We are nearly one month away from Zack Snyder's Justice League, or as fans call it "The Snyder Cut". Over the weekend, director Zack Snyder revealed the final trailer for his four hour(!) cut of Justice League, and boy was it epic. The trailer fulfills its task of building on the hype for its release next month on March 18th on HBOMax, let's talk about some of the big moments...starting with the biggest of them all.
1) JOKER RETURNS
At the very end of the trailer, we get our first glimpse at The Joker (Jared Leto), which will bring his long-awaited first interaction with Batman (Ben Affleck) in the DCEU. After Snyder revealed first look images of Joker last week, we get to see his new look and how he will be incorporated into the film. Snyder brought Leto back for the week of reshoots he did earlier this year and was originally not part of the film back when Justice League was shot. After seeing the trailer, we now have confirmation that Joker will appear in Batman's Knightmare sequence, which is a continuation from Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, that Batman imagines in which the villain Darkseid takes over Earth and Superman allies with him after the death of Lois Lane.
It is great to finally see Ben Affleck and Jared Leto sharing the screen together after all these years. While I do not expect a ton of screen time for Joker, it'll be interesting to see his dynamic with Batman, especially based on his only line: "We live in a society where honor is a distant memory. Isn't that right Batman?". Batman even turns around and smirks at him. Could Batman and Joker be teaming up to fight Superman and/or Darkseid? I would say anything is on the table at this point, and if I'm being totally honest, Joker being included in the Snyder Cut is what I am most looking forward to about the film!
2) DARKSEID AND STEPPENWOLF
While it has been known that Darkseid would appear in Zack Snyder's Justice League, this is the most we have seen him and his army on his planet of Apokolips ready to invade Earth. While the theatrical cut left Darkseid out and had him as more of a tease for the future, the villain is taking the stage in the Snyder Cut as a looming threat akin to Thanos in the MCU. With his attack on Earth thousands of years before the film being shown properly this time, mixed with Batman's Knightmare sequence, expect to see a lot of the classic DC villain in the Snyder Cut. With his future in the DCEU up in the air for the time being, its anyones guess as to what Warner Brothers has planned for him.
Speaking of villains, while Darkseid may be the big bad at the moment, the main antagonist of the film will still be Steppenwolf, just like in the theatrical version. However, it's clear that the Snyder Cut will feature a different take on the villain. For one thing, he looks a lot more menacing in the Snyder Cut than he did in the theatrical version, and acts more brutally in his pursuits. Considering that Steppenwolf was one of the weak links of the theatrical cut, it's great to see him getting his due and appearing as a more formidable foe for the Justice League. His motivation is also more clear in the Snyder Cut rather than the assumption that he is "doing it for Darkseid" in the theatrical version. Snyder is leaving no stone unturned in making sure that the fans are seeing his true vision for the film!
3) OTHER NOTABLE MOMENTS
Other notable moments in the trailer include a little bit more of Superman in his new black suit after his resurrection. At this point, I do not think we are even going to see Superman in his traditional suit in the film other than in flashbacks to his death in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. I expect a little more Superman, and less CGI-mustache Superman in the Snyder Cut. God willing, a lot less CGI-mustache Superman! Lex Luthor's "the god is dead" speech from that film plays over his death at the beginning of the trailer as well, hinting that Luthor may have a small role in the film after only appearing in the post-credits scene.
Some new footage of Cyborg is also present in the trailer, as it has been previously documented that a lot of Cyborg's role was cut in the theatrical version. He is described as the "heart of the movie" by Snyder himself and there is a lot of footage featuring him in the past as a promising football player, his relationship with his father after his transformation into Cyborg, and even some footage of him in Batman's Knightmare sequence. It seems that each member of the Justice League will get more revealed about their story since there is a whopping two and a half hours of unused footage from Snyder's original version at play. With Wonder Woman and the Amazons fighting Darkseid, Aquaman and the Atlanteans doing the same, and Flash saving Iris West (Kiersey Clemons), there's a little bit for everybody! An interesting omission from the trailer and promotional materials is the appearance of Martian Manhunter (Harry Lennix), who Snyder revealed is the true form of General Swanwick from Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. But at this point, there has to be a little mystery and some surprises for the film right?
4) WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE FUTURE?
While it is great that we are finally getting the Snyder Cut after years of campaigning for it, it does leave the DCEU at a crossroads for the future. Snyder has made it no mystery that Warner Brothers is not interested in making a sequel to his Justice League film, likely indicating that his future with the franchise is over after the release of his cut. While several of the characters have movies lined up for the future, some characters; such as Batman and Superman, have murky futures with the franchise. We do not know when Henry Cavill will return to the role of Superman, if he even ever gets another movie in the DCEU.
As for Batman, Ben Affleck has officially retired from the role, albeit appearing one more time in the upcoming Flash movie focusing on the multiverse that will officially retire him from the role (supposedly). It really is a shame because I feel that once Zack Snyder's Justice League is released, there will be a lot of fans calling for Ben Affleck's Batman getting his own solo film, especially with him sharing the screen with the Joker and with the rumored main antagonist of his scrapped solo film, Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello) appearing in the Snyder Cut. While I'd be surprised if Affleck's solo film actually becomes a reality, I think if there is anything we learned from the Snyder Cut's road to reality, it is to never say never. If not, all we can do is wonder what could have been if the Snyder Cut had been released back instead of the version we were given. What could have been indeed...
Are you excited about Zack Snyder's Justice League? What do you think will happen for the DCEU in the future after it releases? Let me know in the comments below and I hope you enjoy the film next month...I know I hope to!
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