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'Zack Snyder's Justice League' Ending Explained: Epilogue's Cameos and Dangling Plot Threads

The four-hour Snyder Cut of the DC superhero movie, now available to buy digitally, doesn't have any post-credits scenes, but it leaves you with plenty to chew on.

Batman plays a major role in the final scenes.

Zack Snyder's much-anticipated cut of Justice League landed on Max  in 2021, bringing the director's original vision for the DC superheroes to the streaming service . The film, which is now available to buy digitally, came out more than three years after Joss Whedon's 2017 theatrical cut disappointed fans and sparked a massive, intense fan campaign  (reportedly partially driven by bots ) demanding the release of the Snyder Cut.

It's also four hours long, so you'd better be sitting comfortably with plenty of snacks before you dive into Batman and company's epic adventure. I can save you a little time by telling you there are no mid- or post-credits scenes as we've been conditioned to expect in superhero movies. Instead, the last 20 minutes or so act as an epilogue.

Let's take a look at what happens at the end of the film and mull over what it might mean for the future of the DC Extended Universe . Be warned, full SPOILERS lurk ahead like a creepy clown.

Ah-ha-ha-ha.

Scene 1: Deja vu on Lex's lovely yacht

This scene might look familiar if you saw the theatrical cut. After stopping Steppenwolf from bringing Darkseid and the armies of the planet Apokolips to Earth, our heroes go back to their lives and generally get happy endings. However, a guard at Arkham Asylum discovers some bald guy has taken the place of Lex Luthor (who was arrested at the end of Batman v Superman ), giving the supervillain a chance to escape.

We find Lex (Jesse Eisenberg) on a yacht, where he's joined by Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello). The mercenary has a grudge against Batman -- it seems the Bat was responsible for Deathstroke losing an eye -- and Lex reveals that the Caped Crusader's real name is Bruce Wayne so Deathstroke can kill the hero.

What does it mean?

This one is pretty straightforward: Batman and Deathstroke's battle is about to get more personal. Alfred had better watch out. Lex also says he has "more important things" to do -- possibly linked to the fact that he knows Darkseid is coming . What a scamp.

The scene is also linked to the scrapped Ben Affleck solo Batman movie, which would have featured Deathstroke as the main villain. It's a little odd to get a reference to a canceled project (which has since been replaced by the  Robert Pattinson movie ), but this plot thread could be picked up somewhere down the line.

Sneaky Lex Luthor is hanging out on a boat.

A shorter, worse version of this scene played during the credits of Whedon's theatrical version -- Lex suggests he and Deathstroke form a "league of our own" to counter the Justice League. The new one sends Deathstroke on a more focused, Batman-murdering path rather than just having him join a team of baddies (or manage an all-female baseball team ).

There's still no explanation for Lex suddenly dressing like the Gene Hackman version of the character, though. 

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Scene 2: A trip to the post-Apokolips

The final scene jumps into a dark, yucky future (which Snyder previously teased in BvS ) in which Darkseid's forces have laid waste to Earth. However, there's still hope -- Batman, Cyborg, the Atlantean Mera, a mohawked Deathstroke (it seems he and Bats buried the hatchet) and Flash have formed a resistance group.

And there's one more person: Joker (Jared Leto), who's got an excellently creepy laugh that sounds like a creaky door. There's a ball of tension between him and the Dark Knight, as he taunts Bats about the loved ones he's lost -- his parents and his "adopted son." When Batman warns Joker to be careful, the clown adds a little more dramatic spice.

"You need me, to help you undo this world you created by letting her die," he says. "Poor Lois, how she suffered so."

Joker also wonders about the number of alternate timelines in which Batman has let the world be destroyed because he lacks "the cojones" to die himself. The clown gives Batman a Joker playing card that signifies a truce between them. If Bats wants to renew their beef, he just needs to tear up the card.

Batman counters by revealing that Harley Quinn (the Joker's sometimes girlfriend) died in his arms, but begged Batman to give the Joker a slow death when he kills him. Batman also drops the F-bomb here, because this post-apocalyptic scene about death and vengeance needed to be extra hardcore.

Their plans, threats and profanity all seem to be rendered moot by the arrival of Superman (back in his red and blue costume), whose eyes glow a sinister red as he prepares to get his laser on. Hope someone has a lump of kryptonite handy (they don't).

Bruce wakes up from this apparent nightmare in his sweet lakeside pad in the present, pre-apocalyptic world and finds Martian Manhunter (Harry Lennix) outside. The alien hero warns Bruce that Darkseid will be back looking for the Anti-Life Equation, and pretty much offers to join the Justice League.

We get a glimpse of the post-Darkseid world, and it doesn't like a fun place to be.

Lots to unpack here, but it sure does seem like a setup for some awesome sequels (I love seeing realities where the bad guys won). The Joker scene was the only new one shot for the Snyder Cut -- everything else was preexisting footage.

"After I realized there would be no more Zack Snyder DC movies, my biggest regret was that there was no Batman/Joker confrontation scene," the director said in production notes. "They both went through a series of films and never ran into each other. It didn't make sense to me. So, I thought maybe I could remedy that."

The dark future scene implies Darkseid returned to Earth in his hunt for the Anti-Life Equation, a mathematical formula that would allow him to dominate all life, and took over. You might remember allusions to this around an hour and 40 minutes earlier in the movie, when the Kryptonian ship warned Cyborg against activating the Mother Box. 

Cyborg gave us a look at how the dark future came to be.

At that point, we got a glimpse of a reality in which a dead Wonder Woman was being burned on a funeral pyre, Aquaman had been impaled by Darkseid and Superman was cradling a charred corpse, with Darkseid looming over him.

We get confirmation that Lois Lane was the corpse, and her death left Superman emotionally devastated enough for the big baddie to dominate his will. It sure looks like Lois was killed by Darkseid's Omega Beam laser eye move too, which makes Supes joining him extra nasty -- he really should just punch Darkseid into the sun. We also don't know what role Batman played in Lois' death.

Making the situation even worse is the fact that Lois is pregnant -- we see a positive test in her nightstand during the movie. The situation is pretty similar to the one seen in the Injustice games , in which Superman becomes a ruthless dictator after Joker tricks him into killing a pregnant Lois and blowing up Metropolis.

This epilogue also links to two moments in BvS: the Flash's warning , where future Flash uses his powers to jump back through time and warns Bruce to fear Superman, and the "Knightmare" sequence , in which Bruce dreams of a dark future in which Superman has gone bad. The events seen in the Knightmare presumably take place after the JL scene, since Batman is alone, gets captured and is ultimately murdered by Superman.

It's not clear why Superman is wearing his red and blue suit again in the dark future -- surely the moody black outfit he wore after getting resurrected would have been a better option? In the comics, Superman wore a black suit specifically designed to help him absorb more solar radiation after returning from the dead . If that's the case in the movies, he didn't need it by the time of the dark future events. It also acts as visual differentiator between the Snyder Cut and theatrical versions of Justice League.

Back in black.

In the years since the theatrical version filled fans with disappointment, Snyder has confirmed some plot details around the Knightmare future. Flash used a Cosmic Treadmill -- a time machine he activates with his powers -- to travel back in an effort to avert the dark future. When he sees BvS Bruce, he realizes he's gone back too far in the timeline (since Bruce hadn't met Flash at that point).

The scene at the end of Justice League presumably takes place before Flash goes back, and the team is likely preparing for his journey through time. Flash also appears to be wearing the armor from the Justice League epilogue when he warns BvS Bruce.

Snyder  told Vanity Fair his original plan was for the dark future timeline to be reversed, but Batman would die. The mantle would have been taken by Bruce Kent, the powerless son of Lois and Clark. 

It's unclear why Joker is necessary to undo this crappy future or how Harley died, but it's entirely believable that this version of Batman would end the clown as soon as he can -- he has no major issue with killing at any point in the timeline.

He'll save every one of us.

The "adopted son" line alludes to Robin's death at Joker's hands. You might remember seeing a graffitied Robin costume in BvS -- this was intended to be the Dick Grayson version of the character. In the comics, Joker killed Jason Todd (the second Robin).

Since there are no plans for more Snyder-led DC movies, it's possible this plotline will never continue or it'll play out in next year's Flash movie. It'll see Affleck as Batman again, along with Michael Keaton's Batman returning to the version of the character from the Tim Burton series  and Pattinson playing a completely new one in Matt Reeves ' The Batman . We might also see Martian Manhunter show up in The Flash.

My brain is sleepy now; too much time travel and alternate realities. Wake me up when Flash is out.

Where was Justice League filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming locations

Justice League Locations

Atlas of Wonders is looking for wonderful Filming Locations all around the world. We are constantly updating and improving our posts with new details and images. Follow us here:

The building you are looking for is Central Criminal Court (The Old Bailey) in London

The Superman black banner is from the tower bridge image from the West. The Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard is the glass building.

What building/estate was used as the future Justice League headquarters? Or was that a set too?

There was also a scene filmed in Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, Canada. It was filmed probably for the movie Aquaman, but it was used in Zach Snyder's version of Justice League as well.

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That Snyder Cut Epilogue, Explained

If you stop watching Zack Snyder’s Justice League at roughly three hours and 40 minutes, the movie will simply end, and on an upbeat note to boot. But the next 20 minutes after that marker hit very differently than you might expect.

