Superman and Darkseid could meet in a dream sequence in Zack Snyder's Justice League. Snyder's original version is launching on HBO Max and it's clearly a vastly different film from the theatrical version just from what has been seen in its marketing. Unlike the theatrical cut, the Snyder Cut's trailers are doing anything but hiding Superman from view, yet his role in the movie inspires many questions.
Following Superman's death in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman.
One snippet of the movie's marketing suggests that Superman and Darkseid will meet in the movie in a sequence that appears to be a "Kneel Before Darkseid" moment that trades General Zod for the ruler of Apokolips. This could only be telling part of the story: With the information available about the Snyder Cut right now, it seems like this meeting might not be taking place in-person, but actually occurs in a dream sequence.
Darkseid And Superman Appear To Meet In One Teaser
The meeting of the Man of Steel and Darkseid can been briefly seen in the recent Twitch ad focuon the latter. In the ad in question, a large hand that appears to be Darkseid's can be seen on Superman's shoulder. This suggests the two of them come face to face at some point in the movie, but based on what is known right now about the Snyder Cut, a direct Superman-Darkseid encounter doesn't seem like something that's on the cards.
Though Darkseid will clearly feature prominently in the Snyder Cut, Steppenwolf really leads the charge in the invasion of Apokolips. Outside of his front and center role in the history lesson, Darkseid will be more of an on-the-throne type of villain in the film. What's more, Superman is wearing his black suit in the ad, meaning that the scene will take place some time after his resurrection, and with the League's battle against Steppenwolf and the Parademon army looming, it's hard to imagine a point at which Darkseid and Superman could actually meet. Unless, of course, the film takes a more indirect approach.
The DCEU Is Full Of Dream Sequences
What makes the notion of Superman and Darkseid meeting in a dream sequence more likely is the fact that this is something that is seen fairly regularly in the DCEU. It first began in Man of Steel, with General Zod revealing his plan to Superman during a mind probe for the location of Wonder Woman saw a similar dream as Man of Steel, with Ares entering Diana's mind and trying to convince her to forces with him.
The Snyder Cut itself will also make a much deeper dive into the Knightmare, while Cyborg will also face a temptation by Darkseid. Within the full scope of Snyder's overall story, bringing Superman over to his side is obviously something known to be within Darkseid's mandate, the Knightmare being the end result of Superman succumbing to the Anti-Life Equation and being pulled to the side of Apokolips. Theoretically, the Snyder Cut could see Darkseid trying to win Superman's allegiance in a similar scenario as he does with Cyborg. If this is the case, then a dream is where it seems to fit best in the film's story.
A Dream Sequence Is Where Their Meeting Fits Best
As mentioned above, Darkseid role is more of a looming, otherworldly force of evil, akin to Sauron in The Lord of the Rings. Though the League is known to see him through a Boom Tube in the film, there don't seem to be many opportunities for Darkseid and Superman to actually meet. Hypothetically, their meeting could relate to the Knightmare, but Superman wearing his classic red and blue suit there as opposed to his black suit would seemingly rule that out (unless this is a change to the Knightmare timeline after Barry's time-travel into the past in Batman v Superman).
However, a dream sequence would not only be the most straightforward way to have Superman and Darkseid meet, it would also show the lengths Darkseid is willing to go to in order to weaponize Superman to his own ends. It would also further establish Darkseid as a truly Satanic villain, entering the minds of his enemies and offering them their heart's desires in exchange for swearing their loyalty to him. Darkseid would also likely come to recognize that such efforts at temptation are futile with someone as pure-hearted as Superman after attempting to do so in a dream sequence, which could end up being what motivates him to use the Anti-Life Equation as his plan B to enlist Kal-El among the forces of Apokolips (his inability to tempt Cyborg to his side also giving Darkseid greater motivation to use the Anti-Life Equation).
Every question about the Snyder Cut will soon be answered. The return of Superman from his death naturally makes him one of the characters that fans are surely the most eager to see, while Darkseid's grand debut marks the arrival of a villain the world has waited for decades to see in cinematic form. Given how the story of Zack Snyder's Justice League seems to play out, it seems a bit dicey as to how the movie could bring them into a scene together, as obvious a choice as that might be, but doing this in a dream sequence would solve all those problems.
