Lex Luthor and the Injustice League would have been a crucial component to Zack Snyder's Justice League 2. The Snyder Cut was only the third chapter in the director's envisioned 5-part story. The Snyder Cut followed the origin story of how the Justice League was born, bringing Superman back from the dead to trying to prevent the Knightmare future from happening. The Snyder Cut is a payoff to past DCEU films while also setting up the foundation for the later endgame.

For the time being, Zack Snyder's Justice League won't be getting any follow-ups after its release on HBO Max. Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff has said the studio is going forward with other plans for the DC brand. However, before the HBO Max product has been released, storyboards and concept ideas about Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 and Zack Snyder's Justice League 3 had reached the public. That gave fans an insight into where the filmmaker was going with his DC Universe, including the return of Lex and the live-action debut of the Injustice League.

Related: Every Future Justice League Member Teased In The Snyder Cut

While Lex as well as the Injustice League wouldn't have been a big part of the third installment, they would have served a large role in Zack Snyder's Justice League 2. This would have been the third time for Jesse Eisenberg's take on the iconic Superman baddie following his arc in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and a brief appearance in the Snyder Cut. But through Luthor, multiple DC villains would have gotten a chance to be part of a Justice League story as the Injustice League.

Lex Luthor's Story In Justice League Snyder Cut Explained

An image of Lex Luthor looking serious in Justice League

In Zack Snyder's Justice League, Lex was still locked up at the Arkham Home for the Emotionally Troubled for the most part of the film. Lex is, however, seen at the start of the Snyder Cut in the opening scene when Superman and Doomsday had their showdown. While the Man of Steel was screaming in pain, Lex was still in the Kryptonian Scout Ship where he was watching a liquid-geo hologram of Steppenwolf and learning about the three Mother Boxes. Lex is then absent for most of the Snyder Cut while he gets mentioned by Batman one point to Alfred as he's trying to build the Justice League. It wasn't until the very end of Zack Snyder's Justice League when Lex made his move and reentered the story.

Related: How Flash's Story Ended In Snyder's Original Justice League 2 & 3 Plan

After the team has defeated Steppenwolf while also coming face-to-face briefly with Darkseid,  one of the final scenes in Zack Snyder's Justice League revolves around the super-villain. When a guard at the Arkham Home tries to get Lex to come out of his cell, the inmate doesn't respond. The guard goes to check on Lex but discovers that it's not him after all as it's another bald man in a straight jacket who begins to laugh maniacally. It turns out that Lex had actually escaped the Arkham Home as he meets up with Slade Wilson a.k.a. Deathstroke. In the theatrical cut, Lex asks Slade if they should perhaps have a league of their own. In the Snyder Cut, however, Lex ends up revealing to Slade that Bruce Wayne is Batman which makes Deathstroke very happy to hear.

Lex Luthor's Story In Snyder's Original Justice League 2 Plans

Darkseid-And-Lex-Luthor-Zack-Snyder-Justice-League

Based on Snyder's story plans, had his original Justice League film come out in 2017, Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 would have picked up on the threads of the solo films for the other heroes. In the follow-up. Lex would be busy putting together the Injustice League, a team of super-villains that has existed in DC Comics for several decades. But as Lex brought this team to life, Batman and Lois Lane would be trying to find him. But during Batman's search, he would run into The Riddler who informs the Dark Knight that Lex had come to him for information on the Anti-Life Equation. Per Snyder's storyboards, it became "the riddle of life itself" for Edward Nygma as he warns Bruce what will happen when Lex uses it as he had solved it.

Related: How Wonder Woman's Story Ended In Snyder's Original Justice League 2 & 3 Plan

But Lex would make things worse in Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 once it became clear that he had the Mother Boxes. Lex manages to activate them and gets the Anti-Life Equation, but this is when Darkseid would suddenly appear through a Boom Tube and take it for himself. While Lex wasn't prepared for this, he ends up trying to help Darkseid instead by telling him that the Apokolips lord can now kill Superman. But Darkseid wants Kal-El to submit to him and that's how Lex becomes the one to suggest that he should kill Lois in order to break Superman's spirit. So that's exactly what Darkseid does as he murders Lois and gets Superman to succumb to the Anti-Life Equation. However, this would come to haunt Lex as Superman would show up and kill him with his heat vision towards the end of Zack Snyder's Justice League 2.