The Snyder Cut does not have a post-credits scene, but it does have three scenes that comprise the ending of “The Epilogue,” which are varying degrees of redundant, thrilling, confusing, and straight-up freaky, depending on your appetite for such things. It’s hard to argue with the moxie of Zack Snyder’s Justice League , but just the audacity of one of these scenes alone will make you think this movie has gone off the rails.

Then again, just like Aquaman accusing Batman of being “out of your mind,” the existence of the Snyder Cut at all means you probably should have been expecting some over-the-top wackiness here. The whole point of this four-hour-long version of Justice League was to not play it safe, and “The Epilogue” pushes Snyder’s dark vision for these superheroes pretty far.

But what exactly are we looking at in “The Epilogue?” Here, a guide to what these scenes actually mean, where they came from, and, possibly, what it all means for the future of the DCEU.

Spoilers ahead for the epilogue of Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

Lex Luthor Recruits Deathstroke

If you saw the 2017 version of Justice League , this scene was actually the second post-credits scene, after a jokey moment in which the Flash and Superman race each other across the continent. The Supe-Flash racing scene has been cut, but this moment in which Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) escapes Arkham Asylum and invites Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello) onto his yacht is back, and much longer than it was in 2017. The content of the scene is also totally different. In the Whedon Cut, Luthor made a jokey reference to forming a baddie-centric super-team, saying, “Shouldn’t we have a league of our own?” But now, all of that has been replaced with something simpler and more sinister. Deathstroke is disinterested in teaming up with Luthor until Luthor gives him a useful piece of information: Batman and Bruce Wayne are the same person.

Assuming there are ever sideways DCEU sequels that honor the canon of the Snyder Cut over the Whedon Cut ( and there’s good reason to think that’s the case ), then this scene might be pivotal. Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne is probably going to appear in the 2022 movie The Flash . Will his secret identity be wide open at that point?

The Knightmare Future and Jared Leto’s Joker

Okay, this is the one you’re probably wondering about. Even we asked ourselves upon first watch, WTF is going on here? After Deathstroke and Lex Luthor drink some bubbly, there’s a hard cut to a skeleton in the middle of a postapocalyptic wasteland. Did you accidentally start watching a Terminator sequel? Nope, because there’s Batman, hiding behind a burning car and holding a machine gun! He has rounded up an alliance that includes Mera (Amber Heard), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and the Flash (Ezra Miller with some weird facial hair), as well as two baddies, Deathstroke (again!) and Jared Leto’s Joker. They’re all cowering, trying to avoid Superman, who, in this future, has been brainwashed by Darkseid following the death of Lois Lane.

Make no mistake, this scene is … confusing. But unlike a similar scene in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice , there’s actually a very quick explanation as to what is happening here, teased out earlier in the film. Remember when Steppenwolf says he has found “the anti-life” equation on Earth? Well, in this future, Darkseid uses the anti-life equation to wipe out a bunch of people on Earth. During the scene in which the team brings Superman back to life, we see Darkseid underwater killing a bunch of Aquaman’s friends. Briefly, red letters seem to zigzag across the screen. That’s the anti-life equation, a kind of catchall magic spell that lets Darkseid screw everyone over — and apparently drive Superman insane enough to become a Darth Vader–style enforcer. And that’s just the context of this scene. (BTW, assuming Batman takes this postapocalyptic thing seriously, you really have to wonder why he keeps wearing the bat-mask. If the world has ended, does the Batman disguise really matter anymore? When did he have time to do the eyeliner?)

Batman also talks about how Harley Quinn died in his arms, and the Joker references having killed Robin, offscreen. In fairness, we kind of already knew about the Robin thing, since Bruce was upset about it in Batman v Superman . The future death of Harley Quin and Lois Lane, however, are both new to the Snyder Cut. In fact, this entire scene was brand-new. Although Snyder briefly considered shooting it in his “backyard,” he was eventually able to assemble the necessary cast members to complete the new footage, apparently, late last year.

This scene ends with Bruce Wayne waking up in bed. Was it all just a “Knightmare”? Well, no. According to Snyder, this future was supposed to happen for real in a planned Justice League sequel. The idea was that the Flash was the person who would end up setting it right by going back in time to save Lois Lane. This is why Batman talks about Lois Lane being “the key” earlier in the movie, during Part 6, titled “Something Darker.” This also partially explains why Batman tells Mera they are going to “stick to the plan” so they can “set it right.”

Martian Manhunter Joins the League

The final moment of the Snyder Cut finds the green alien J’onn J’onzz fluttering down to say hello to Bruce Wayne and offer his services as a super-friendly shape-shifter from Mars. Played by Harry Lennix, it now seems like Martian Manhunter has been hanging around the DCEU since 2013’s Man of Steel . Back then, Lennix played a character named General Swanwick, but Martian Manhunter has the ability to look like pretty much anyone. In fact, earlier in the movie, Martian Manhunter impersonated Superman’s mom, Martha Kent. Does this mean there never was a “real” General Swanwick? I mean, we know that Superman’s mom isn’t Martian Manhunter, though it’s very easy to accidentally be confused about that. I mean, if you were a little kid, you’d think Martian Manhunter was Superman’s mom, right? And has been all along?

Clearly that’s not the intent here, but what’s less clear is what Martian Manhunter would have done in a potential Justice League sequel. And taken together with the other two scenes, the epilogue of the Snyder Cut is basically one very, very long cliffhanger, delivered roughly three and a half years late.

Because there is no direct sequel to Justice League planned, these various cliffhangers are mostly hypothetical, gesturing at a series of films that will probably never come to pass. Then again, if the collective reception to the Snyder Cut is positive, you never know. There are already signs that the directors of other DC movies, including Patty Jenkins , consider the Snyder Cut as real canon. So, right now, this is just a trippy epilogue, but in a year or two, it could become the Rosetta stone of the entire DCEU. Which timeline will we live in? It’s hard to say, but if the Snyder Cut proved anything, it’s that it’s possible to live in two pop-culture universes at the same time.

• 2021 movies
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Zack Snyder’s Justice League epilogue explained: what the Joker cameo means

A glimpse into a future we’ll never see

Spoilers follow for Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League has finally been released. The movie is now available to watch on HBO Max in the US, alongside Sky Cinema  in the UK, and if you've seen all four hours of it, you might have questions about the film's cameo-packed epilogue. 

The final part of the Snyder Cut contains plenty of footage that wasn’t present in the theatrical cut, and there are two significant moments that show what any Justice League sequels might have entailed. Below, we'll explain what they are. 

If you need the movie’s finale explained before we dive into the epilogue, you can check out our Zack Snyder's Justice League ending explained article first. If you’re happy to press on with the epilogue’s revelations, however, a word of warning. There are big spoilers for the Snyder Cut from here on out. If you haven’t watched it yet, come back later. 

• Zack Snyder's Justice League review
• How to watch Zack Snyder's Justice League
• What time is Zack Snyder's Justice League released on HBO Max, Sky, and Binge?

Zack Snyder’s Justice League epilogue: the new Knightmare sequence explained 

This is your final spoiler warning. Don’t keep scrolling if you haven’t completed the movie yet.

As we mentioned, there are two major additions that hint at what Snyder’s two Justice League sequels would have covered. 

The first one is an extension of Bruce Wayne’s nightmare from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. To briefly recap that movie’s sequence, known officially as the Knightmare, Batman is one of the last heroes standing in a post-apocalyptic Earth. During a scouting mission, he is overwhelmed by Parademons - Darkseid’s winged-but-soulless army - and taken into custody. There, Batman is confronted by a seemingly evil Superman. After a brief interrogation, it’s strongly suggested that Superman kills Batman by crushing his heart.

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Justice League’s Knightmare sequence, then, appears to take place before those events. Moments after we see Lex Luthor and Deathstroke converse on the former’s yacht - an incident that occurs during the present day in the real world - the movie abruptly transitions to the barren, scorched Earth we saw in Batman v Superman. A Parademon scout patrol flies overhead and, after they move on, Batman emerges from behind a destroyed vehicle.

He comes out of hiding, but he isn’t alone. Cyborg reveals himself from underneath a cloak and, even more surprisingly, Queen Mera and Deathstroke are along for the ride. As a Batman adversary, it might be strange to see Slade Wilson working with the Caped Crusader. Given that Darkseid has taken control of the planet, though, these two foes have evidently put their differences aside for the greater good.

Deathstroke isn’t the only individual from Batman’s rogues gallery in attendance either. After The Flash reveals himself and Mera mentions that someone will pay for killing Aquaman, the Dark Knight’s most iconic foe pipes up. Yep, it’s Joker - and it’s Jared Leto’s version to boot. We knew that Leto would reprise his role as the Clown Prince of Crime in the Snyder Cut, with Justice League’s teaser trailer hinting that this is where he would appear.

A tense back and forth between Batman and Joker follows, with the latter baiting Bruce Wayne over his desire to “stick to the plan” and listing all of the loved ones that Batman has lost. The duo trade insults before Joker lands a knockout blow - Batman let Lois Lane die.

