Zack Snyder began the DC Extended Universe of films intending to produce a connected world of movies, all building to one story. The director has revealed many of his plans for the franchise, tying together a number of different movies to a single overarching mythology. But, sometimes, the world just doesn't work out as you want it to.
Following the critical drubbing that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and personal issues took him off Justice League, Snyder has ended up disconnected from the universe he helped establish with Man of Steel. However, bits and pieces of the full story he wanted to tell are at play in the films that were released, most notably the "Knightmare" sequence from BvS. In fact, given recent quotes from Synder, the Knightmare sequence may have been one of the single most important pieces of his entire DCEU saga.
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The Knightmare
The Knightmare was a vision of the future that came to Bruce Wayne in the form of a dream during Batman v. Superman. The segment featured a rougher and older Batman in the ruins of Earth. The planet has been captured and terraformed by the forces of Apokolips into a desolate wasteland. The Omega Symbol (the sign of Darkseid) is branded into the crust of the planet, making it clear that this is a world now under Darkseid's rule. Leading an insurgency of the last remaining human soldiers, Batman is attacked and captured by a group of Parademons and the soldiers who follow a now tyrannical Superman.
This dark version of Superman kills the last of Batman's allies before killing Bruce. The dream shakes Bruce awake just in time to see the Flash rip through the timestream to deliver a warning. Having gone too far back in time, Flash warns a confounded Bruce that Lois Lane is the key and that he needs to find the other heroes. Bruce then wakes up again, with the Flash sequence itself also being inside a dream.
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Dream Inside A Dream
Within the narrative of the film, Bruce uses the Knightmare to help fuel his obsession with fighting Superman. But in the greater context of the universe as a whole, the Knightmare was clearly meant for something more. The sequence is the DCEU introduction of the Parademons and the Flash, both of whom receive a proper introduction in Justice League. Both would have had bigger roles to play later in the overarching narrative.
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Snyder has also been clear that it wasn't just a vision. That really was the Flash coming back in time to warn Batman about the future, as Snyder confirmed when he revealed the Flash was using the Cosmic Treadmill to do so. Snyder also revealed that he had plans to revisit the post-apocalyptic setting, which could have offered a clearer idea of what was happening and who was involved. But Snyder has also opened up about another aspect of the Knightmare timeline that illuminates exactly what he was going for.
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Lois Is The Key
During the recent Director's Cut panel at the ArtCenter College of Design, Snyder was asked about the Knightmare sequence and how it would have impacted the rest of the DCEU. Synder explained how this world would have focused on the few remaining members of the Justice League fighting back against a Superman who had been broken by the Anti-Life Equation and become a lieutenant of Darkseid. But Snyder also revealed that the final straw to break Superman would have been centered around Lois Lane.
Speaking about the moment, Snyder explained "Because Lois -- and it's in the Justice League teaser; it wasn't in the movie apparently... it's this line where Bruce says, 'I was right here, and Barry Allen came to me and he said 'Lois Lane is the key.' And then [Wonder Woman] goes, 'She is to Superman; every heart has one.' And [Bruce] goes, 'I think it's something more, something darker.' And what it means is that the thing that was darker was all about if Lois died, Superman would succumb to the Anti-Life, right? And Superman knew that somehow it was Bruce's responsibility to protect Lois, he would've been mad at him in this movie, and that's why he says, 'She was my world, and you took her from me."
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Snyder also revealed that his eventual plan would have seen Lois killed by Darkseid himself after he transported inside the Batcave. However, a forewarned Bruce would know that it was his responsibility to protect her, and would have likely even sacrificed his life to save her. This lines up with earlier reports and hints about his planned trajectory of the series.
A map of the ideal Snyder DC universe was recently released as a shirt, which also hinted that Batman would play some direct role in the eventual birth of a child connected to Superman. The Knightmare may have even been intended as a major piece of Justice League if Snyder hadn't been forced to leave due to losses in his personal life, and could have been the main introduction to Darkseid before bringing him into the proposed second Justice League film.
Even though he may be gone from the DCEU (and his vision for the overarching story dropped from the universe,) the upcoming slate of films set in the universe is more diverse than ever. David F. Sandberg's Shazam! hits theaters April 5, Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is slated for release Feb. 7, 2020, Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman 1984 comes out June 5 2020, James Gunn's The Suicide Squad will bow Aug. 6, 2021 and Matt Reeves' solo Batman film will swing into theaters June 25, 2021.