1 Throwaway Line In Zack Snyder’s Justice League Could Easily Make It Part of DCU Canon

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When Warner Bros. Discovery announced James Gunn and Peter Safran as co-CEOs of DC Studios, the fan community was divided. Some fans were eager for the new DC Universe, either for a change in tone or, at least, a cohesive vision. Others were incensed that the DC Extended Universe ended unceremoniously. From raging against Gunn on social media to the intriguing idea of selling the Snyderverse to Netflix, they aren’t ready to let this universe go.

Luckily for DCEU fans,a throwaway line in Zack Snyder’s Justice League offers a pathway for the DCU and DCEU to occupy the same canon, even if they don’t occupy the same universe. In fact, the mere existence of the multiverse as a concept in DC Comics means the DCEU, the DCU and every other iteration of these characters over the past nine decades is canon somewhere.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League Embraced the Many Earths Concept

Four years after a reviled theatrical release, the Snyder Cut of Justice League fixed many of the problems with the DCEU team-up film. Released on Max in 2021, the film was a four-hour epic that introduced characters and concepts created by Jack Kirby, specifically the New Gods and the Anti-Life Equation. The version of the film re-written and re-shot by Joss Whedon avoided all these elements entirely.

The problems in the theatrical release are legendary, but the villain Steppenwolf benefited from the Snyder Cut most of all. In true comic book fashion, this version was both more menacing and more pitiful. He was a terror in combat, but he became a simpering supplicant at the mere mention of Darkseid. When he discovered the fabled Anti-Life power on Earth, Steppenwolf saw it as a way to get back into his dark lord’s good graces. The conversation also, casually, revealed an awareness of the multiverse.

“Before mighty Darkseid came to the throne, he searched the universe for the ultimate weapon. The Anti-Life Equation. The key to controlling all life and all will throughout the multiverse. He found it hidden on a primitive planet.” — Steppenwolf to DeSaad.

Ironically, despite building on the films of this universe, the Snyder Cut wasn’t DCEU canon, either. But that doesn’t matter when the multiverse is in play. With infinite parallel realities, both versions of Justice League exist somewhere. That also means the new DCU will unfold alongside the DCEU, and Steppenwolf, DeSaad, Darkseid or any other DCEU character could hop from their universe to the one occupied by the current DCU continuity. Even if they don’t, it reaffirms the idea that it’s all canon.

The Multiverse Is a Pathway to Making Everything ‘Canon’ In the DCU

What Was Once Seen as a Complication to Continuity Is a Huge Asset

Today, the multiverse is common in DC and Marvel stories, even allowing the two rival universes to crossover with each other from time to time. However, when DC Comics first put their multiverse at the center of a story, it was to destroy it. There have been many versions of the Crisis On Infinite Earths story, but no matter how many times the Anti-Monitor tries to wipe away the disparate DC realties, he cannot. This is a gift to Gunn and Safran, whether they choose to open it or not.

In the 1980s, DC Comics’ continuity was very messy. There was the Earth-2 universe, which housed the original Golden Age heroes, namely the Justice Society of America. During the Silver Age, there were dozens of “imaginary” stories featuring DC heroes that were outside continuity. After decades of publications, even the main continuity made little sense. For example, Superman villain Brainiac had multiple origin stories. In the face of lagging comic sales, DC editors used the first Crisis event to streamline their storytelling.

Ironically, DC, Marvel and even Star Trek proved the multiverse is an asset. New series or films can fit into a larger, shared continuity or, conversely, they can stand on their own. Gunn plans to adopt the branding from the comics “DC Elseworlds” for new entries like Matt Reeves’s The Batman Part II that aren’t a part of his universe. But that label can be retroactively applied to everything featuring DC characters, all the way back to the film serials of the 1940s featuring Superman and Batman.

The Arrowverse Revealed How the Multiverse Can Embrace DC’s Past

From Batman ’66 to the DCEU, the TV Crisis Made Everything Canon

When The CW’s Arrowverse adapted Crisis On Infinite Earths, it showed the full potential of how embracing the multiverse means embracing every generation of fandom. Characters from 1966’s and 1989’s Batman appeared, along with characters from 2002’s Birds of Prey, Smallville and even Ezra Miller’s Flash. There would have been even more cameos in the Arrowverse event, but budget limitations prevented them from happening. The finale featured a montage of all the active DC shows not part of the Arrowverse continuity, too.

While some feared the Arrowverse event was “too crowded,” featuring all these characters was a genius move. It honored the long legacy of DC characters in TV and film, while also affirming that everyone’s favorite story happened and was canon from a big-picture perspective. While The Flash movie tried (and failed) to emulate this, the concept is still sound. The multiverse allows every fan’s favorite story and character to live on, even if the window to that particular Earth has closed.

Unfortunately, the pandemic, Discovery’s merger with Warner Bros. and the eventual sale of The CW meant the Arrowverse’s post-Crisis potential was never realized. Just because viewers never saw the TV version of the Justice League assemble for an adventure doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. In fact, because the multiverse is infinite, every daydream or fanfiction idea Arrowverse fans dreamed up could be considered canon, too. The multiverse helps ensure every version of DC’s characters are eternal.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League Can Connect the DCU to the DCEU

James Gunn Can Satisfy All Corners of the Fandom by Embracing the Multiverse

Fans of the Snyderverse have to accept the director’s vision will never appear in live action on the big screen. Yet, Zack Snyder could finish the DCEU in animation. Even if he doesn’t, the fact that the characters in his Justice League are aware of the multiverse means a window could open up on their universe at any time. Whether Gunn and company eventually adapt Crisis On Infinite Earths for the DCU or tell a smaller multiverse story, there’s always a chance.

The multiverse could make both versions of Justice League canon on different Earths.

DCEU Characters could return to the DCU in a multiverse storyline.

In fact, Gunn’s DCU could introduce characters like Ben Affleck’s Batman as Earth-2 heroes in his DCU. The multiverse creates the potential to bring back any actor or character from the DCEU of old. Marvel enjoyed great success reintroducing previous versions of X-Men characters or Spider-Man iterations. Once the DCU is firmly established, Gunn and company could do the same.

There’s no question WB’s management led to storytelling mistakes in the DCEU, and a continuity reboot was necessary. But just because a window opened on a new branch of the DC multiverse doesn’t mean the DCEU is gone. So long as the characters live on in the hearts of their fans, they could find their way across realities into the DCU. Frankly, given how often DC returns to the multiversal well, it’s a question of “when” not “if” Zack Snyder’s version of these heroes show up again.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is available to own on Blu-ray, digital and streams on Max, while the first DC Universe film, Superman, debuts in theaters July 11, 2025.

“}]] A casual line from Steppenwolf in Zack Snyder’s Justice League could provide a pathway for James Gunn to bring those characters into the DCU.  Read More