As the DCU is going through a renovation under James Gunn, we sometimes sit back and reminisce about the time when the DCEU was all the rage. The polarizing universe has been a topic of debate amongst fans since time immemorial. While some fans loved the vision Zack Snyder brought to life, others weren’t really fans of his dark approach.
Another complaint about the DCEU is how it has left fans with some unanswered questions and unfulfilled expectations, for example, Darkseid’s incomplete arc. Some fans are still upset over being given the wrong idea about the supervillain’s rivalry with Henry Cavill’s Superman, despite the two never interacting on screen.
Zack Snyder’s DCEU and an Unfulfilled Dream
It seemed like Henry Cavill’s Superman was going to fight Darkseid in the future Justice League movies. While that was the plan, things really didn’t come to fruition with Zack Snyder leaving the superhero universe and James Gunn coming in to take over.
The tyrannical ruler of Apokolips, Darkseid, is a god-like figure whose enemies extend far beyond a single superhero. Yet, a fan pointed out that the DCEU made people believe that he was primarily a Superman antagonist.
One of the biggest sins of the dceu is somehow making people believe that Darkseid is a superman villain and Deathstroke is a batman villain without them ever even interacting on screen https://t.co/MOhNOc7xAT
— JT (@Jtaylor0_3) August 27, 2024
While his clashes with Superman, both physical and moral, are obviously very legendary, Darkseid’s wrath isn’t limited to just him. Anyone who stands for freedom and hope is automatically an adversary to Darkseid, making him a Justice League-level threat, more than just a Superman villain.
Darkseid was first teased as a threat in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice’s Knightmare sequence. While he remained backstage, he was still pulling the strings in the dream sequence, playing Superman like a puppet.
This could be seen as Snyder teasing fans about a forthcoming grand battle between Darkseid and Superman, making fans believe that the supervillain’s animosity was limited to the Man of Steel.
While the battle was supposed to take place in the Justice League sequels, it looks like fate had other plans.
Superman v. Darkseid Would Have Been the Most Quintessential Battle
Despite the fact that Snyder walked away from the DCEU, he had a vision for how things were to take place in the superhero universe’s future, particularly in the Justice League films.
While the story is only limited to a single film, Snyder initially intended to make a couple more sequels. In the sequels that never came to life, the filmmaker was ready to have Superman battle it out with Darkseid for an epic showdown.
He once stated that the battle would have been the most “quintessential” battle of all time, with no way of knowing how to move forward with the story. Recalling his most iconic films for GQ, Snyder stated,
His battle with Darkseid was gonna be THE battle, the quintessential DC battle, you know…because that’s it. I don’t know what else, what else you’re gonna do after that? We were like, I’ll quit…At his peak, he was going to have to succumb to the anti-life, be destroyed, turn the clock back, and then get his chance for the, you know, for this battle against Darkseid that would, if you will, sort of finish his trilogy of becoming this guardian of the planet, and sort of return to his humanity. That was our hope.
Technicalities of the DC comics aside, Snyder’s idea seems like it would have made one hell of a Justice League film. Unfortunately, for those interested in this storyline, there seem to be no plans to return to the films, at least for now.
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League are available to watch on Max.
