Did Geoff Johns Leak Zack Snyder’s DC Plans to Marvel?
A Closer Look at the Rumor, the Timeline, and the Truth**
For years, a fan theory has circulated claiming that Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War and the Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame saga borrowed heavily from Zack Snyder’s unmade DC plans.
This all came about because Geoff Johns supposedly leaked Snyder’s story outlines to Kevin Feige.
It’s a dramatic accusation, but does the timeline actually support it? And is there any real evidence?
Snyder’s DCEU Vision | Big, Mythic, and Pre-Planned
There is no denying that Zack Snyder had a multi-film arc mapped out. After Man of Steel he and other artists and writers sat down and mapped an additional four part saga stretching from Batman v Superman through THREE Justice League films.
Reports state that, early Batman v Superman drafts used Metallo as the main antagonist, with Doomsday playing a smaller role. However, studio changes shifted those plans, it’s clear Snyder was aiming for a grounded political thriller before the mythology ballooned into something bigger.
His planned Justice League trilogy was even grander
Darkseid conquers Earth
Superman falls
The League loses
A “Knightmare” future becomes reality
The survivors attempt a time travel fix
Batman sacrifices himself in the final victory
It would have been some epic stuff! But oddly enough it is undeniably similar in structure to Marvel’s eventual Infinity War/Endgame two parter.
Marvel’s Timeline | Parallels, Not Proof
This is where the conspiracy theories take off.
Marvel greenlit Captain America: Civil War in 2014, shortly after WB announced Batman v Superman.
The Russos have openly said that BvS inspired Kevin Feige to push for something bold.
That is true.
But responding to a competitor’s public announcement is not the same thing as stealing their script.
As for Infinity War and Endgame… Well, Marvel had been planning the Thanos storyline since 2012. The idea of a dark cliffhanger followed by a time travel reset wasn’t exactly new as it sort of part of Marvel’s own Infinity Gauntlet comics, and honestly a standard event comic trope across both publishers.
The similarities are real.
The evidence of foul play? Maybe not so much.
Where the Rumor Came From
This theory didn’t start in trade reports or reputable journalism. It started in
Reddit threads
Fan forums
Angry Snyder-cut communities frustrated with WB leadership
Unverified “scoops” during the chaotic 2017–2020 DC Films era
Geoff Johns became the lightning rod for those frustrations.
He didn’t like Snyder’s darker tone. He pushed for course corrections. He rose to power at DC Films as the studio pulled back from Snyder’s vision.
To some fans, he became the villain of the narrative and so the idea of him “leaking scripts to Feige” became the ultimate betrayal fantasy.
But I must reiterate… no evidence, no documents, no whistleblowers. Just fan speculation amplified over time.
The Counterpoints | The Boring, Real-World Explanation
If we step out of fan theory mode for a minute, several points make the leak theory harder to buy
1. There is zero verified evidence.
No emails, no legal fallout, no corroboration from anyone involved.
2. Marvel didn’t need DC’s plans.
The Infinity Saga was rooted in 1990s Marvel comics, not Snyder’s unused outlines.
3. The story beats are common comic book tropes.
Hero vs hero battles, villain victories, and timeline resets appear in both Marvel and DC history long before either film universe existed.
4. Snyder’s real obstacles were inside WB, not outside it.
Studio panic, tonal disagreements, reshoots, leadership shakeups, and the messy 2016–2017 DC Films reorganization explain far more than any hypothetical Marvel espionage.
5. Johns and Feige are friends but that doesn’t make them Unprofessional.
A leak of that scale would be a career ending and a lawsuit baiting event. Nothing like that has ever surfaced.
So… Did It Happen?
Here’s the Honest Take.
The parallels between Snyder’s unmade Justice League films and Marvel’s Infinity Saga are undeniable. The timing is interesting. And the behind the scenes drama at DC absolutely created an environment where wild theories could thrive.
But when you strip away the emotion and the online telephone game, there’s still no concrete proof that Geoff Johns leaked anything… and a whole mountain of reasons why it’s unlikely.
In the end, this theory survives because it feels like it could be true in the chaos of the DCEU era… not because there’s anything solid behind it.
Believe the coincidence. Believe the conspiracy. The breadcrumbs are there for either direction.
But if we’re being honest?
The simpler explanation… no leak, just competing studios chasing the same comic book tropes still makes the most sense.