Why is this important? Again, we need to revisit Batman v Superman. That movie’s Knightmare sequence revealed that Lois had died, with Superman confirming as much before he kills Batman. Supes says “She was my world, and you took her from me”, which is pretty much code for ‘You killed the love of my life’. After Bruce wakes from his nightmare in Batman v Superman, he receives a visit from a future Flash. This version of Barry Allen, who has traveled back in time, tells Bruce that “Lois is the key” before he’s pulled back to his time period. This proves that Lois must be kept alive or, consumed by grief, Superman will switch allegiances and help to bring about the end of the world.

As Batman and Joker continue their verbal spat, Cyborg chimes in saying “he’s found us”. Superman arrives, except this version isn’t the Clark Kent we all know. It’s the bad version. The group prepares to do battle with evil Supes but, before any action unfolds, Bruce wakes from his nightmare in the real world.

Why is Jared Leto’s Joker in Zack Snyder’s Justice League?

A comment that Leto’s Joker makes might hold the answers to this conundrum. During the pair’s vitriolic conversation, Joker asks Batman how many alternate timelines he’ll destroy before he decides to die. It might be seen as a throwaway line, but it may explain how Leto’s Joker is here, and how the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) factors into this.

In 2016 flick Suicide Squad, Ben Affleck’s Batman makes a brief cameo in a mid-credits scene - and briefly appeared in action sequences set earlier in the movie. This confirmed that Snyder’s movies and David Ayer’s Suicide Squad exist in the same universe, which is how Snyder was able to utilize Leto’s Joker in his Justice League cut. Back then, there was evidently a plan to connect the films together. 

How, then, does the ‘alternate timelines’ comment factor in? Well, rather than follow Marvel ’s blueprint that allows every hero and villain to exist in the same cinematic universe, DC and Warner Bros. went in a different direction in 2017. 

By de-emphasizing their shared universe, Warner Bros. elected for the DCEU - a model that allows filmmakers to reboot DC characters without retconning or destroying those versions that have come before. It’s why we’re getting a new Batman movie , which stars Robert Pattinson instead of Ben Affleck, and a new Suicide Squad movie that Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is a part of.

If Affleck’s Batman somehow found a way to travel across the DCEU, he may have tried to persuade - or save - a different Lois Lane in order to prevent Darkseid’s eventual conquest of Earth and stop Superman turning evil in the wake of her death. If he’s failed multiple times with this plan, Joker’s comment may make more sense.

This is something that could be explored in The Flash’s upcoming solo movie, too. Affleck is reprising his role in Barry Allen’s standalone flick, which will incorporate elements of the speedster’s Flashpoint comic arc into its plot. If that’s still the case, The Flash movie should tie various elements of the DCEU together, including the Batman films starring Michael Keaton, who is also expected to return as the Dark Knight.

The second big addition to Zack Snyder's Justice League is a character who we already knew would show up. Martian Manhunter finally makes his live-action debut in the Snyder Cut played by Harry Lennix in a brief sequence with Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne, which takes place after he wakes from the Knightmare. This again seemingly teases a sequel that will likely never be.  

If you want a full rundown on who this superhero is, you can read our Martian Manhunter explainer . 

• Zack Snyder's Justice League ending explained

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Here’s How ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ Would Have Connected to Ben Affleck’s Solo ‘Batman’ Movie

Change a little dialogue, and you have an entirely new setup.

[Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for Zack Snyder's Justice League.]

In 2017’s Justice League , there’s a post-credits scene where Deathstroke/Slade Wilson ( Joe Manganiello ) boards a yacht belonging to a newly-escaped-from-Arkham Lex Luthor ( Jesse Eisenberg ). Lex remarks on how Superman ( Henry Cavill ) now has his own league of friends, and replies, “To put it plainly…shouldn’t we have a league of our own?” This was a nod to DC Comics’ Legion of Doom, which was led by Luthor and included such supervillains as Cheetah, Gorilla Grodd, Bizarro, and others. The indication was that had 2017’s Justice League been a hit, the sequel would have pitted the team of superheroes against Luthor’s team of supervillains.

The scene plays out differently in Zack Snyder’s Justice League . Deathstroke still boards Luthor’s yacht, but instead of Luthor offering the formation of a league of supervillains, he instead reveals to Deathstroke that Batman’s true identity is Bruce Wayne ( Ben Affleck ). This may seem a little confusing until you know the history of what was supposed to happen.

RELATED: Superman and Lois' Son Was Supposed to Be the Next Batman, Says Zack Snyder

Part of the reason Ben Affleck was tapped to play Batman was because he had revitalized his career as director, first with Gone Baby Gone followed by The Town and then Argo , the last of which won Warner Bros. an Oscar for Best Picture. This combination of an A-list actor who could also direct an Oscar-winning movie gave Warner Bros. the idea that Affleck should not only play the older, grizzled Caped Crusader in Zack Snyder ’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice , but that Affleck should also get to direct a solo Batman movie once he was done with Justice League .

In August of 2016, Manganiello nabbed the role of Deathstroke , and in October 2016 while doing press for The Accountant , Affleck explained why he wanted Deathstroke as the antagonist in his Batman movie. “He’s a great villain because—I just had an instinctive feeling that he would match up with him well,” said Affleck. “You know, I’m a big admirer of that character as well, especially in the New 52 the way that they did Deathstroke, and I thought that it could work.”

However, the failure of Justice League ended up scrapping a lot of plans. DC Films went through a restructuring and in November 2017 Affleck was already looking for a way to get out of playing Batman . By the following summer, it was clear that focused had shifted to Matt Reeves ’ The Batman with Affleck likely out as his older, grittier Dark Knight. By January 2019, Affleck was officially out as Batman along with any plans he had for a solo movie where he’d face off against Deathstroke.

For his part, Affleck also revealed in 2020 that part of the reason his Batman movie fell apart was from his own struggles with alcoholism. “I drank relatively normally for a long time. What happened was that I started drinking more and more when my marriage was falling apart. This was 2015, 2016. My drinking, of course, created more marital problems.” He added, “I showed somebody The Batman script. They said, ‘I think the script is good. I also think you’ll drink yourself to death if you go through what you just went through again.’” Affleck also revealed that the difficult shoot on Justice League had sapped any interest he had in returning as the character.

And yet it looks like Affleck isn’t totally done with the DCEU. In August 2020 we learned that he will return for the upcoming The Flash movie , which will explore the multiverse of DC movies by also bringing back Michael Keaton as Batman. While this should be a fun pairing and perhaps a way for Affleck to leave his time as Batman on a high note, it’s also probably the end of the line for the actor/director’s time with the character.

What Zack Snyder’s Justice League offers is a glimpse at what could have been for Warner Bros’ plan for Affleck’s Batman. Instead of being relegated to a supporting role in the long-delayed Flash movie, Batman would have gone head-to-head with a villain who had the advantage of knowing his true identity. That would have been an interesting match-up, and at the very least, a way for Affleck to put the focus solely on Batman rather than having him share the screen with other superheroes. It’s a fascinating, “What if…” that will never come to pass.

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Zack Snyder Explains That Enigmatic Justice League Ending

By Anthony Breznican

Zack Snyder intended to make more DC movies after Justice League. But after leaving the project under intense and agonizing circumstances , he has made peace with the notion that he may never get to venture any further into the Snyderverse.

Still—he had plans. Now he’s able to reveal what they were.

“When I made the film originally, it was part of a five-part trilogy,” Snyder told Vanity Fair . His new version of Justice League , which debuted on HBO Max today, is as actually the middle section of that intended story arc, preceded by Man of Steel and Batman v Superman . “There were two more episodes of the Justice League to be shot.”

Snyder knows it’s unlikely he’ll ever tell those stories—though, as he pointed out: “I didn’t think I’d be here talking about [a restored] Justice League , so never say never.”

He even enlisted legendary DC Comics artist Jim Lee to help plot out the narrative, which he hopes to include in a book someday. “Jim Lee had done some drawings for me of the entire thing, the entire pantheon all the way to the new Batman after Batman dies,” Snyder said. 

Hastily, he added: “Well, this is a spoiler.”

Batman Does What?

Yes: in Snyder’s unmade future movies, Ben Affleck’s Batman would die. Before we get there, let’s break down two deliberately perplexing sequences that turn up in the middle and at the end of the #SnyderCut. 

Read no further if you want to preserve that surprise.

The ending to the #SnyderCut—a bizarre dream of Bruce Wayne’s that serves as a prelude to Snyder’s next two films—is a recent creation shot largely last fall. 

Initially, the filmmaker said, Warner Bros. resisted this addition. “They didn’t want me to suggest more films to come. They wanted me to cul-de-sac it as much as I could,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Look, that’s just not the genre.’ It’s not the comic book genre to end the story, regardless if we ever make [another] one or not.”

Bruce Wayne had a similar apocalyptic dream in Batman v Superman. In that one, a trench-coated Caped Crusader wanders through a hellscape besieged by insect-like Parademons, who make up the army of a cosmic tyrant known as Darkseid. 

This decimated future shows what will happen if Darkseid’s forces are victorious in conquering Earth. They come here in search of something known in DC lore as the Anti-Life Equation—a mystical “formula” hidden somewhere within our world that would give Darkseid the power to seize control of any sentient being, thus removing the power of free will and allowing him to rule the universe.

