Zack Snyder Explains 'Batman V Superman' Knightmare Scene, Teasing A Version Of Events That Probably Won't Happen
It's been a little more than two years since Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice debuted, introducing Ben Affleck's Batman to the world. Remember when the Internet was obsessed with arguing about this movie? I never thought I'd actually find myself yearning for those days, but the world was a different place back then. Less bleak. Less grim. Less...Knightmarish.
Snyder has been mostly quiet since he stepped out of the Justice League director's chair last May, but now he's resurfaced to explain what the heck was going on in that Batman-centric Knightmare scene in Batman v Superman.
Let's time warp back to the halcyon days of 2016, long before the election of America's own embarrassing version of Lex Luthor. Back to a time when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice arrived in theaters, murdered an unnamed Jimmy Olsen in cold blood as a joke, launched a million "Martha" jokes, and made us look at Jesse Eisenberg's piss in a jar. Oh, and this happened:
According to LRM Online, Snyder recently answered a fan question about this scene on Vero, the director's preferred social media platform, and he hinted at a version of events that may not happen anymore. When asked if the scene takes place in an alternate timeline or if it mirrors Superman's path in the Injustice video games (in which Superman becomes a brutal dictator following the death of Lois Lane), Snyder responded:
"...Or if someone lost someone close to them they might be susceptible to a certain Equation and might blame a certain Bat for events that a too soon Bruce would know nothing about."
What is the "Equation"?
The "equation" to which Snyder refers is almost certainly the Anti-Life Equation, a mathematical formula that results in total control of the minds of sentient beings. Darkseid – the villain alluded to in the Knightmare sequence who has a fondness for the Omega symbol – believes the equation lies in the subconscious of humanity...or something. (Comics are weird, ya'll.)
Either way, the Knightmare scene seems to be hinting at events that now seem unlikely to be explored in the current DC movie universe. Things are very much up in the air at DC Films right now, with the studio seemingly concentrating more on projects like Aquaman, Wonder Woman 2, and the new banner of one-off stories set in a separate cinematic universe, like that Joker origin movie.
Interestingly, the Anti-Life Equation was a creation of Jack Kirby, who created New Gods, a series about the conflict between the peaceful New Genesis and the dystopian Apokolips, the latter of which Darkseid calls home. Ava DuVernay is directing a New Gods movie for DC Films, so maybe she'll be able to take this bizarre baton from Snyder and bring it to the big screen in one form or another.