Fans first got to see the concept of the “Knightmare” timeline in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Zack Snyder revisited the timeline in his cut of the Justice League movie. The revisit was important as the vision in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice seemingly left it at a cliffhanger.
In Zack Snyder’s Justice League, we get to see Cyborg’s vision of the timeline. In the vision, Lois Lane dies, which leads to Superman turning evil. Zack Snyder previously acknowledged the speculations about multiple Knightmare timelines in one of his latest interviews.
Are there multiple Knightmare Timelines in the DCEU?
A vision of the Knightmare timeline in Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Director Zack Snyder appeared for a special interview alongside Ben Affleck, Ray Fisher, Ray Porter, Chris Terrio, DJ DesJardin, and Dody Dorn. During the Q&A session, Zack Snyder was asked by a fan,
“Cyborg’s vision depicts Kilowog dead at the site of the Hall of Justice but he’s not with the Knightmare League in the sequence at the end. Is this implying the existence of numerous Knightmare timelines with the one we see in JL2 just being the final one where Barry successfully activated the cosmic treadmill to warn Bruce in time or was it just something you thought would be cool.”
The director then said that it was a fair question and replied,
“I would say that, that particular shot, the one in the flash moment where he sort of has all those visions of the future, that one I think is more impressionistic than the actual hard timeline that you see in the final sequence. So I think that’s probably the answer. He’s seen, I would say, a more metaphorical vision of the future than the actual hard reality in that one sequence.”
The director implied that there are multiple Knightmare timelines, and Cyborg has a vision that is more “metaphorical” compared to the rest.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice first featured a Knightmare sequence
Superman in the Knightmare sequence
Zack Snyder’s Knightmare timelines could set up the future of DCEU. The Knightmare Timeline was first hinted at in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, where Bruce Wayne has a dream or vision of a post-apocalyptic world where Superman is a ruthless dictator. This dream sequence is expanded upon in the Snyder Cut of Justice League, where it is revealed that the Flash has traveled back in time to warn Bruce about this possible future.
In this timeline, Darkseid has successfully invaded Earth and has located the Anti-Life Equation, a powerful equation that can control the minds of all living beings. After the death of Lois Lane, Superman succumbs to the Anti-Life Equation’s control and allies himself with Darkseid.