In Batman v Superman , this “dream” takes place just as Bruce Wayne gets a visit from Ezra Miller’s Flash, who is using his hyper-speed abilities to deliver a warning from this future: “Bruce, listen to me now! It’s Lois! Lois Lane ,” he says. “She’s the key.”

Then he disappears. In Snyder’s Justice League , we get more hints about what that actually meant.

What’s That Disturbing Vision in the Middle of the Movie?

In simplified terms, Flash doesn’t just run fast; his powers break the laws of physics, bending space-time in ways that can open windows into both the past and future.

“When I approach the speed of light, crazy things happen to time,” Miller’s character says in the #SnyderCut. Remember that line. It becomes important later. The premonitions that haunt Wayne seem to be side effects of the disturbances caused by The Flash.

In the middle of the #SnyderCut, his abilities cause Ray Fisher’s Cyborg to experience a similar nightmarish vision. Casual watchers and hardcore Snyder fans alike may wonder what to make of it: A dead Wonder Woman with coins over her eyes, lying in a blazing funeral pyre; Darkseid brutally spearing Jason Momoa’s Aquaman with his own trident while firing zigzagging red “Omega beams” from his eyes to annihilate nearby Atlanteans, a power that's familiar to longtime DC readers.

Then we see Henry Cavill’s Superman, grieving over a charred corpse as Darkseid approaches and places a giant hand on his shoulder, almost in comfort. The next shot swoops low over some outdoor rubble, which includes the dead body of a Green Lantern Corps member who looks a lot like the alien character known as Kilowog . (The late Michael Clarke Duncan voiced him in the 2011 Ryan Reynolds movie, which isn’t part of this storyline.)

In the background, Superman floats down to a broken stone archway emblazoned with the words “Justice League.” His eyes are glowing red embers, similar to Darkseid’s—an indication that he is being controlled by the villain through the Anti-Life Equation. He’s holding Batman’s cowl like the head of a slain foe.

All of this is a prelude to the more expansive dream sequence at the end of #SnyderCut, but even that comes after two scenes that require explanation.

The #SnyderCut Ending Decoded

Actually, it should be endings , plural, since there are quite a few of them.

At the very, very end of the movie, Harry Lennix appears as the alien observer known as Martian Manhunter, who descends from the heavens to meet with the freshly awakened Bruce Wayne. He congratulates Batman for uniting the heroes of Earth. Originally, Snyder says, Martian Manhunter was supposed to be a different character.

“We shot a version of this scene with Green Lantern, but the studio really fought me and said, ‘We really don’t want you to do Green Lantern,’” Snyder said. “So I made a deal with them, and they let me do this [instead].”

Okay, but which Green Lantern did Snyder want to use? “It would be John Stewart ,” Snyder said. John Stewart ( with an H ) is the character who took over the mantle of Green Lantern in the 1970s, becoming DC’s historic first Black superhero. Reynolds’s Green Lantern was another character, known as Hal Jordan.

Snyder expressed regret that the studio prevented him from bringing Stewart to the screen for the first time. “They were like, ‘We have plans for John Stewart and we want to do our own announcement.’ So I said all right, I’ll give you that. So [Martian Manhunter] was the compromise,” he said.

Lennix previously appeared in both Batman v Superman and Man of Steel as a U.S. military commander known as General Swanwick. In the #SnyderCut, this military character is revealed to be a disguise for this powerful figure from a neighboring world. “The whole thing is that Swanwick, the whole time, has been Martian Manhunter,” Snyder said. If the filmmaker had been granted access to Green Lantern for this cameo, the Swanwick reveal presumably would have come in one of his future Justice League stories.

There’s a short scene preceding this reveal that feels like another coda: Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor escapes from an insane asylum and makes contact with Joe Manganiello’s masked assassin Deathstroke, who is in an ongoing war against Batman. Eisenberg gives him the critical piece of information that Batman is the alter ego of Bruce Wayne.

This scene was originally planned as a post-credit sequence that would set up Deathstroke as the key villain in Affleck’s planned stand-alone film, as Manganiello explained in detail to Vanity Fair . But even before Justice League finished shooting, that Batman movie fell apart when Affleck withdrew from the project . 

Now it serves only to set up that final dream sequence, which reveals that Deathstroke and Batman have formed an alliance in the apocalypse.

Bruce Wayne’s Final Dream, Explained

Just before his close encounter with Martian Manhunter, this is the premonition Batman experiences:

Aquaman heroine Mera ( Amber Heard ), Cyborg, the Flash (in the same costume he wore in his time-traveling Batman v Superman appearance) and Deathstroke (now with a white mohawk) traverse the futuristic fallen world with another unexpected ally: Jared Leto’s Joker. Affleck’s Batman is still alive at this point. Cyborg warns that if their presence is detected, an undefined “he” will come for them.

But who is “he”—Darkseid or Superman? “Let the bastard come,” Mera says, clanging the base of her trident against the concrete. “I’ll stab this through his heart for what he did to Arthur”—a.k.a. Aquaman. 

That’s when Leto’s Joker pipes up about how vengeance has warped and weakened Batman. He mentions the deaths of not only Batman’s parents, but also Wayne’s “adopted son.” That would be Robin, whose demise at the hands of the Joker was alluded to in Batman v Superman .

“The cool thing about the scene is that it’s Joker talking directly to Batman about Batman,” Snyder said. “It’s Joker analyzing Batman about who he is and what he is. That’s the thing I also felt like fans deserved from the DC Universe. That is to say, the Jared Leto Joker and the Ben Affleck Batman, they never really got together.”

Joker asks Batman: “How many dead eyes can you look into before you die inside yourself?”

When Batman advances on him menacingly, Joker adds: “You need me…to help you undo this world you created by letting her die.”

Okay, that’s a hint. Letting who die?

The Second Justice League Plot

The “key,” as Flash said to Bruce Wayne in Batman v Superman , is Amy Adams’s Lois Lane. Or as the Joker puts it in a mocking sing-song in the #SnyderCut: “Poor Lois! How she suffered so!”

Lois was the charred corpse that Superman tearfully held in Cyborg’s vision from the middle of the movie.

Snyder explains how this foreshadows the next two Justice League movies he had in the works: “Darkseid comes to Earth. Superman says to Batman, ‘Guard Lois. This is a war between me and Darkseid. If you can help me as a friend, keep Lois safe.’”

In the midst of these alien attacks, Luthor aligns himself with the invader. “Lex tells Darkseid that the key to Superman’s weaknesses is killing Lois Lane,” Snyder said. “For whatever reason, Batman fails. Darkseid comes back and kills Lois. Batman fails, he hesitates. They were in an argument.”

In other words, Batman is distracted, and Lois dies as a result.

So what were Lois and Bruce fighting about? Snyder didn’t say specifically, but his original plan—nixed by Warner Bros.—was for Bruce Wayne and Lois Lane to have had a romantic relationship during the time Superman appeared to be deceased. 

“The intention was that Bruce fell in love with Lois and then realized that the only way to save the world was to bring Superman back to life,” said Snyder. “So he had this insane conflict, because Lois, of course, was still in love with Superman. We had this beautiful speech where [Bruce] said to Alfred: ‘I never had a life outside the cave. I never imagined a world for me beyond this. But this woman makes me think that if I can get this group of gods together, then my job is done. I can quit. I can stop.’ And of course, that doesn’t work out for him.”

Even without this romantic subplot, Snyder said, Batman would have been plagued by guilt for not stepping in front of the blast that killed Lois. With her gone, Superman is heartbroken and loses the will to fight. Darkseid uses this moment of vulnerability to seize control of him, and Superman’s fall leads to the deaths of Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and countless others.

“The world falls because Superman succumbs to the Anti-Life Equation, and that’s it,” Snyder said. “That’s what the post-apocalyptic world is: Superman just searching for Batman to kill him to get his revenge for the death of Lois.”

In the #SnyderCut, Bruce Wayne’s dream ends with a sonic boom. “He’s found us,” Cyborg says. 

“He” turns out to be Superman, who lands nearby with burning red Anti-Life eyes. He’s under Darkseid’s control. Now he’s fighting his old Super Friends.

That’s a downer, even for a series of movies that is sometimes described as “grim-dark.” Of course, it’s not really the end. Like the Thanos snap in Marvel’s Infinity War that dusted half of all living things, this was intended to be a downbeat cliffhanger that leads to the final redemption.

The Third Justice League Movie

The characters who appear in Bruce Wayne’s dream seem to be aware of the multiverse —and potential happier endings.

“I often wonder, in how many alternate timelines do you destroy the world because, frankly, you don’t have the cajones to die yourself?” Joker asks Batman in the #SnyderCut. 

As the Flash adds, “Crazy things happen with time.” You can see where this is going: the solution is a do-over.

The filmmaker explained that the MacGuffins of the #SnyderCut—the living, all-powerful machines known as Mother Boxes—would have helped to reverse-engineer history in the final reel of his franchise. “What happens in the post-apocalyptic world is, Cyborg works on an equation to use a Mother Box to jump Flash back in time to warn Bruce about this moment, where he didn’t have the courage to sacrifice himself to save Lois,” Snyder said. 

We’ve actually already seen that moment: it’s Flash’s strange portal appearance in Batman v Superman .

Once Bruce of the past realizes what he has to do, he doesn’t fall short when Lois is in danger. “So in that moment, he does the right thing and sacrifices himself,” Snyder explained. 

