4 Batman v Superman moments that are key to the Snyder Cut of Justice League

How Superman dies, the Knightmares, and much much more

Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice was released nearly five years ago, which is a long time to forget the intricacies of a film that leads directly into this week’s release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. While the story specifics for the events of the original 2017 Justice League — Batman V. Superman’s sequel — weren’t very significant, they’re certainly worth updating in your memory ahead of the “Snyder Cut,” since the picture begins up precisely where the previous film left off.

So, here’s everything you should know but might have forgotten about Dawn of Justice.

HOW SUPERMAN DIED BEFORE JUSTICE LEAGUE

The majority of Snyder’s Man of Steel sequel, as the title suggests, builds up to a showdown between Batman and Superman. Superman saves Lois Lane in an unnamed foreign location, raising fears that he would one day use his talents for evil. The United States government and Bruce Wayne begin to regard Superman as a menace to the entire globe, so Wayne resolves to take matters into his own hands and assassinate the Man of Steel.

Batman’s arsenal of devices allows him to nearly murder Superman with a Kryptonite spear before the two reconcile over the fact that their mothers are both called Martha. After a brief conversation, the two learn that Lex Luthor has always been the true enemy, and that he is reawakening Doomsday onboard Zod’s wrecked Kryptonian spacecraft from Man of Steel – a ship that plays a crucial part in the extended version of Justice League.

The two join forces, along with Wonder Woman, to fight Doomsday. During the conflict, the President of the United States throws a nuclear weapon towards Doomsday that Superman catches and transports into space. He is hit by the full power of the bomb, but the sun revives him and he rejoins the fight. Superman grabs Batman’s Kryptonite spear and stabs Doomsday. Doomsday stabs him as well, and Superman is so exhausted from all of the stabbings and explosions that Doomsday’s stab kills him.

Everyone mourns the death of Superman, there’s a massive burial, and in a quick post-credits sequence the soil on top of his casket begins to rise. Maybe he’s not dead?

BATMAN HAS KNIGHTMARES

Bruce Wayne is haunted by visions of an apocalyptic future throughout Batman v Superman. The world appears to be in ruins, Superman is bad, and Batman is a member of the resistance fighting to preserve the globe from an unknown threat.

These so-called “knightmares” are never resolved or explained in Batman v Superman, and they were completely erased from the initial theatrical release of Justice League. They’re back, and they’re incredibly crucial in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. While they don’t get a complete explanation in the new film, they’re crucial to Snyder’s ambitions for sequels – even if those are unlikely to happen.

LEX LUTHOR HAS A VISION OF STEPPENWOLF

But Bruce Wayne isn’t the only one who can see into the future. Lex Luthor, still aboard the Kyrptonian spacecraft after resurrecting Doomsday, sees Steppenwolf, who would shortly arrive on Earth to take the three Mother Boxes. This is effectively a preview to the plot of Justice League, and it serves as a wonderful reminder that Lex knew exactly what was going to happen the entire time.

WE GET INTRODUCED TO THE WHOLE JUSTICE LEAGUE

In one scene set in Bruce Wayne’s makeshift bat cave, the Flash goes across time to deliver a message from the future to Bruce, instructing him to find “the others.” Bruce finds he has information on a few other metahumans, including The Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman, among the files he obtained from Lex Luthor. When Wayne gives the information to Diana Prince soon before leaving to confront Superman, we get a glimpse of each of these people. We don’t get a long look at any of the characters, but it does hint that Diana and Bruce are planning a collaboration.