Zack Snyder Discusses Batman's Backstory and Star Arc in JUSTICE LEAGUE

During the IGN Fan Fest this past weekend, director Zack Snyder talked about his upcoming four-hour cut of Justice League and he also shared a clip from the film. You can check out all of that stuff here in case you missed it.

The filmmaker also discussed Ben Affleck’s Batman, and shared some details on his backstory as well as his character arc in the film. He said:

"Our Bruce has a higher moral, or stronger, moral compass when he first started fighting in Gotham [City] 20 years ago. But he's seen a lot of rough stuff happen over the years and I think that he's a bit jaded now, obviously."

Some of the rough stuff includes Robin being killed by the Joker, and more. Snyder explains, “The death of Robin and others, I think that he now has found himself in a dark place.” The filmmaker continues, “The death of Superman really shakes him out of that [dark place] and puts him on this really cathartic path to form the Justice League and do his part.” Snyder goes on to say:

“If you think about it, the Justice League is made up entirely of almost god-like characters with these god-like powers, and [Batman is] just a guy. Yes, he is the world’s greatest detective and he is this incredible force as far as humanity goes, but in the end, he is just a guy. It’s like his job of bringing [the Justice League] together, it was also one of the most important jobs because there would be no Justice League without Bruce.”

Snyder also talked more about Joker and how he fits into this new cut of Justice League. The villain will be showing up in Batman's Knightmare scene, which shows a future where the heroes lose to Darkseid.

"It really defines, in my mind, the mythological heart of the conflict that both of them share is their relationship. I think without a scene where they get to air their dirty laundry about each other, I felt like we were getting shortchanged as fans of the DC Universe. That was the hope, that we would get to see them come together but also, in particular, reflecting on each other and their struggle with each other and the why a little bit, so that was really fun for me."

Snyder also added that he "always wanted [Joker] to be in the Knightmare reality and so it was a great opportunity. When I talked to Jared and he was interested in doing it, I just felt like, okay, this feels like a thing I can't pass up."

Zack Snyder's Justice League will debut on March 18th on HBO Max.