That changes the course of everything: “Superman doesn’t succumb to the Anti-Life Equation,” Snyder said. “Then the final movie has Aquaman leading the forces of Atlantis, Diana leading forces of Themyscira, and Superman and Flash leading the forces of [humans] against Darkseid in a giant war.”

The good guys win. Obviously. But there’s more.

A New Batman Rises

Darkseid’s invasion, the fall of Earth, and the tragedy’s reversal all happen fairly quickly after the events of *Justice League—*say, within a few months. Long enough for a child to be born shortly thereafter.

This is another major spoiler from the #SnyderCut: “Lois is pregnant at the end of the movie,” Snyder said. The pregnancy test can be seen in her nightstand—with a label from the fictional brand Force Majeure, a French phrase that basically translates to “unforeseeable circumstances.”

Her pregnancy is another storyline Warner Bros. wanted to cut from Snyder’s movie before he left the project originally in 2017, he said. “That was always my hope, but they made me not do it, originally. But I got it in.”

Presumably, this baby was conceived before Superman’s death in Batman v Superman. (They did have that romantic bathtub scene, which may have been more important than viewers realized.) 

Remember at the beginning of all this, when Snyder said a new Batman would replace Affleck’s Bruce Wayne? “It was going to be Lois and Superman’s son,” the filmmaker said. “He doesn’t have any powers, and then he was going to end up being the new Batman.”

The Snyderverse would have flash-forwarded to a scene in which Clark Kent and Lois Lane take their now grown son to visit a familiar location. There, they ask him to pick up the crusade of their fallen friend. “Twenty years later, on the anniversary of [Batman’s] death, they take young Bruce Kent down to the Batcave and they say, ‘Your Uncle Bruce would’ve been proud if you did this,’” Snyder said. 

“Anyway,” the director added. “Something like that.”

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Anthony Breznican

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18 plot holes and details you may have missed in 'The Dark Knight'

• If you've seen "The Dark Knight" over and over again, it's easy to pick up on a few plot holes or details you may have overlooked during your first watch.
• The Joker winds up robbing the bank on the film's release date and there's a small nod to Heath Ledger's daughter.
• The movie's novelization clarifies some of the film's perplexing moments, including why Batman seemingly left the Joker with Bruce Wayne's fundraiser guests.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories .

" The Dark Knight " is easily one of the most rewatchable superhero films. Not only does it have one of the best Batman performances from Christian Bale, but it also gave us Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning turn as the Joker.

But it's not a perfect movie.

There are some plot holes that become obvious the more you revisit the Christopher Nolan film. You also may pick up on a few details you missed the second time around, especially if you watch the "Batman Begins" sequel with the captions on.

Insider has rewatched the 2008 movie as well as went through the novelization by Dennis O'Neil , which gives clarity to some of the film's most-talked-about moments. For instance, did Batman simply leave the Joker with a room full of party guests during a fundraiser? (Not exactly!) 

We've laid out some of our favorite details you may have missed in "The Dark Knight" while trying to resolve story gaps that have bothered fans over the years. 

How did no one notice the Joker in full makeup on a street corner at the film's start?

The first time you see "The Dark Knight," you're not aware this is the Joker since he's seen from behind.

With every subsequent viewing, however, you're aware that the Clown Prince of Crime is out in the open. It's enough to make you wonder if the Joker is just taking regular strolls in Gotham in full face paint.

Maybe everyone in Gotham is oblivious, but a man in bright clown makeup is pretty tough to ignore.

The Joker's code name during the bank robbery at the film's start is Bozo.

Watch the movie with the captions on and you'll be rewarded.

During the bank robbery, each of the Joker's goons is referred to by a codename, most of them taken from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." The Joker's codename is never said on screen, but if you have the captions on you'll learn it's Bozo.

If you watch the movie on Hulu, where it's currently streaming, the clown names don't appear onscreen.

The Joker robbed the bank on the same day that "The Dark Knight" was released.

When Jim Gordon tells Batman about the robbery, he shows a surveillance photo of the Joker that appears on screen for a brief moment.

If you take a close look, it shows the date of the film's release, July 18, 2008.

No one thought it was strange to see a dusty school bus driving out of a wall in a bank?

Perhaps a school bus was the perfect way to blend in on an afternoon in Gotham. But didn't the driver behind him think it was odd that a bus just drove out of a bank spilling dust everywhere? Didn't anyone else spot this rogue vehicle?

In the novelization, the Joker's vehicle is the final one to enter the bus route.

Where does Batman's Tumbler roll in from when he enters the parking garage?

When Batman confronts the Scarecrow, his new self-driving Bat Tumbler makes quite the entrance when it crashes its way into a multi-level parking deck.

The scene looks cool. But the moment is so distracting you may not think to ask where and how an estimated 5,000-pound vehicle magically dropped onto one of the higher levels of a garage. (From our count, Batman starts out on, at least, level four of the parking garage.) It certainly didn't get dropped out of a Batplane.

In the novelization, Batman has his Tumbler parked on an adjacent rooftop. A narrow alleyway separates the two structures making it easy for the Tumbler to come through the side of the parking garage. 

Harvey Dent foreshadows his turn as Two-Face early in the film.

When Jim Gordon refers to Dent as Gotham's white knight, Dent says he heard the Major Crimes Unit of the Gotham Police department has "a different" nickname for him.

We later learn he's referring to Two-Face, which is the moniker he takes on in the film's third act.

A file box in Dent's office appears to reference a criminal who had a previous run-in with the Joker.

Take a look at the file boxes on the right.

The one on the top has the name Kaiser on it. If you're familiar with "Batman: The Animated Series," Kaiser is a billionaire who tried to use the Joker to cash in on insurance money on an episode called "Joker's Wild." 

In "The Dark Knight," it's the Joker who pulls one over on a bunch of Gotham's wealthy mobsters when he winds up setting their millions on fire. 

Others have speculated the file box reads Keyser Soze , a reference to Kevin Spacey's character in "The Usual Suspects," but you can make out that it says Kaiser. 

Don't any of the Russian ballet performers wonder where Bruce Wayne wanders off to during their getaway?

In order to secretly travel to Hong Kong to extradite Chinese mob boss Lau, Wayne whisks the entire Russian ballet away on a boat. 

While on the boat, the women watch Wayne dive into the water with a giant black bag and swim over to a less-than-savory looking seaplane. Does everyone just accept that Wayne is off doing "CEO things"? No one ever questions where he goes and the ballet performers aren't seen again in the movie. 

They presumably bid adieu to Gotham and moved onto their next performance location.

In the novelization, Bruce tells the dancers that "something's come up" and he needs to leave their company. (The book also states they're on a 90-foot yacht.)

Why didn't anyone check Lucius Fox for more than one phone when he visited Lau in Hong Kong?

When Fox leaves Lau's building, a security guard tries to give him back his phone. Fox surprises him by pulling out a phone, suggesting he already picked his back up. The audience knows that's not the case, but the security guard should as well. 

All he'd have to do is check security footage to see that Fox never retrieved his phone in the first place. 

Harvey Dent foreshadows Rachel's death during a conversation with Alfred.

When Harvey talks to Alred he mentions that the Butler has known Rachel her entire life. Alfred says, "Not yet, sir." 

That line becomes more harrowing upon a second watch when you know Rachel is living out her final days.

Batman somehow sneaks up on the Joker at his party without anyone in a crowded room noticing.

While the Joker is preoccupied with holding a knife to Rachel, Batman manages to not only sneak up on the clown, but he's miraculously undetected by the hundreds of party attendees and goons at Wayne's fundraiser.

If you've played any of the Batman "Arkham" games, you know the Caped Crusader has a pretty top-notch stealth mode. Still, it's tough to believe he would have enough time to land beside the Joker, deliver a comeback, and strike him without anyone in the crowd reacting to him.

You're so focused on the Joker's tense moment with Rachel that you probably don't even bother to wonder about Batman's entry to the scene.

Why doesn't Rachel just stay hidden when Bruce tells her to at the party?

This question is also answered in "The Dark Knight" novelization.

According to the book, Rachel disobeys Bruce because she's "not the kind of woman to remain in hiding when she might be able to do something."

She then almost immediately gets held at knifepoint by the Joker. If Rachel never showed herself to the Joker, she may not have been kidnapped later in the movie and killed. 

Batman never returns to the party after diving out a window to save Rachel. He just leaves the Joker with a crowd of innocent people.

This is the plot hole that bothers fans the most. Batman dives out of a window to save Rachel at night and then the film just cuts to the next day. Meanwhile, the Joker, for all we know, never left the party and continued to harass guests in his search for Harvey Dent.

Batman tells Rachel that Harvey's safe, but how can he be sure? All he did was knock him out and lock him up in a closet that anyone could open.

Does the Joker just decide to go in peace without harming anyone else?

According to "The Dark Knight" novelization , that's sort of what happens. Batman sees the Joker flee the scene in an SUV as he's with Rachel.

"Batman and Rachel stood almost completely hidden under a shop awning and watched a black SUV speed away. Almost certainly the Joker's getaway car," the book reads.

Doesn't the Joker's subordinate realize Bruce Wayne could be Batman?

