Credit: DC / Warner Bros.It’s no mystery that the DC Universe (DCU), overseen by DC Studios’ co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran, has now replaced the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).
The new franchise launched last year with Superman (2025), which stars David Corenswet in the title role and leaves Henry Cavill’s portrayal as seen throughout the DCEU far behind.
“Henry Cavill Is Superman”
However, ever since director Zack Snyder — who helmed Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and Justice League (2021) — took to social media last year to say that “Henry Cavill is Superman” (a harmless post with seemingly no intention of stirring the pot), fans have been eager to see the return of the so-called Snyderverse (the unofficial label given to his three films), which exists as part of the now-defunct film series.
But it seems the Snyderverse is far from done.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League Is a Modern Movie Miracle
During a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, where he discussed the 10-year anniversary of Batman v Superman, Snyder was asked about the possibility of the Snyderverse continuing.
“I would never say that there’s no way,” he said, before explaining how he never thought Justice League (2021) would ever happen.
“I was on the ride that created Justice League, and if you were in my shoes, there were numerous times, dark times, when there was no chance that there will ever be my version of it. It will never exist. It can’t… cost, politics, everything stood against.”
He went on: “And yet it exists. The fans should never forget they did that. They also raised a ton of money for suicide prevention. They did a lot of good. They catch a lot of flak for being toxic or whatever, but they literally saved human lives.”
Snyder’s comments around suicide concern his daughter, Autumn, who tragically ended her life while he was working on the original Justice League (2017), which was handed over to director Joss Whedon to complete.
However, the film was panned by audiences and critics, and also fell short of the studio’s commercial expectations.
That disappointment paved the way for the massive online, fan-led campaign #RestoreTheSnyderCut, which led to the film being recut by Snyder in his original vision, with new visual effects, score, and editing, and additional material being shot.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League was released on HBO Max in the US on March 18, 2021 and became the fourth-most-streamed film on the platform that year, receiving praise from viewers and critics. Today, March 18, 2026, marks the crossover film’s five-year anniversary.
Related: Zack Snyder Confirms Henry Cavill’s Superman Trilogy, Reveals ‘Man of Steel 2’ Plot
“Restore the Snyderverse” Finds New Life
Clearly, fans wield the power to make things happen. Now, #RestoretheSnyderVerse appears to be gaining traction online, which follows a new round of Instagram posts from Snyder.
Chief among them is one that hints at more things to come, with a collage of all the Justice League heroes — Henry Cavill (Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman), Gal Gadot (Diana Prince/Wonder Woman), Ben Affleck (Bruce Wayne/Batman), Jason Momoa (Arthur Curry/Aquaman), Ezra Miller (Barry Allen/The Flash), Ray Fisher (Victor Stone/Cyborg) — with a caption that includes the cryptic words “looking toward what comes next.”
But while fans were expecting an announcement of some kind on the anniversary, it seems they were being a little too optimistic. Snyder has, however, shared a new post, this time celebrating the five-year anniversary of the film, writing in the caption that “this film lives because of you”:
“Five years of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. To the fans—associate producers in every sense—who refused to accept “it doesn’t exist” and stood together with passion and will: This film lives because of you. Thank you, my 700,000 followers, and everyone who carried it forward… hallelujah”
View this post on Instagram
Justice League Saga May Continue Through Tie-In Media
Nevertheless, during his interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Snyder was asked whether his outline for the now-scrapped Justice League 2 and 3 could be turned into a comic or an animated feature one day.
“We absolutely talked about it quite a bit,” he told Horowitz. “We live in a world where all that is possible. Whatever form it would take, that would be amazing.”
While nothing has been confirmed, the Snyderverse is very likely to return one day, whatever that might look like.
After all, did we really think #RestoreTheSnyderCut would lead to an actual reboot of 2017’s Justice League? Well, it happened. But perhaps the biggest clue that the Snyderverse will probably return is how it has happened before with other DC films.
In recent years, Tim Burton’s films, Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), have continued in an official capacity through tie-in media, with the Batman ’89 comics and John Jackson Miller’s two novels, Batman: Resurrection (2024) and Batman: Revolution (2025).
As such, it’s possible we’ll see the Snyderverse get the same treatment one day, even it is alongside James Gunn’s DCU. And perhaps not just in comic-book form, but as an animated series or full-length feature, or even tie-in novels. Maybe even another live-action follow-up, whether as a theatrical release or a streaming event like 2021’s Justice League.
Whether or not the likes of Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck would return is another matter.
Related: New “Snyderverse” Will Continue With Different Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman
His Thoughts on Gunn’s Superman and How His Films “Won’t Die”
During his interview, Snyder was also asked about Superman (2025), which was written and directed by Gunn himself and essentially reboots Man of Steel while replacing Henry Cavill with David Corenswet. But he had nothing but kind things to say, while telling Horowitz that he expects other creatives to take on these characters.
“Other people will take them and other people will take them after that, and that’s how it should be,” he said. Speaking more specifically about Gunn’s Superman, he said the film is “amazing” and that he “can’t wait to see the next movie.”
He said that his three-movie trilogy [Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, Justice League], which he thinks of as more of a Superman story as opposed to a Justice League saga, “is a weed that just won’t die.” He added, “It grows on its own. It has its own life.”
Watch Snyder’s full interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast in the video below.
Upcoming DCU Projects
Superman (2025) officially launched the DCU, which will continue later this year with the films Supergirl (2026) Clayface (2026), and HBO’s Lanterns (2026).
Other confirmed projects include Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2027) and a Batman reboot titled The Brave and the Bold (TBA). Meanwhile, Peacemaker and the animated series Creature Commandos will continue to expand the DCU on the small screen.
Do you think the Snyderverse should return? If so, how? In film or another medium entirely? Share your thoughts with us!