Snyder’s Dark Knight Returns Could Wrap Up 10 DC Missed Opportunities

Zack Snyder has moved on from the DC movie adaptations, but one Batman movie would bring him back and allow him to wrap up several missed opportunities. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the final installment of the DC Extended Universe before James Gunn and Peter Safran’s soft-reboot, the DC Universe, will supplant it. While Zack Snyder had many unrealized plans for his DC films, it is unlikely that he will ever return to DC movies, especially considering that Warner Bros Discovery has shown no interest in reviving his continuity. Snyder has said, however, that he would happily make an adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns if it was offered.

Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns is a popular – albeit divisive – Elseworlds Batman story that is considered one of the darkest tales in the Batman mythos. The Dark Knight Returns partially inspired numerous adaptations of Batman as well, including Zack Snyder and Ben Affleck’s version. The DCEU’s Batman visually resembles Frank Miller’s iteration and his battle with Superman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is based on an iconic action sequence in The Dark Knight Returns. Snyder’s unrealized plans for the DCEU timeline would have adapted even more lore from the graphic novel, so here are all the missed opportunities that a Dark Knight Returns adaptation would make good on.

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10 Ben Affleck’s Batman Would Get His Finale

The Dark Knight Returns

Ben Affleck’s Batman ties with Adam West’s lighthearted iteration as the most comic-accurate live-action version of Batman. While Affleck’s Batman only appeared in crossover films, he is considered one of the franchise’s best characters. Affleck voluntarily stepped down from the role after Justice League, however, for the sake of his mental and physical health. After filming scenes for The Flash, Affleck felt that he was ready to play the character again, but by this point, the DCEU was already set to undergo a soft reboot with a new Batman. A DCEU Dark Knight Returns adaptation would allow Affleck to properly bow out of the Batman role with a solo movie.

9 Jared Leto’s Joker Could Get Another Chance Under The Director Who Used Him Best

Zack Snyder’s Justice League

While Ben Affleck’s Batman is often considered one of the DCEU’s best characters, Jared Leto’s Joker is almost universally disliked, having failed to impress viewers in 2016’s Suicide Squad. In his brief scene in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, however, Leto finally got the Joker role right, serving as a credible foil to Batman in their intense interaction. Leto would have yet another chance to portray The Joker properly in a Snyder Dark Knight Returns adaptation, which might even redeem him in the eyes of viewers after Suicide Squad’s failure.

8 The Dark Knight Returns Could Revive Parts Of Ben Affleck’s Batman Movie

The Batman

What would end up becoming Matt Reeves’s The Batman (a film that is not part of the DCEU or DCU) was once a planned solo movie for Ben Affleck’s Batman. While the film would not have been an adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns, it surely would have brought more elements of the graphic novel to life. Since Dawn of Justice already adapts parts of The Dark Knight Returns, a hypothetical Zack Snyder adaptation of the graphic novel could include parts of the planned Ben Affleck Batman movie, including its intended villain who was teased at the end of Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

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7 Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke Could Have Been A Terrifying Villain

The Batman

Joe Manganiello played Deathstroke in several brief scenes at the end of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, with the first setting up his conflict with Batman. The planned Ben Affleck solo movie would have had Deathstroke – who now knows Batman’s secret identity, thanks to Lex Luthor – strike at Batman’s loved ones, likely killing a close friend and ally, such as Alfred or Commissioner Gordon. Manganiello described his version of Deathstroke as comparable to a horror movie antagonist, relentlessly tormenting Batman. The horror of Manganiello’s Deathstroke and his epic battles with Batman could end up in a hypothetical Dark Knight Returns adaptation, despite him not appearing in the original graphic novel.

6 Henry Cavill’s Superman Could Return

Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Since Henry Cavill’s Superman already fought Batman in Dawn of Justice, Snyder’s Dark Knight Returns adaptation would have a fascinating change from the source material by having Batman and Superman allies throughout the narrative. While Snyder’s long-term plans for Superman’s character development in the DCEU would likely not be realized in the film, it would continue his growth to a limited degree. The film could also serve as a proper finale for Cavill’s Superman following his cameo at the end of Black Adam, which teased a future conflict that was, unfortunately, canceled by the DCU soft reboot.

5 Jim Gordon Could Actually Get Something To Do

Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Commissioner Gordon – like Robin and Alfred – is one of the most important supporting characters in the Batman mythos. Unfortunately, the DCEU’s Commissioner Gordon, played by J. K. Simmons, only had a brief role in both iterations of Justice League. Gordon was planned to have larger roles in the canceled Ben Affleck Batman movie and Batgirl, but a Snyder Dark Knight Returns movie would finally give Simmons the opportunity to shine as one of Batman’s most consistent allies.

4 The Dark Knight Returns Could Pay Off The Knightmare Vision

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice & Zack Snyder’s Justice League

In both Dawn of Justice and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, an apocalyptic alternate future, dubbed the Knightmare universe, is teased via visions in the former and an ominous epilogue in the latter. The universe sees Superman fall victim to the Anti-Life Equation, turning him into the mind-controlled pawn of Darkseid who helps subjugate Earth. While Zack Snyder planned to fully depict the Knightmare universe (and have Batman and The Flash prevent it via time travel) in Justice League sequels, he could end up showing how the macabre alternate future is avoided in a Dark Knight Returns movie.

3 A Chance To Pay-Off The Murdered Robin Storyline

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

The DCEU understood the importance of Robin to the Batman mythos, having Batman’s near-turn to villainy in Dawn of Justice partially motivated by his grief over Dick Grayson, who was murdered by The Joker. Zack Snyder planned to have Carrie Kelley – who becomes Robin in The Dark Knight Returns – succeed Grayson in the DCEU. A Dark Knight Returns movie would be the perfect place for her to become the new Robin in the DCEU. Not only would this allow Batman to fully address the death of his adopted son, but it would also be a truly authentic depiction of Robin, something rarely seen in live-action Batman adaptations.

2 The DCEU’s Batman Never Getting His Own Villain

DC Extended Universe

Some of Batman’s villains – such as The Joker, Harley Quinn, and Killer Croc – did appear throughout the DCEU, but Batman’s iconic rogue’s gallery never had a chance to be fully fleshed out in the franchise. Zack Snyder’s unrealized DCEU plans included a new version of The Riddler, but a Dark Knight Returns film could also include Two-Face, Catwoman, and the leader of the Mutants gang. Combined with likely roles for The Joker and Deathstroke, the film would bring many of Batman’s famous villains to the DCEU.

1 The Dark Knight Returns Could Give The DCEU A Proper Ending

DC Extended Universe

While The Dark Knight Returns is, first and foremost, a Batman story, having Zack Snyder return for one more DC adaptation would allow the film to be a proper sendoff for the DCEU itself, as the film could end with all of the DCEU Justice League members appearing for one final shot together. Even with some DCEU Justice League heroes potentially carrying over into the DCU, a Zack Snyder Dark Knight Returns movie could properly and tastefully close the book on his era of DC movies.