Batman was going to die in Zack Snyder's original 5 part plan for the DC Extended Universe. The DCEU is headed in a new direction, and most of Zack Snyder's plans for the characters after the events of extensive reshoots were conducted by Joss Whedon.
Over time, Justice League 2, and now, thanks to a comment on the Vero social media platform, we have confirmation of a significant portion of that plan: Batman was going to die.
Related: What Was Zack Snyder's Original 5 Movie DCEU Plan?
This newest revelation isn't only confirmation of Batman's death, but also gives us a significant clue as to Snyder's plan for Justice League 2 as a whole. We'd already suggested Anti-Life equation was supposed to be introduced in the ancient battle with Steppenwolf. Third, Batman was supposed to die, presumably with the Final Crisis iconography Ramesh De Silva posted to Vero, indicating Batman sacrificed himself against Darkseid.
Related: What Deaths Did the 3 Crosses Represent Batman v Superman?
This revelation doesn't merely shed light on the Snyder's original intent for the story, but also gives a fuller picture of what happened behind the scenes in the DCEU during Justice League's production. This is the version of the story Ben Affleck would have signed on to portray, meaning his solo Batman movie would have been created with this ending in mind for the caped crusader. Looking at the timeline of Ben Affleck's departure, it's very clear it lines up with the time during Justice League's production that Snyder was clashing with Warner Bros. prior to his exit. So it's more than likely Affleck's lack of commitment to the director's chair was directly related to the fact that his Batman script was significantly impacted by decisions such as removing Darkseid - and he specifically said he wouldn't direct if he didn't like the script.
Ultimately, Affleck stepped down, Snyder was forced out, limited to potential narrator or modern-day bookend at most. Regardless, with the DCEU's new direction and confusion surrounding the future of both Cavill and Affleck in question, we're not likely to see this moment on screen any time soon - if ever.
