DC fans don’t need much to spark another round of franchise speculation, and director Zack Snyder has fueled those flames with a single Instagram upload yet again.
Recently, a black-and-white shot of Henry Cavill suited up as Superman that appeared on the director’s new account with the caption “Henry Cavill is Superman” sent fans into overdrive, fueled by the prospect of seeing the Man of Steel (2013) actor reprise his role.
More images followed, featuring Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke and Jared Leto’s Joker, just as they appear in Snyder’s Justice League (2021), and Ben Affleck in full Batman gear. Now, a more recent image of the “Batfleck” has a caption that includes the words “more to come”. Does this simply mean more images from Snyder, or perhaps something else?
“Thank you for 300,000 followers. It’s been a fun six weeks on here, and I’m just getting started. Shot this on my Leica Monochrom with a 50mm—more to come.”
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These photographs have swiftly reopened the long-running divide inside the fandom. Supporters of Snyder’s trilogy — Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) — have treated the posts as a reminder of what they consider the strongest entries within the now-defunct DC Extended Universe.
Others stand by James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe, which began its rollout with Superman (2025), starring David Corenswet, earlier this year.
Even with a $616.7 million global total on a $225 million budget, Superman drew criticism for its comedic tone, a trademark of Gunn’s style from projects like The Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Fans also remain frustrated by the DCU’s continuity. Despite early promises of a clean slate, Gunn has folded in select pieces of the DCEU, leaving the long-term plan unclear.
Those concerns have fueled renewed calls for Snyder’s continuity to return — not the full DCEU catalog, but specifically his three interconnected films. The timing of corporate news hasn’t helped. Reports that Warner Bros. Discovery has received unsolicited acquisition interest surfaced recently, creating speculation that Gunn and Safran’s positions, and potentially the DCU itself, could be impacted down the line.
It’s impossible to ignore the history here. Few believed Snyder would ever return to overhaul Justice League, yet the “Snyder Cut” arrived on HBO Max in 2021 after a massive online campaign. It became one of the platform’s most-streamed releases of the year.
For now, though, Cavill and Affleck remain retired from their roles while Corenswet leads the DCU and the search continues for a new Batman for The Brave and the Bold. Whether Snyder’s posts are just photography or something else entirely is anyone’s guess.
What are your thoughts on all of this? Would you like to see Cavill and Affleck return, or is it time to move on? Sound off in the comments below!
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