Wayne effortlessly disarms and subdues one of the Joker's goons who crash his party. Sure, Wayne may know some defensive combat since his parents were murdered during a mugging, but he doesn't falter or show an ounce of fear when he's asked to put his arms up. 

The alternative is that the goon does tell the Joker and that's why he kidnaps both Harvey Dent and Rachel later in the film, making Batman/Bruce choose between the man who can save Gotham and the woman he loves.

Even if the Joker doesn't know Batman's real identity, at the least, he knows Rachel means a lot to Batman since he saves her at the party when she's thrown out the window.

In the novelization, the Joker wonders if Batman goes after Rachel because she may be "someone special" to him.

Harvey Dent says something to Jim Gordon that doesn't seem to make a lot of sense.

When Gordon reveals he faked his own death, Harvey Dent tells Gordon he must like to play things close to the chest.

The line normally wouldn't make you think twice, but it's an odd callback to a line Bruce Wayne drops to Lucius Fox about 22 minutes prior in the film. Wayne mentions a government telecommunications project Fox didn't know about. Wayne said it's because he was "playing this one pretty close to the chest."

Gordon never tells Harvey earlier in the film that he likes playing things close to the chest. Dent may just be making a comment about Gordon getting shot in the chest, but the line directly mirrors and calls back the moment between Wayne and Fox. Harvey's not aware of the conversation Wayne had and it would almost make more sense if Bruce and Gordon were exchanging the line.

You can write it off as a common phrase, but director Christopher Nolan isn't one to casually throw a similar line like that in there twice. It's presumed that Gordon had a similar conversation earlier with Dent off-screen to the one that transpired between Wayne and Fox.

Why go through all that trouble? It shows how Gordon and Batman are aligned in their common pursuit to relentlessly battle for Gotham's soul.

For what it's worth, the line is only said once in the film's novelization between Dent and Gordon.

Why didn't the Gotham Police Department keep Colman Reese at the news station when his life was threatened by the Joker?

The Joker interrupts an interview on the Gotham Cable Network (GCN) offering an ultimatum. If Wayne employee Colman Reese isn't killed in the next hour then he'll blow up a hospital.

Commissioner Jim Gordon goes to evacuate Reese from GCN, leading to a series of close calls on the man's life. But it's not clear why he felt it necessary to take Reese on a ride through Gotham's notoriously dangerous streets in the first place.

It probably would have been safer if they just waited it out inside the GCN skyscraper where the public couldn't get into the building. Even if they broke into the first floor, surely they wouldn't have had keycard access to elevators and the GCN office for the next 60 minutes.

How does Dent not recognize the Joker in a wig until he takes off his face mask?

Many don't understand why it took the Joker removing his mask for Harvey to notice the clown was standing right in front of him. After all, he just shot a cop point-blank. The clown makeup is also extremely noticeable despite the hospital mask. 

It's easy to say that Dent's view may have been obscured because half of his face is blown off, but, that doesn't seem to be the issue. At least while watching the movie, Dent appears to get a good, direct look at the Joker before he takes the mask off. Perhaps, he was just too lost in his own thoughts about the death of Rachel and his future to concern himself with the identity of who was in the room with him. He does appear to just be waking up. There's the chance he could be groggy.

In the novelization, the Joker is wearing a cap and makes it clear right away it's him before Dent can react.

The nurse uniform and name tag includes a nod to Heath Ledger's daughter.

In the same scene, take a look at the name plate of the nurse on the Joker's disguise, right above the Harvey Dent sticker. It reads Matilda . That's the name of his daughter.

It's tough to read the name tag in the film, but Nancy Crane is listed as Matilda in the film credits.

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The Dark Knight Rises Explained: Unraveling The Unanswered Questions

The Dark Knight Rises doesn’t toss out as many wild theories as Prometheus , which we had a lot of questions about last month , and doesn’t leave nearly as much to the imagination as Inception , which we spent months discussing back in 2010. But a lot of us still walked out of The Dark Knight Rises unclear on how a few things went down, and going over our questions together, we figured we’d bring the conversation to the group.

So, before we get started, and it should go without saying-- SPOILERS FOR THE DARK KNIGHT RISES FOLLOW. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Now let’s dig into some of the nagging questions that still get to us, whether they were answered elsewhere in the film or are left as complete mysteries. For some of them we’ve come up with what seem like pretty reasonable answers, but for others, your guess is as good as ours. And if you have questions we didn't tackle already, let us know in the comments and we may add them. Let's get this movie figured out!

Why did Gordon still have his speech about Harvey Dent in his jacket?

You’re preparing to give an incendiary speech, one that would indict the man the city views as a hero and try to exonerate who they believe is the villain. You’re all prepared to give it, but then you back out at the last minute, knowing what you say could rip the city apart. Are you really going to just stuff that speech back into your pocket and forget about it? Wouldn’t you do your best to make sure that speech is destroyed, and that it could never fall into the wrong hands?

In defense of Commissioner Gordon, we’ve all put things in our jacket pockets and only rediscovered them months later. But his careless mistake is one with huge consequences-- Bane finds it when he apprehends Gordon a day later, then uses the speech to bring Gotham to its knees, aiding in his total takeover of the city. That’s a pretty huge consequence for a piece of paper that someone as savvy as Gordon should have known to burn the minute he stepped away from that podium on Harvey Dent Day.

Why did ALL of Gotham’s cops go underground to investigate Bane’s plot?

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Commissioner Gordon knew Bane's forces were growing underground, brewing an unimaginable terrorist threat to Gotham and its residents. But so long sidelined by his injury and the blind ambition of Deputy Commissioner Foley, Gordon makes a brash decision, demanding "everyone" on the police force go into the sewer system in search of Bane's militia. When Bane's bombs cause cave-ins that trap countless officers and murder the Mayor, the people of Gotham are left essentially defenseless with no authority to turn to, which makes the city easy pickings.

However, whoever passed down Gordon's directive clearly had enough sense not to throw every single member of the police force underground, leaving a skeleton crew to handle the day-to-day cop duties in Gotham. Some of these included top brass like Gordon and Foley, who form a resistance movement with "hot head" newly promoted Detective John "Robin" Blake. But there were more than just these few. Some presumably went into hiding as Foley attempted before Gordon risked his own neck in his quest to get him to join the charge. And we learn the fate of others through a warning the priest gives Blake about roving mobs "hunting down" cops to throw before Scarecrow's merciless kangaroo court.

How did Batman have time to escape the nuclear blast when we saw him in the Bat’s cockpit with 5 seconds to go on the clock?

This was the key point in the piece we wrote yesterday , wondering if when Alfred sees Bruce Wayne at a Florence cafe with Selina Kyle, he’s not just imagining the happy ending for his adopted son. Because while Lucius’s discovery about the autopilot, and the fact that Bruce had time to leave instructions for John Blake, all line up to saying he lived, there’s still no explanation of how he could have time to eject from the Bat-- when we clearly see him in the cockpit with 5 seconds to go on the bomb’s timer.

There aren’t even any hints to how this works in the movie, so the best we can do is just guess. Maybe he ejected into the water, soared down with the Bat-suit cape and landed in safety. Maybe he had one of the Wayne Industries submarines waiting for him, and that’s how he managed to travel the many miles through water back to Gotham to pick up Selina. Or it might be that the edit is a cheat, that Batman is nowhere near the cockpit of the Bat when there are 5 seconds let on the clock, and Nolan bent the rules a bit to give us a real shock when the Bat blew up. Basically the only answer that sticks is “He’s fucking Batman. He figured it out.”

How did both Batman and Bruce Wayne go missing for so long with nobody connecting them?

The answer is that Bruce Wayne wasn’t gone for the full eight years. While it is fact that he doesn’t put on the cape and cowl again after the death of Harvey Dent, that wasn’t his last night as billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne. In The Dark Knight Rises we learn that Bruce teamed up with Miranda Tate on a clean energy project for Wayne Enterprises that involved the building of the fusion reactor that a large chunk of the movie is set around. Because the project began to malfunction, the entire thing was shut down and both our hero and Miranda lost a great deal of money.

While some might argue that Lucius Fox, the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, was dealing with the business end of things with Tate, it’s clear from the beginning that Miranda and Bruce are close. The people of Gotham believe that Wayne went into hiding and became a Howard Hughes-esque figure because of this failed project and don’t see any correlation between the two disappearances. If anything, people should have found it strange that Bruce Wayne returned to town in Batman Begins at the same time as Batman’s first appearance. You can’t ask one question without the other.

How did Bruce Wayne get from the prison back to Gotham?

The Dark Knight Rises is plenty long without adding in an extended sequence of how Bruce Wayne hitches rides on goat trucks in Albania, does some itinerant farming to earn his keep on some Czech farm, hops into the cargo section of an airplane in Frankfurt and finally sneaks his way across the last remaining bridge leading to Gotham, all in order to surprise Commissioner Gordon out on the ice. He gets from point A to point B; do you really need the details?

But as someone else has suggested, an entire Planes, Trains and Automobiles -style movie about Bruce’s journey from Albania to Gotham would be pretty great, especially if he had to team up with a slobby John Candy-type to get there (maybe it was the Penguin!) But the only answer to this question, really, is “He’s Batman. He figured it out.” That’s kind of disappointing given the rigorous realism of Nolan’s Batman universe, but this kind of grey area is where fan fiction flourishes, so get ready for tons of theories on this very question for years to come.

