Darkseid's dcu absence: snyder's lost vision & gunn's future plans
Five years after its divisive release, Zack Snyder recently reignited the debate surrounding Darkseid, the DC Universe's ultimate villain. A cryptic Instagram post featuring the New God’s brief appearance in Zack Snyder's Justice League has fans revisiting a storyline that never fully materialized.
Snyder's epic, unfinished darkseid saga
The post, likely intended as a nod to the director's cut of the film, highlights a narrative Snyder envisioned as the centerpiece of a sprawling, decades-long saga. In an interview with GQ, Snyder detailed his ambitious plan: Darkseid would have arrived on Earth, wielding the Anti-Life Equation, a power capable of controlling all free will. The ensuing conflict would have culminated in a massive war between Darkseid and his New God army against a coalition of heroes—Themysirans, Atlanteans, and Earth's armies—with Wonder Woman as queen of the Atlanteans and Arthur as king.
But the story didn't end there. Snyder envisioned a 20-year epilogue where Superman's son, born without powers, would eventually become the new Batman. The final scene would have been Lois Lane guiding her son into the Batcave, a powerful image left tantalizingly unexplored.
James Gunn, the current architect of the DC Universe reboot, has effectively sidelined Darkseid as the primary antagonist. Gunn cited the character's significant similarity to Thanos from the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a primary reason for the shift in focus. He emphasized the fascinating world-building of Jack Kirby, the creator of the New Gods, which is currently being explored with the Mister Miracle series.
“There’s a huge part of it,” Gunn explained, “which is Kirby’s whole world which is totally fascinating. It’s the New Gods in general which I find so interesting.”
The decision to move away from Darkseid is not necessarily a rejection of the character, but rather a strategic choice to forge a distinct path for the DCU. Gunn’s focus on the New Gods, particularly Mister Miracle, offers a fresh perspective on the cosmic scale of DC storytelling, even if it means foregoing Snyder's grand, albeit unfinished, vision. The lingering question remains not if Darkseid will return, but when, and in what form.