Zack Snyder’s Latest Tease For The Snyder Cut Is All About Batman's Knightmare

Ben Affleck is Batman

The marketing campaign for Zack Snyder’s Justice League should be kicking into a higher gear by this point, now that the four-hour cut has an official release date of March 18 on HBO Max. A second trailer is rumored to be dropping on February 14 (a date that’s important to both Zack Snyder and members of the Release the Snyder Cut community), and three posters were shared when the release date got announced. So far, though, the best “marketing” has come from the filmmaker himself, as he continues to share images from the upcoming film to get fans hyped… the latest being this look at Ben Affleck’s Batman.

The jacket and the cowl suggest that this shot of Batman shared on Zack Snyder's Vero from behind will take place during the Knightmare sequence that we know is going to be in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. And we are basing what we know of the Knightmare thanks to the one that we witnessed in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. In case you need to be refreshed on what happens in that scene, I’m including it below. Then we’ll get into intense, spoilery speculation after the video, so only scan down if you want to read more of that!

The “Knightmare” in Zack Snyder’s DC universe is a possible future where Darkseid and his minions (parademons) have prevailed over our planet, potentially with the help of Superman (Henry Cavill) and the Man of Steel’s army of loyal soldiers. It has been suggested that Superman is under control of Darkseid’s Anti-Life Equation, which essentially wipes out a being’s individual existence. In the Batman v Superman clip, it’s suggested that Superman has “turned” in the Knightmare because he lost Lois Lane (Amy Adams), and he blames Batman (Ben Affleck) for whatever happened.

We’ve heard rumblings of what to expect in the Justice League Knightmare, though none of it is hinted at here. From pieces of intel, it’s implied that Batman will need to rely on unusual allies in the Knightmare future, because once Superman turns, it will take everyone to convince him to return to the side of good. So it’s suggested that Batman’s team in the Knightmare future will include Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello), Mera (Amber Heard)... and The Joker (Jared Leto). We know those actors took place in the recent additional photography that Zack Snyder completed. This new Batman shot comes from that.

We will know soon enough how the Knightmare plays out in Justice League, and what other surprises Zack Snyder has planted up his sleeve. The four-hour movie arrives on HBO Max on March 18, after fans fought three long years to convince Warner Bros. to let them see it. What scene are you most looking forward to seeing in the Snyder Cut?

Sean O'Connell
Managing Editor

Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.