JUSTICE LEAGUE
MUCH of the superhero-loving fandom has already taken multiple streams of Zack Snyder's Justice League, aka the Snyder Cut, the fourhour epic that dropped on HBO Max last Thursday. There is no denying this is a very different movie from the Joss Whedon-directed theatrical version of Justice League that debuted in 2017, from its visual effects and its music to the character who saves the day.
There's more edge in the Snyder Cut, but its extra layers of darkness also reveal a heart to the story that many weren't expecting to be there.
Here are the six most significant differences in the Snyder Cut.
Black-suited Superman
One of the most striking visual differences in the Snyder Cut comes when Superman shows up to help balance the scales in the Justice League's battle against Steppenwolf. Gone is Superman telling Steppenwolf he believes in "truth and justice" when he finally arrives; instead, Superman swoops in to save Cyborg from a mighty swoop of Steppenwolf's axe, proving he is the Man of Steel when the axe clangs against his shoulder and does no damage.
What is impressive is the all-black Kryptonian suit, with a black cape and a silver House of El "S" on the chest of the suit.
Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf's look has become much more menacing and alien and a lot less humanoid. In the theatrical release he is the main antagonist, but with only the slightest mention of why he is truly trying to take over Earth. In the Snyder Cut, with his new armour that looks like a suit made of razors, Steppenwolf's true mission is to get back into the good graces of classic DC villain Darkseid, who debuts in this version.
The Snyder Cut's Steppenwolf is given a much more brutal ending.
Darkseid
Justice League was always meant to be a prelude to a bigger fight between Darkseid and DC’s top heroes in a sequel. Instead, the Snyder Cut gives us Darkseid’s initial battle against Earth and a premonition of what he could do to the Justice League in the future. And yes, Darkseid’s lethal optical Omega Beams make an appearance.
The Martian Manhunter
A green Justice Leaguer shows up in the Snyder Cut, but it isn't the Green Lantern. Instead, it's the Martian Manhunter, a popular character from comics and animation who was hiding in plain sight in Snyder's first two films of this trilogy. In the Snyder Cut's epilogue, the Martian Manhunter visits Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) and tells him there are bigger threats coming, but that he would like to help. It hints at what would have been a much bigger role for the Martian Manhunter if a sequel to Justice League had been made.
The Flash
The Flash (Ezra Miller) is the team's goofball in both versions, but to say his role in the new one is different is a bold understatement.
For a split second in the Snyder Cut, the bad guys win when Darkseid's three Mother Boxes merge and set off a planet-destroying explosion that hints at extinction for all on Earth.
But the Flash is so quick, he vibrates through the moment at super-speed, moving so fast that he slows time down.
Cyborg
Zack Snyder said Cyborg (Ray Fisher) was always meant to be the heart of Justice League, and the Snyder Cut is proof of that. Whereas the theatrical cut gives Fisher a limited role and tries to turn him into a liveaction version of the Cyborg from the animated Teen Titans Go at times, the Snyder Cut establishes Justice League as a Cyborg film.
Cyborg is relied on to counter the seemingly unstoppable technology of the three Mother Boxes (with a very cool assist from the Flash) but not before he must conquer his demons and realise that he does have something to offer the world, despite thinking that same world turned him into a robotic monster.