With the DC cinematic universe still in its infancy over at Warner Brothers, it seems a bit premature to turn our gaze toward the unannounced but probable Justice League sequel, but since it concerns fan-favorite celestial baddie Darkseid, it’s worth a closer look. Many fans have speculated that the New God and ruler of Apokolips could give the Justice League hell in their first cinematic team-up (which is expected to hit theaters in 2017), but a new rumor suggests that he may bide his time and wait for Justice League 2 before threatening the likes of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and their group of super friends.

Badass Digest’s Devin Faraci wrote up an article about Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy over the weekend, which talked in great detail about the possible celestial beings that could one day populate the cosmic corners of the MCU. He brought up the Eternals, a group of super-powered beings created by comic book legend Jack Kirby, who uncoincidentally also created Darkseid and the New Gods. DC and Marvel’s cosmic villains share several key similarities that may make differentiating them hard for general moviegoing audiences, making the characters’ rush to the big screen all the more important.

When discussing the Eternals and how they could potentially play into the plot of Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Faraci dropped a small bombshell that may send DC fans reeling:

“My sources tell me not to expect Darkseid in the DC movieverse until Justice League 2, so that means a Guardians 2 in 2017 would definitely have the Eternals beating the New Gods to big screens.”

Since Darkseid is one of the most famous and certainly one of the most powerful characters from DC lore, fans have long speculated that he’d be the villain for the upcoming Justice League film. However, assuming Faraci’s sources are correct, we may not see him on the big screen for quite some time.

Personally, I think that would be a good thing, not because I don’t want to see Darkseid on film (I really, really do), but because it may be smarter for Warner Bros. to pace themselves with his big screen debut. All “go big or go home” arguments aside, bringing Darkseid into the mix three films into your cinematic universe may not be the best plan, and there are certainly other DC villains that could battle the JLA. Perhaps the studio could even go the Marvel route and introduce Darkseid as more of an overseer than a direct threat, instead slowly evolving him into the DCCU’s “Big Bad” through multiple films.

At this point anything is possible, especially since we don’t know if there’s even going to be a Justice League 2. We have yet to see how Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and the first Justice League film do before we look that far ahead.

Tell us, what do you think about this Darkseid rumor? Would you like to see him in Justice League, or should the studio wait and introduce him later on, perhaps in Justice League 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.