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Zack Snyder Explains Why He Made Batman V Superman Instead Of A Proper Man of Steel 2

By Ollie Bradley

Published Apr 18, 2024

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Summary

Zack Snyder made Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice instead of Man of Steel 2 to explore Batman's response to Man of Steel's events.
Snyder felt portraying Bruce Wayne's take was crucial in a world with Superman, hinting at the importance of Batman in the DC Extended Universe.
Man of Steel 2 was planned to follow Justice League, potentially introducing Brainiac as the main villain, and was teased as recently as 2022.

The director of mixed reactions to Batman v Superman, which immediately followed the largely well-received Man of Steel instead of Man of Steel 2.

In an interview with GQ, Snyder revealed his reasoning for the move, suggesting that he couldn't hold off on depicting what Batman's response to the events of Man of Steel would have been. This also explains why the movies preceding Justice League did not include a solo DCEU Batman movie, which would otherwise have had to have been a prequel or occurred during the events of Man of Steel. Instead, Man of Steel 2 and a solo Batman were slated to follow Justice League. The full quote is as follows:

Once you talk about the fact that Bruce Wayne exists in the same world as Superman, right? Then you are into a Batman concept. You have to finish that thought. Now, Man of Steel 2, if you were to make it, you know with Brainiac or whatever you're gonna do, which it certainly could have been...and maybe that's it, you hold it off for a movie, and that's possible. I just felt like I needed to know what Bruce's take on this was, like, Bruce's take on the near-destruction of the world. And it really depends on how important you think Batman is in the Trinity.

The "Trinity" to which Snyder refers comprises Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman - DC's three most popular characters and co-founders of the Justice League.

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Though Snyder stops short of confirming that this was always the plan, it lends a kernel of truth to reports that Peaky Blinders creator, Steven Knight, was working on a script in which Brainiac would have been Superman's main foil.

Snyder's comments touched on a pertinent detail surrounding the plans for Man of Steel 2, as insiders reportedly revealed that Brainiac was the intended villain. Though Snyder stops short of confirming that this was always the plan, it lends a kernel of truth to reports that Peaky Blinders creator, Steven Knight, was working on a script in which Brainiac would have been Superman's main foil. This would have been a particularly interesting route for the DCEU to take, not least because this would have been the villain's first live-action cinematic outing.

Brainiac is one of Superman's most iconic villains from DC Comics, yet has only been adapted into live-action in Smallville, Supergirl and Krypton. This may be because Brainiac is a villain whose whole MO is to soak up all the knowledge in the known universe while shrinking cities to fit into bottles, which is difficult to see working well in a grounded live-action adaptation. Unfortunately, whether this decidedly off-piste motive would have translated into the DCEU - which was looking markedly more lighthearted when The Flash released - is a question that will remain forever unanswered.

Development for Man of Steel 2 began in earnest right around the time that the DCU muscled its way onto the scene, thereby condemning future DCEU projects. Henry Cavill had even teased his return to a solo project after his Black Adam cameo before he announced his departure just days later. With David Corenswet now filling his shoes in 2025's Superman, whether Cavill will return to the DCU as a different character remains a mystery - but the DCU already looks like a prime setting for Brainiac to finally make his debut.

Source: GQ