Why Man Of Steel 2 Still Hasn’t Happened
Technically speaking, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice came the closest to a Man of Steel 2 sequel. The original plan for Man of Steel 2 was for it to be a legitimate Man of Steel sequel that solely focused on Superman and his supporting cast, with Lex Luthor and Metallo being considered as the antagonists. Essentially, Man of Steel was intended to be the first instalment of a Superman trilogy that would mimic the Dark Knight trilogy by director Zack Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan.
Given that David S. Goyer wrote both Man of Steel and Batman Begins, there were many similarities between the two films. The goal was for Man of Steel 2 to be a proper Man of Steel sequel and not a crossover movie, despite Zack Snyder's admission that he intended to end the movie with a Bruce Wayne tease.
After The Avengers' phenomenal popularity made it evident that fans were interested in shared universes, that changed. Man of Steel was retrospectively designated as the debut entry in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) after Warner Bros. opted to model their DC cinematic universe after the MCU. The Man of Steel sequel would need to introduce multiple DC superheroes because a Justice League movie is expected to be produced in a few years. After Man of Steel 2 was released, it was retitled Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. This crossover movie also starred Wonder Woman and gave Cyborg, Flash, and Aquaman brief cameos.