Romance tropes always play a crucial role in superhero films, as it enriches the plot and adds another layer of complexity to the characters’ personalities. While romance enables its viewers to relate to the film, the superhero genre always struggles to incorporate the ideas in their movies. Such was the case in the original Zack Snyder’s Justice League, until Avengers: Endgame directors approved of the unprecedented idea.
In the DC universe, the rivalry of Batman and Superman stands tall as one of the most iconic and enduring dynamics. The rivalry originates from the clash of ideologies and their take on justice. However, the Rebel Moon filmmaker decided to take their iconic rivalry to another level as he decided to put the Caped Crusader and The Daily Planet’s reporter in a relationship after Superman’s demise in the original plot of Justice League.
Avengers: Endgame Directors Approve of Batman’s Romance in The Original Plot of Zack Snyder’s Justice League
For ages, the clash between Batman and Superman has been evident as their philosophies have defined their characters; the former channels his grief into an unwavering quest for justice, while the latter looks for good even in the worst, making him a symbol of hope and the ultimate hero.
Despite the vast differences in their ideologies and approaches to criminals, there is one similarity between both characters, a romance with Lois Lane. Yes, you read that right! In the original draft of Justice League, Zack Snyder shared how he had planned a romantic plot for Bruce Wayne and Lois Lane.
During an episode of The Russo brothers’ Pizza Film School video podcast, the filmmaker argued how the romance plot would have been a great addition to the film, though some people were against that.
He said,
“I think in the original script, Lois and Batman got together briefly. And there was this whole other thing that everyone was like, ‘Oh my God, you can’t do that.‘”
The Russo brothers reinforced the idea of a romance between the two as Anthony Russo said, “I love that.“ With Joe Russo saying, “I wish you did do that.“ Snyder believed the idea would have worked because “Superman was dead“ and Lane was a “pretty amazing person.”
Anthony Russo said, “But it also brings her into the story in a way. It’s complex, it’s surprising.” Snyder was bent on adding this idea to the original script of the film, as he was convinced that Amy Adams’ acting range was versatile enough to make this idea convincing to the fans.
He said,
“Because she’s not really… her part in Justice League is really… we had written it, you know, especially since I had Amy [Adams]. And Amy’s a genius. I really felt like we should lean on Amy, because she’s just a great actress and a force of nature.”
Ultimately, the idea dropped from the final script because even though a romance between Bruce Wayne and Lois Lane sounded intriguing, it would not have gone well with the major plot of Justice League.
Zack Snyder Explains Why He Ultimately Stepped Back From Featuring Batman’s Romance
In the same podcast, the 300 director opened up about how he wanted to set up a love triangle between the three characters, as he explained the idea of a romance between the two would have made the film messier. He said,
“And… then I loved the idea of likesetting up this sort of concept… it’s sort of like in a movie like where the husband goes off to war, and he’s dead, and the wife moves on, and then the husband appears, like, ‘I’m not dead. I’m fine.‘”
Joe Russo asked, “How do you deal with that?“ To which Snyder added,
“Yeah, how do you deal with that? And that was kind of… I was super into that concept that, ‘Oh no, Superman can be brought back to life. So now what happens with with this?‘ And it was that, Lois was like, ‘I’m still in love with Superman. You were kind of a thing.‘ But then at that point, Batman had already fallen in love with Lois and was like…”
Joe Russo was convinced that it was a brilliant idea and he wanted to see that idea coming to life, as he said, “It’s brilliant. I want to see that. I love that.” However, this idea never became a reality as the original plot was scrapped because it featured Batman sacrificing his love for the reporter by bringing the Kryptonian back to life.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League can be streamed on Max.
