Zack Snyder’s fabled version of Justice League has finally arrived on HBO Max after a year of speculation, theories, and pleas from DC fans worldwide. Zack Snyder’s Justice League—fondly known as the “Snyder Cut” of 2016’s Justice League—comes in at an intimidating four-hour run time and features Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg teaming up to revive Superman and defeat the evil Steppenwolf, while also preventing the evil Darkseid from returning to Earth. Snyder had to step away from directing the original Justice League after a family tragedy, leaving Joss Whedon to take over, which is one reason why the final product felt a bit all over the place for many viewers. Snyder has admitted to never seeing the theatrical version of Justice League, which is both hilarious and telling. Still, his version is every “what if’’ fan theory brought to life. The Snyder Cut acts as all of Snyder’s plans for Justice League actualized on screen.
For what it’s worth, Snyder’s cut is a fun ride. Yeah, the length is a little overkill, but the pacing is so good that it doesn’t always feel four hours long. Snyder uses that extra time to pull out all the stops and bring some DC fans’ wildest predictions to fruition while also filling in some narrative gaps. The Snyder Cut differs from Whedon’s Justice League in several ways. Martian Manhunter pulls up, The Flash gets to show off his broken abilities, Superman rocks the black suit and a plethora of other memorable moments in between. The only thing that would’ve made this film any more completed would be getting to see the Green Lantern Corp highlighted as they should, but I digress.
It sucks that none of this is canon, but it’s apparent that Zack Snyder had a clear vision of where he wanted the DC extended universe to go if he would have stayed on for future projects. Besides heavy fan service, the Snyder Cut foreshadows big DC storylines by introducing the Anti-Life Equation, showcasing Darkseid’s massive army, and having The Flash utilize the Speed Force and time-travel. With four-hours of new footage to dive through, here’s everything new in Zack Snyder’s Justice League and where DC could have taken the franchise if it were canon.