Injustice League's Role In Snyder's Original Justice League 2 Plans Explained

Lex-Luthor-And-Injustice-League-In-Zack-Snyder-Justice-League

As important as Lex was in Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 to help Darkseid, he wouldn't have been alone throughout the story. His other big role was forming the Injustice League that would have consisted of villains from the other DCEU films that would have come out after Zack Snyder's Justice League if it had been released in 2017. Originally, The Flash and Aquaman (which still did) would have arrived after the Snyder Cut that would have set up Len Snart a.k.a. Captain Cold as well as Ocean Master and Black Manta respectively. But 2017's Wonder Woman would have also factored in as all those films would have been a main connection to the Justice League sequel. Lex would have recruited Captain Cold, Black Manta, Ocean Master, as well as a still-alive Dr. Maru and in return, he would have given them what they needed to take down their respective hero.

Related: How Aquaman's Story Ended In Snyder's Original Justice League 2 & 3 Plan

During Zack Snyder's Justice League 2, Dr. Maru would end up releasing a deadly chemical gas on Themyscira that killed all the Amazons as well as Wonder Woman and Queen Hippolyta who had just reunited since Diana left the island in 1918. Dr. Maru would die in the process, but that was seemingly a price she was ready to pay as she got her revenge. Captain Cold would have gotten his ice weapon upgraded that would allow him to take on The Flash as they have a showdown in Central City that would end with Cyborg losing half of his robot body. Black Manta and Ocean Master would get Aquaman killed during his coronation in Atlantis. This would have been a big part in making the Knightmare become a reality with half of the Justice League now dead while the others would have to fight to their last breath for five years in Zack Snyder's Justice League 3.

Lex Luthor & Injustice League DCEU Future Explained

Lex Luthor Justice league snyder cut

Lex and Injustice League were primary threats in Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 that ended up causing a lot of harm to the team. Unfortunately for them, all of it would get undone after Barry Allen in Zack Snyder's Justice League 3 goes back in time to warn Batman and prevent the Knightmare future from happening. Because of that, Superman would discover Lex's plans and stop him as well as the Injustice League members' attacks on the other heroes. But while that became the end of Lex and the Injustice League in Snyder's Justice League trilogy, those ideas will likely never be seen on-screen. However, some of those villains are still in the DCEU so what's their future in other future films?

Dr. Maru hasn't returned since appearing in Wonder Woman and given The Flash movie was delayed and redeveloped several times, Captain Cold has yet to appear on the big screen. It's possible  Snart could show up in Andy Muschietti's The Flash or perhaps the potential sequels. Black Manta will be a primary antagonist in Aquaman 2 and Ocean Master will be back in some capacity, according to Patrick Wilson. Even though the theatrical cut of Justice League teased the creation of the Injustice League, it's unlikely Warner Bros. is making a follow-up to that particular DCEU movie.

As far as Eisenberg's Lex goes, it seems that he might actually be done in the DCEU after Zack Snyder's Justice League. At this point, it wouldn't be shocking if Warner Bros. gets a new actor to play Lex either in the Superman reboot from J.J. Abrams or recast for the DCEU for future installments of other franchises. It's disappointing that Lex and the birth of the Injustice League will never see the light of day as that was one of Snyder's strongest plans for his Justice League trilogy. But things may change in the future. Warner Bros. also said the Snyder Cut would never be released, so while it's unlikely, never say never about Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 getting revived somehow. If it does, fans will get to see Lex Luthor create the Injustice League after all.

Next: Snyder's Justice League Set Up the Most Diverse Cinematic Superhero Team

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