Warner Bros. has officially confirmed that the DC Extended Universe’s Zack Snyder projects, nicknamed the “Snyderverse,” are over, but that doesn’t mean that all of Snyder’s plans are scrapped. An interview with DC Chief Creative Officer-Publisher Jim Lee at 2022’s San Diego Comic-Con closed the book on Snyder’s continued involvement in the DCEU film franchise, despite the success of Zack Snyder’s Justice League and a vocal contingent of DC fans who wish to see its planned sequels make it to the big screen. The DCEU is headed in a different direction than Snyder’s planned sequels, but some elements of his long-term plan are certainly compatible with the DCEU’s new future, so the Snyderverse might live on in a way.
Zack Snyder was initially one of the primary creatives in the DCEU, directing Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and working closely with fellow directors Pattie Jenkins and James Wan to ensure that their collective creative vision was consistent. Unfortunately, due to a family tragedy, Snyder couldn’t complete the theatrical version of 2017’s Justice League, and the final film, completed by Joss Whedon, was a crushing disappointment. The success of Justice League’s director's cut renewed interest in Snyder’s plans for the DCEU, though the DCEU has already moved on from the Snyderverse, for better or worse.
Regardless of the critical success of Snyder’s Justice League, a new era for the DCEU has already been set in motion, with massive retcons for the franchise planned for the upcoming The Flash movie and many key Snyderverse actors no longer being part of the DCEU franchise. Still, despite Snyder’s overall vision for the DCEU no longer being possible, his plans can still be used in upcoming DCEU installments. The DCEU is rumored to be having a far greater focus on Henry Cavill’s Superman and his further adventures following Steppenwolf’s death, allowing for some of Snyder’s Superman plans to be used, and the same goes for characters like Wonder Woman and perhaps the new versions of Batman and Batgirl as well.
Why The Snyderverse Cannot Continue
Aside from Zack Snyder’s lack of involvement in future DCEU projects, another major reason for the impossibility of the Snyderverse’s continuation is that essential cast members are no longer part of the DCEU franchise. This, most notably, includes Ben Affleck and Ray Fisher, who play the founding Justice League members Batman and Cyborg, respectively. Ben Affleck, despite his love for the Batman role, will have his final performance as the Dark Knight in The Flash, wishing to give his version of the character a meaningful ending as the stress of the role threatens his physical health. Ray Fisher notably had a bad experience working on the Justice League theatrical cut and has since ended his involvement in future DCEU projects.
While the DCEU seems to be continuing without any version of Cyborg (as evidenced by the Peacemaker finale), Ben Affleck’s iteration of Batman is slated to be replaced by Michael Keaton’s by the end of The Flash. The upcoming Batgirl seems to suggest that Keaton’s Dark Knight melds the histories of the DCEU and Tim Burton iterations of Batman, which would allow the franchise to retain the character, but not continue Snyder’s vision. This doesn’t mean that Snyder’s plans are completely impossible to use, however.
How The Snyderverse Can Still Be Part Of The DCEU's Future
The Henry Cavill version of Superman is strongly rumored to have a massive role in future DCEU projects, which allows room for some of Snyder’s plans to be repurposed in the new DCEU. Zack Snyder planned a multi-film character arc for Superman, exploring the internal tug-of-war between his humanity and Kryptonian heritage as well as his readoption of the classic blue Superman costume. In all of Superman’s appearances that take place after Justice League, he’s back in his blue suit, so the character arc most likely won’t be precisely what Snyder intended if it's used, but it may inspire future Superman stories in the DCEU, such as a Man of Steel sequel.
Repurposed Zack Snyder plot lines can be used for other DCEU heroes as well. Wonder Woman was initially going to clash with her old enemy Doctor Poison once more, with the mad scientist unleashing a deadly poison gas on Themyscira, a storyline that could appear in Wonder Woman 3. Snyder’s ideas for Ben Affleck’s solo Batman film could also be the basis for a Batgirl sequel, and Keaton’s Batman might play a similar role to Affleck’s in a Justice League sequel. The Snyderverse may be officially defunct, but the DC Extended Universe could allow portions of it to live on in future installments.