How does John Blake know Bruce Wayne is Batman?

He just does, OK? This is a particularly clunky bit of exposition. Blake explains to Wayne that they met once, when the young cop was a simple orphan … much like Bruce was at one point. His exact quotes escape me, but basically, he just knew Wayne was Batman. No explanation. It’s the equivalent of Metropolis citizens not recognizing Clark Kent as Superman because he wears glasses! Only Blake’s smart enough to see through this ruse. That’s why he’s such a good cop.

Commissioner Gordon must be a terrible cop, then, because he can’t figure it out. He needs to be reminded of that time he put a coat on a little boy’s shoulders to finally make the connection. (As if Gordon would remember such an insignificant action out of the countless times he has had to help citizens of Gotham in the past.) But Blake? He just knows. End of story.

What happened to The Joker?

We knew going into the film that The Joker would not be seen in The Dark Knight Rises (poor Christopher Nolan had to answer that particular question about 30,000 times), but the fact that the character isn’t even mentioned actually creates a hole on some level. In the movie, Bane is seen breaking all of the convicts out of Blackgate Prison and the fact that Jonathan “Scarecrow” Crane is serving as judge in the martial state court is indication that the crazies in Arkham Asylum found their way back into society. So why aren’t the people of Gotham clawing their eyes out at the thought of The Joker being back on the streets?

The easiest answer is that The Joker is dead. Whether it happened while he was hanging in front of the heavily-armed SWAT team at the end of The Dark Knight (maybe one of the cops didn’t feel he deserved the judicial system) or while he was locked up with the other homicidal loonies in Arkham, if the clown prince is dead it would easily explain why nobody thinks to ask about him in The Dark Knight Rises .

What does Bane’s mask actually do?

You mean, “Besides making him sound ridiculous?” It’s a good question, and one Tommy Carcetti … um, Aidan Gillen asks Bane in the middle of the airplane heist. But Bane’s answer is vague. Much like his motivations throughout the rest of the film. From what we can tell, his mask helps him cope with pain that stems from the beatings he took in the pit. But how? Even though it looks like a mask one would wear in a hospital, there’s no tube leading from a gas tank to Bane’s mask. And at different points in the film, Tom Hardy stomps around without a shirt, so there’s nothing in Bane’s vest or stylish jacket that’s funneling painkillers to the bony mask. Late in the movie, when Batman shatters the mouthpiece, it seems to slow Bane down. It has been suggested that there could be capsules of painkillers stashed somewhere in the bulky mask, but couldn’t Nolan have included one shot of Bane changing out a depleted capsule and refreshing his supply, if that was the case?

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.

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It's Time To Talk About That Lex Luthor Scene In Zack Snyder's Justice League

After expertly pitting Superman (Henry Cavill) and Batman (Ben Affleck) against each other in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice  and successfully getting Superman killed, Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor escaped from prison and... has since disappeared from the DCEU with no explanation .

Maybe this isn't so bad, since some argue Eisenberg ruined Batman v Superman , but it's been several years and a handful of movies since we last saw him in the post-credits scene of 2017's Justice League . He was plotting something dramatic and evil that has yet to lead anywhere, but his newest appearance in Zack Snyder's Justice League rewrites this plan entirely. While Luthor briefly appears in the very beginning of the Snyder Cut, chest-deep in water and communing with Steppenwolf as Superman's death scream reverberates around the world, his moment of villainy comes in the epilogue.

The scene begins similarly to how it played out in the theatrical cut: An Arkham guard finds that Luthor has escaped, leaving a maniacally laughing man in his stead — possibly hinting that the Joker helped him. Then it cuts to Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello) visiting Luthor on his yacht, where they discuss working together. Here's where things become drastically different from the theatrical cut: In 2017, we saw Luthor say, "Shouldn't we have a league of our own?" In the Snyder Cut, however, Luthor and Deathstroke discuss the latter's mission to kill Batman and Luthor gives him a powerful tool: Batman's name is Bruce Wayne.

One Lex Luthor line was a set up for the Legion of Doom, the other was for The Batman

The theatrical version of this scene was a set-up for the formation of the supervillain team the Legion of Doom — or Injustice League — for a potential Justice League 2 . Well, Justice League flopped at the box office, so Warner Bros. canceled those plans. However, in Zack Snyder's Justice League , we can see that the original version of this scene was setting up a different movie entirely. Snyder had other plans for a Justice League sequel, involving a face-off against Darkseid rather than Lex Luthor's merry band of villains, so the Batman-centric dialogue was there to tease Affleck's standalone film The Batman .

Several years ago, the DCEU plan was for Affleck to direct and star in a Batman movie with Deathstroke as the villain, according to Collider . However, Affleck dropped out and the film has since been completely reworked into a Robert Pattinson flick with the likes of Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), the Riddler (Paul Dano), and Penguin (Colin Farrell) starring opposite him. There's no more Deathstroke, no more Batfleck, and it now has a confusing non-position within the DCEU canon.

The Batman would have seen Deathstroke use Batman's real identity against him

Unfortunately, superhero fans won't get to see the extent of what the DCEU would have done with Batman's identity revealed. Spoiler alert: It wouldn't have gone well. Manganiello has since unveiled what the plans for Deathstroke were, making it obvious how crucial Lex Luthor's reveal was going to be for The Batman 's plot. First, it's important to know that Deathstroke blames Batman for the death of his son (via GamesRadar ), which would have led him down a dark path.

"It was a really dark story in which Deathstroke was like a shark or a horror movie villain that was dismantling Bruce's life from the inside out," Manganiello told Yahoo! Entertainment . "It was this systemic thing: He killed everyone close to Bruce and destroyed his life to try and make him suffer because he felt that Bruce was responsible for something that happened to him." He couldn't have done any of this without Luthor's information.

If that storyline were canon, it would seem that in the Knightmare future vision, Batman should have even more beef with Deathstroke than he does with the Joker (Jared Leto). Still, it seems that Luthor's reveal of Batman's name somehow leads to their team up against Darkseid and evil Superman. While the Deathstroke version of  The Batman is long gone, it's still unclear how Zack Snyder's Justice League will affect future DCEU films. Warner Bros. has called the theatrical cut of Justice League DCEU canon, but the film franchise's directors are more interested in sticking to Snyder's version, according to Vulture . Affleck's Batman is set to make what could be his final appearance in the upcoming Flash movie, so there's a chance this scene could hold importance in that film.

DC Extended Universe Wiki

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• Justice League (film) Locations
• Zack Snyder's Justice League Locations
• Private residences
• Português do Brasil

Glass House

• View history

The Glass House [1] is an ultra-modern house located on a lake. Bruce Wayne resides there, rather than his family's Wayne Manor . It is situated directly above the Batcave , just north of Gotham City .

• 1.2 The White Portuguese
• 1.3 Capitol Bombing Aftermath
• 1.4 Visit from a Martian
• 2.1 Living room
• 2.2 Bathroom
• 2.3 Bruce Wayne's room
• 2.4 Kitchen
• 3 Behind the Scenes
• 4 References

History [ ]

Originally commissioned by Thomas Wayne for his wife Martha the Glass House was made by her favorite architect. After their deaths their son Bruce at the age of 18 would move into the house, leaving Wayne Manor to become rundown and overgrown. [2]

The White Portuguese [ ]

After discovering that Anatoli Knyazev is working for Lex Luthor , Bruce strategizes with Alfred in the Glass House and expresses his interest to infiltrate Lex's villa in Metropolis as Batman to gather information on the White Portuguese. However, Alfred notes that it would be unnecessary as Bruce Wayne has been formally invited to a fundraiser event. Later, dressed in formal wear, he drives his vintage car from the garage to the fundraiser, passing by Wayne Manor. [3]

Capitol Bombing Aftermath [ ]

As Alfred returns to the Glass House from chopping firewood, he discovers a pile of Wallace Keefe 's returned severance payments, unaware that they were forged with hateful words by Lex Luthor. He watches TV and learns about the US Capitol bombing. Distraught, Alfred stands on the porch and reflects on the psychological effects on Bruce Wayne in regards to Superman . [3]

Visit from a Martian [ ]

Bruce and Martian Manhunter at the Glass House

Just after Bruce wakes up from another Knightmare , he receives a visit from the Martian Manhunter at the Glass House, who warns him of the incoming of Darkseid . After their conversation, the Martian Manhunter then flies off into the distance. [4]

Living room [ ]

The living room contains a fireplace, an L-shaped couch, a glass coffee table, and two chairs. The room also contains a glass table with four chairs for eating, and Bruce Wayne 's work desk.

Bathroom [ ]

The bathroom contains a shower with a see-through door, a sink, toilet, and towels and other hygenic supplies, such as toothbrushes.

Bruce Wayne's room [ ]

Bruce Wayne 's bedroom is located at the far end side of the Glass House, it contains a queen size bed, a nightstand, some chairs, and a window with a view of the lake located outside the Glass House.

Kitchen [ ]

The kitchen is located at the center of the Glass House, it contains the common kitchen objects, such as a stove, refrigerator, and a sink along with cabinets on the walls. This is also where Alfred Pennyworth cooks meals.

The garage contains a mini shed of some sort, along with one of Bruce Wayne 's cars parked there as well.

