Newly Released Storyboards Reveal Zack Snyder’s Original Plan For Justice League Trilogy

By JB Augustine

·March 7, 2021

Storyboards for Zack Snyder’s Justice League were revealed and they offer a lot of story, way more than one film can contain.

Zack Snyder recently revealed storyboards for his version of Justice League, and they offer a glimpse at a story that could never have been contained in just one film.

Released alongside other related materials as part of the The Dreamscapes of Zack Snyder’s Justice League exhibit, an AT&T hosted-gallery in Dallas that wasn’t actually opened at the time the images made their way to the internet, Snyder’s storyboards offer a glimpse into the director’s full plans for the Justice League, as is the general idea behind similar-such pre-planning.

Strangely, Warner has taken to pulling the images from the internet, though their efforts haven’t stopped photos of the storyboards from leaking out and being transcribed.

Geekosity was nice enough to do just that, based likely on images shared by Twitter user @mynerdyhome.

A closer look at each individual storyboard, alongside artwork produced by Jim Lee, can be seen below:

The storyboards contain massive potential spoilers for both the Snyder Cut and potential future films. Are those the rumored sequels in the Snyderverse? Nobody knows and, unfortunately, most look at Zack Snyder’s vision as done after his Justice League hits HBO Max.

That’s disappointing, because it would have been nice to see some of the plot points noted on these storyboards realized, and while it still might, none of it will be interconnected the way Snyder was planning for the DCEU.

Some of what was going to happen includes Lex Luthor forming his Injustice League by recruiting Doctor Poison, Captain Cold, Riddler, Orm, and Black Manta. It’s possible that Justice League was meant to connect with The Batman, given that the lead villain of The Dark Knight’s next outing, Edward Nygma, was going to be involved with Lex.

The real Justice League, meanwhile, was going to split up for a bit to deal with their personal lives. Batman and Lois were working together secretly on something while she helps the revived Superman reintegrate into society as Clark Kent. She’s also pregnant.

Wonder Woman would reconnect with the Amazons, while Cyborg would achieve some godlike level of power, which he eventually uses to help Barry Allen clear his father’s name and upgrade the Batcave.

Bruce is never home, as he’s avoiding having to face his own issues, instead spending his time in pursuit ofThe Riddler. Tracking Nygma to a cabin, Bruce learns he’s solved the Anti-Life Equation. However, immediately after this discovery, and at the behest of Lex, Nygma promptly shoots himself.

Darkseid would also appear to take the Anti-Life Equation out of Lex’s hands. From there he would enact his plan to break Superman by incinerating Lois in the Batcave.

As for Wonder Woman, she is dealing with her own crisis. Travelling to the Louvre, she consults Menalippe, an Amazon who told her about Steppenwolf. Urged by Menalippe to use the Lasso of Truth upon herself, Diana “unlocks her mind” and foresees becoming the God of War and fighting Superman.

This plays into the Man of Steel turning evil and doing the bidding of Darkseid, which fully explains the Knightmare Sequence in Batman v Superman.

Later on, Lex and the Injustice League strike when he Doctor Poison kills the Amazons with a deadly gas. This includes Wonder Woman, who dies in her mother’s arms.

Atlantis has a less grim fate, but Mera escapes narrowly after Aquaman is overpowered by Orm and Black Manta. Notably, they all are largely absent from the Knightmare reality.

What’s left of the League – Batman, Flash, and parts of Cyborg – regroup at Wayne Manor five years down the line, with Justice League 2 ending ton a cliffhanger similar to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 or Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.

At one point, Justice League 3 was actually dubbed Justice League 2A, and would’ve picked up where its predecessor left off. The film would have seen the introduction of Green Lantern, Deadshot showing up to lend a hand to the heroes, and the Suicide Squad member’s daughter being turned into a Parademon following Darkseid’s invasion.

Planning to reverse this course with time travel, the team soon relalizes that they’ll need Barry to hop on a Mother Box-powered Cosmic Treadmill to do so, an issue considering how hard it is to find one and that they’re only able to muster a total of 15 seconds of juice for the device.

They get the Mother Box but, one by one, fall to the corrupted Superman with Batman, the last one standing, getting impaled on his Kryptonite spear before Flash jumps back in time to warn Bruce. Though the team tells him to go back and tell the past-Batman, “You have to stop Lex”, Knightmare Bruce whispers something in Flash’s ear that’d be more effective.

The more persuasive words are not that Lois is the key, as alluded to in BVS, but that Bruce is the father of Lois’s child. She is able to inform Bruce of Lex’s plans and he takes the Omega Beam hit meant for her. It doesn’t outright kill him, but he is left critically wounded and dying as a result.

Like Avengers: Endgame and Justice League’s history lesson, everyone unites to beat back Darkseid – humans, Amazons, Atlantis, the kingdoms of the seas, the Green Lantern Corps, and the heroes. In fact, both Kilowog and Tomar Ray can be clearly spotted in among Lee’s artwork.

The battle really resembles Endgame, with Batman even pulling a Tony Stark and sacrificing himself, proving his rumored death was coming at the end.

20 years then pass. Diana and Aquaman sit on the repsecitve thrones of Themyscira and Atlantis, Cyborg can transform to look human and Clark feels more human raising a son he knows isn’t his.

A memorial is held to honor Batman and Lois finally tells her son who his real father was, proudly proclaiming that he was a superhero. Naturally, the kid picks up the mantle of the Dark Knight and carries on the legacy.

Many of these details were either confirmed or alleged over the years by Snyder himself and his Vero posts. The idea of Batman and Lois having a child that becomes the next Caped Crusader, however, is kind of a new one, and will likely hit every fan differently.

Chances are none of it will be rushed into production, but we’ll see what Warner Bros.’s attitude if the Snyder Cut is successful upon release.

In related news, for those wondering, The Dreamscapes of Zack Snyder’s Justice League exhibit in Dallas is now open to the public.

What do you make of Snyder’s potential plans for the Justice League franchise? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!