While Zack Snyder may have moved on from his glory days in the DCEU directing and supervising the chaptres of the now-discontinued franchise towards the conclusion that was Zack Snyder’s Justice League, die-hard fans still ponder on all the possibilities that he had in store for us.
Among them, there was always a theory of a Justice League trilogy that was in the works at WB Discovery before the filmmaker left the studios.
In fact, when the events of ZSJL took place, there were quite a few hints at a potential trilogy for the original film, one of which would’ve been the betrayal of the Man of Steel after the alleged death of Lois Lane in the film.
While this was hinted at, there were also signs of the story introducing the infamous Superman Clone called Brutaal, a narrative that would’ve proven too much for James Gunn’s DCU.
Zack Snyder Had Plans To Bring The Superman Clone Brutaal To The Canceled Justice League Trilogy
One of the most hard-hitting superhero team-ups in cinema naturally goes to the iconic and infamous Zack Snyder’s Justice League, a film that was pressured by the fans to be released.
But not even many comic book fans, except for the hardcore Zack Snyder aficionados, might know that there was a Justice League trilogy in the works before it was axed by Warner Bros. as the entire DCEU was dismantled and the filmmaker left the studios.
But far down the road, there was an underrated theory that the Rebel Moon- Part One: A Child of Fire filmmaker had plans to introduce a Superman clone in the later films of the proposed series. This clone was named Brutaal, which was created by the supervillain Darkseid with the corpse of a Superman from another dimension to help him rule Earth with his might and loyalty to him.
The only way he could’ve been stopped was by Lois Lane, who despite being claimed by the audience as dead after Darkseid and Steppenwolf destroyed Kent’s family, might’ve survived since the charred body that he picked up might’ve belonged to his mother Martha Kent.
Thus, there was also a chance that Lane survived, and later became a superhero called Red Tornado in the future, which is possible since there is supporting DC Comics lore to it.
When it comes to the devastation he would’ve caused, imagine Superman at his worst, especially after losing Lois, all recreated with the most destructive and ruthless instincts and a thirst for carnage, that was what Brutaal could’ve been.
Coming back to how she would’ve stopped Brutaal’s onslaught, in the memories of this Man of Steel, Lane was dead, which was part of the instinctual destruction that he had in him along with the retained memories of the other Superman, which would’ve stopped him from hurting her.
And since she would’ve already become Red Tornado, she could’ve destroyed him, especially because when he faced her in the comics, his true identity was revealed to be a hideous knock-off trying to become someone he wasn’t.
What To Expect From James Gunn And The Upcoming Superman: Legacy?
Since Snyder’s vision was nipped in the bud by Warner Bros. people are now both curious and anxious about what James Gunn will bring to the table with Superman: Legacy.
While the cast and crew for the project may have assembled, fans are most excited about the narrative that the film will set for the DCU going forward, which seems to have already been revealed.
In the table read session for the upcoming film, a logo was revealed to the public that resembled the infamous Kingdom Come arc in the titular superhero’s lore from the comics, which comic book enthusiasts might realize to be one of the darkest storylines for the character narrative-wise.
Superman: Legacy, in cinemas on 11th July 2025.