The patio is located on the outside of the Glass House, it contains a fireplace, couches, and a dock that leads out onto the deck to Bruce Wayne 's yacht.

Behind the Scenes [ ]

• In real life, the building was designed in the style of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe . [6]
• The Glass House is directly over the Batcave with an elevator and several other ways to reach it. Unlike traditional media, the Batcave is underneath Wayne Manor. As Bruce started his career as Batman when he was 18, he had the Glasshouse constructed over the cave for easy access for both himself and Alfred.
• For production, the Glass House was built on a lake in Camp Metamora, which is in Metamora Township, north of Detroit, Michigan . [7]

References [ ]

• ↑ Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: The Art of the Film
• ↑ Guide to the Caped Crusader/Guide to the Man of Steel
• ↑ 3.0 3.1 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
• ↑ Zack Snyder's Justice League
• ↑ Melrose, Kevin (April 5, 2018). Why Wayne Manor Is Abandoned in Batman v Superman . CBR.
• ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Movie-Locations
• ↑ "Film locations for Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice, in Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles and New Mexico" - Movie-Locations.com

• 1 Peacemaker
• 3 Vigilante

Screen Rant

Justice league: 10 interesting behind-the-scenes details.

With a long-awaited director’s cut slated for HBO Max next year, DCEU's Justice League had one of the most famously troubled productions in Hollywood.

After Man of Steel introduced us to the DCEU’s Superman and Batman v Superman introduced us to the DCEU’s Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg, 2017’s Justice League “united the six” with an ensemble team-up. With a long-awaited director’s cut set to appear on HBO Max next year , Justice League had one of the most famously troubled productions in Hollywood history.

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Director Zack Snyder stepped down in the middle of the production due to a personal tragedy, allowing Warner Bros. to hijack the movie’s tone and bring in Avengers director Joss Whedon to make a pale imitation of the MCU.

Half Of Justice League Was Directed By Joss Whedon

After Zack Snyder’s daughter tragically took her own life, the director stepped down from directing Justice League to mourn and spend time with his family. Warner Bros. was still determined to get the movie finished in time for its 2017 release date, and hired Joss Whedon of the first two Avengers movies to complete it.

Based on tone, it’s pretty clear in the final cut which scenes were directed by Snyder and which were directed by Whedon. The #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign has since raised a ton of money for suicide prevention.

Bryan Cranston Was Offered The Role Of Commissioner Gordon

The DCEU’s Commissioner Gordon is being rebooted in Matt Reeves’ The Batman with Jeffrey Wright taking the role, but the franchise’s first Gordon appeared in Justice League , played by J.K. Simmons.

Before Simmons was cast, the role was offered to Bryan Cranston , who had previously voiced Gordon in Batman: Year One , but he turned it down.

Henry Cavill’s Mission: Impossible Mustache Had To Be Removed Digitally

By the time that the reshoots began for Justice League , Henry Cavill had begun shooting Mission: Impossible – Fallout , and he’d grown out a bushy mustache to play August Walker.

Paramount and Warner Bros. got into an intense legal battle over whether Cavill could shave his mustache for the Justice League reshoot, but Paramount wouldn’t budget and the mustache had to be removed digitally instead. In a few scenes, this really stands out.

Warner Bros. Enforced A Two-Hour Limit On The Runtime

After Zack Snyder’s previous DCEU entries, Man of Steel and Batman v Superman , were both commonly criticized for being overlong, Warner Bros. demanded that the runtime of Justice League had to be two hours or less.

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However, Snyder had set up so many storylines in BvS – not to mention having to introduce every member of the Justice League before they had their own solo movies – that the movie simply couldn’t be less than two hours long and  be coherent. The final runtime is 119 minutes.

A Lot Of Cyborg’s Scenes Got Cut

Both Zack Snyder and Ray Fisher considered Cyborg to be the heart of Justice League as it was originally envisioned. However, when Joss Whedon took over, most of Cyborg’s scenes were cut.

An early draft of the script revealed that Victor Stone’s injuries were a result of the wide-scale destruction at the hands of Doomsday in Batman v Superman .

Tim Burton And George Miller Developed Unproduced Justice League Movies

Before the Justice League finally made it to the screen under the direction of Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon, there were a few League movies in development that never made it to the screen. Mad Max ’s George Miller worked on a movie called Justice League: Mortal , which was called off due to a writers’ strike.

It would’ve starred Armie Hammer as Batman, D.J. Cotrona as Superman, Megan Gale as Wonder Woman, Adam Brody as the Flash, Common as Green Lantern, Santiago Cabrera as Aquaman, and Hugh Keays-Byrne as the Martian Manhunter. Tim Burton was also expected to direct a Justice League movie after Superman Lives , his unproduced Superman movie starring Nicolas Cage as Clark Kent .

Danny Elfman Replaced Junkie XL As The Movie’s Composer

The score for Justice League was originally set to be composed by Hans Zimmer, although he swore off superhero movies after Batman v Superman (but then went back on his word and scored X-Men: Dark Phoenix and Wonder Woman 1984 ), so he was replaced by Junkie XL.

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When Zack Snyder departed from the project and Warner Bros. decided to lighten up the tone, Danny Elfman was brought on to write a new score. He even incorporated some of his own Batman theme from the 1989 movie.

Ben Affleck Was Considered To Direct Justice League

After being offered the chance to direct Man of Steel and turning it down , then being cast as Bruce Wayne in Batman v Superman , Ben Affleck was considered to direct Justice League .

He was also in line to direct himself in a Batman solo movie, which would make him the first Batman actor to do so, before he departed from the role.

The Post-Credits Scene Was Shot On Zack Snyder’s Personal Yacht

The post-credits scene at the end of Justice League reveals that Lex Luthor has somehow escaped from prison and he’s putting together the Legion of Doom.

This begins with Luthor meeting with Deathstroke on a lavish yacht. This scene was actually shot on Zack Snyder’s personal yacht.

Justice League Was Originally A Two-Parter

Warner Bros. initially announced two Justice League movies – Justice League: Part One and Justice League: Part Two – that would follow Batman v Superman and be released one year apart. The first part would’ve ended by teasing the arrival of Darkseid and the second part would’ve sent the League into space to fight the big bad.

However, the second part was called off and Justice League was streamlined into a single movie. The producers have since given conflicting reports about whether or not a two-parter was actually planned.

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The Hero Gig

All about that hero life

A day in the life of:  bruce wayne.

"What exactly does Bruce Wayne do with his time and his money?"

By: The Hero GIG Staff

Updated March 1, 2023

Warner Media

Many people wonder what Bruce Wayne does on an average day. 

Since not much is known about the daily schedule of one of the most popular superheroes on earth, our editors have decided to sit down and list down his typical day in Gotham City.

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

2:00 PM:  This is the start of Bruce Wayne's typical day. Alfred wakes him up to give him his breakfast smoothie. They catch up on last night's mission and to provide Bruce with his updates.

2:15 PM - 4:00 PM:  Bruce Wayne uses this time to do some exercise, shower, and eat lunch.

Exercise: 500 pushups, 500 pullups, 500 sit ups

Lunch:      Grilled chicken with roasted vegetables and rice. 

Having Batman's physique is something money can't buy. Here are some things to help you pull it off:

Peloton Bike

Smart Rower

Signature Dumbbells

4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Activities:  Bruce Wayne typically spends this time doing one of the following on a given day:

-  Research criminals: Bruce has an extensive technology infrastructure at his fingertips he can use to 

   look into his enemies.

-  Board Meetings:  Board meetings don't happen all the time. It may even happen once a quarter.

-  Private meetings: Typically meets with Mr. Fox but have occasionally met with other CEOs or heads 

   of state.

-  Press Conferences: Occasionally, Bruce Wayne attends press conferences due to his high profile 

   nature.

-  Corporate Takeover:  Occasionally he would buy an entire company just to get what he needs.

How does Bruce Wayne know how to manage his companies and investments? Here are some books to help you pull it off:

Zero to One

Trillion Dollar Coach

The Intelligent Investor

One Up On Wall St.

Warren Buffet

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Activities:  Bruce Wayne usually does the following for most if not all of his nights.

Dinner with super models and/or movie stars from Europe.

Holiday: Taking out the entire ballet to his yacht for a week. 

Fundraisers: Hosts a charity fundraiser in one of his penthouse apartments. Remember, one  fundraiser with his pals and he will never have to do another one.

House Party:  Typically where he celebrates his birthdays. 

Being a billionaire playboy ain't  easy. Here are some things to help you pull it off:

Calvin Klein Suit

Omega Speedmaster

Luxury Loafers

9:00 PM - 4:00 AM: Be Batman

9:00 PM - 10:00 PM:  Scan police radios

10:00 PM - 10:30 PM:  Meeting with Commisioner Gordon

11:00 PM - 1:00 AM:  Hide in plain site waiting for criminals to arrive.

1:00 AM - 3:00 AM:  Engage Criminals, Tie them up, Notify Police

3:00 AM - 4:00 AM:  Use theatricality and deception to leave from the                                               scene return to the Bat Cave.

Here are some suggestions our editors compiled for your bat suit and utility belt:

Night Vision  Goggles

IR Monoculars

4:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Activities: Sleep well knowing full well there are less criminals in Gotham City

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