and take the power for himself. However, while Darkseid would finally accomplish his long-time goal in obtaining the Anti-Life Equation, he would get something even bigger.
Even though Luthor thought that Darkseid would use it to kill Superman, the Apokolips villain needed him alive. Darkseid wanted the Man of Steel to submit to him and that's where Luthor gives him an even bigger weapon. Luthor tells Darkseid that all he has to do is kill Lois which would destroy Superman's spirit and allow Darkseid to break the Kryptonian's free will. Darkseid and Superman would have a showdown, but eventually the big bad would go through with Luthor's idea. Darkseid would end up murdering Lois which in turn made Superman succumb to the Anti-Life Equation and that would begin the Knightmare future. Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 would conclude with a time jump of five years into the future where Darkseid had succeeded in conquering Earth.
Zack Snyder's Justice League 3 would primarily take place in the Knightmare future as Batman and the remaining heroes try to undo this reality. The remaining defenders were planning to use the Flash to travel back in time and warn the past version of Batman so they could prevent this from happening. The team only had one shot to do it – their method required precise timing and positioning of Earth and, if they failed, they would have to wait another year for the planet to be in the required position. They ended up building the cosmic treadmill so that the Flash could time travel into the past and tell Bruce the key that would make sure that Darkseid's reign never happens.
Superman almost ruins their plan as he finds and kills all the remaining Justice League members, except for The Flash who succeeds with going back in time. Thanks to Barry, Zack Snyder's Justice League 3 would erase the events of the previous installment. Superman would find out from Lois about Luthor's Injustice League and manages to stop them from getting Wonder Woman and Aquaman killed. But Darkseid would still Boom Tube his way to Lois and try murdering her. This time, however, Batman takes the hit and saves Lois from dying, thus preventing Superman from ever submitting to Darkseid. While this would force Darkseid from having to pull back, that wouldn't be his ultimate end in the threequel.
Snyder's storyboards had revealed that Zack Snyder's Justice League 3 would have had a Lord of the Rings-inspired finale when it came to the final war against Darkseid. The entire Justice League would be joined by the forces of Themyscira and Atlantis as they go up against Darkseid. They would also have the help of the military forces of Erath. Additionally, the Green Lantern Corps were set to join the final battle, which would pitch the entire DC Universe against Darkseid and Apokolips which would have been a massive cinematic action piece.
But as big as this showdown would have been for Zack Snyder's Justice League 3, it's how Darkseid goes down that is the cherry on the top. Cyborg would have managed to overload the Mother Boxes that would end with them being destroyed. At the same time, it would weaken Darkseid and that's where Batman would make his heroic sacrifice. After being hit by Darkseid's Omega Beam, Batman's body was dying due to the effects of the blast, so he didn't have much time left to live. Because of that, Batman gets to be the one that takes down Darkseid once and for all, sacrificing himself in the process.
With that being Darkseid's overall arc in Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 and Zack Snyder's Justice League 3, what is his future in the DCEU? Despite the sequels not happening, Darkseid was originally going to feature in Ava DuVernay's New Gods that had been in the works for a few years. While Porter was open to reprise the part, it was never clear if DuVernay would have used his Darkseid or cast a new actor in the role. However, not long after the Snyder Cut was released on HBO Max, Warner Bros. announced that New Gods along with James Wan's Aquaman spinoff film The Trench had been canceled. The Lord of Apokolips almost had a shot to appear in another DCEU film.
But because New Gods are no longer happening, it's unclear what is in store for Darkseid on the big screen. With Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 and Zack Snyder's Justice League 3 also not moving forward, Darkseid may not be seen cinematically for a long time. Warner Bros. is currently working on ongoing franchises as well as kicking off new ones including The Flash movie while also getting further into the DC Multiverse. Despite the Snyder Cut not being canon to the DCEU, it's highly unlikely that the studio will produce sequels to 2017's Justice League either. Darkseid is a villain better served for when the heroes come together as a team. The DCEU appears to focus more right now on individual franchises and fleshing out their DC characters cinematically.
Unless Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 and Zack Snyder's Justice League 3 are greenlighted, Darkseid may be out for the count for the foreseeable future. It's likely Warner Bros. will use the character at some point – Darkseid is one of the biggest foes that they have in the comics. However, it's more likely that the next time Darkseid shows up on the big screen, it will be in a new Justice League franchise that has little to do with Snyder's DCEU. Only time will tell if a future Justice League movie will be a combination of new and old DCEU heroes or a new incarnation altogether. However, it's unfortunate that Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 and Zack Snyder's Justice League 3 won't happen as it would have given Darkseid a huge arc with a satisfying conclusion.