Three years on from its release, and one sequence, in particular, from Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice continues to fascinate DC fans. Of course, we’re referring to the “Knightmare” scene, in which Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) receives a vision of a dark future where the world has been subjugated by the forces of Apokolips. At the end of it, Bruce appears to wake when Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) shows up in the Batcave, bringing with him a dire, cryptic warning.
However, as Bruce then wakes up for real and Barry is nowhere to be seen, the reality of this visit is called into question. Comic book readers familiar with the Flash’s ability to travel back in time think they know what’s going on here, though. It’s long been theorized that it’s the Barry from the future seen in the “Knightmare” sequence who’s come back in the hopes of averting this version of the timeline.
Now, the question of whether this is real or not has been confirmed by director Zack Snyder. The filmmaker chipped in during a discussion between some fans on Vero, saying the following:
What’s still a bit unclear here is whether Snyder’s also replying to the intriguing fan theory about Darkseid being responsible for Bruce receiving the “Knightmare” vision. It’s possible, but another crew member from BvS has suggested that there’s an alternate reason for the dream. Storyboard artist and all-round DC expert Jay Oliva previously described the vision as an after-effect of the Flash traveling back in time – a “time boom” if you will.
If you remember, Barry Allen’s message in Batman V Superman included several bits and pieces to unpack. For one, he told Bruce: “It’s Lois Lane… She’s the key” and went on to warn him that “You’re right about him, you’ve always been right about him.” Put together with the preceding dream sequence, and it’s likely that he’s talking about Superman. This was practically also confirmed by Zack Snyder in a different post.
While we might not see the original plan for this play out in Snyder’s abandoned Justice League 2, Ezra Miller will likely get to time travel again in his standalone film Flashpoint.