A Tale of Two Justice Leagues (Whedon v.s. Snyder)

In film today, the super-hero genre is a flooded and competitive market (Grant, pg.93), most films have the same light hearted hero story line with comedy and family friendly plots. Many critics point to super-hero movies as the downfall to the artistry of film and not only are these films questioned to be true artistic forms of cinema but they also often lack the connection to the character development and gritty realness from the source material, comic books. The comic industry in general has also recently been seen as only fitting one narrative. “The 2010s saw a lot of criticism directed at the comic book industry over its failures, most notably its lack of diversity on the page and screen as well as behind the scenes” (Kidman, pg.232). In Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021), not only does Snyder overcome having to re-release his original film from another director but he captures the characters of DC in a way that shows the world that super-hero films can still be captivating and progressive artistic cinema. That being said, the films predecessor, Justice League (2017) directed by Joss Whedon fell short of a compelling story, felt rushed and underdone as well as belittled major characters like The Flash, Cyborg and even Wonder Woman. Although these movies are the same in sense of a plot, the direction changes them drastically. In my essay I will do a deep dive into the importance of history of comics in media, why directors are crucial to a film and the major differences of both Snyder’s Justice League and Whedon’s Justice League.

The original version of the film Justice League was always supposed to be directed by Zack Snyder, who was hired for the film by Warner Bros company. A family tragedy, the loss of Snyder’s daughter, prevented him from continuing to film the movie. Instead of pushing the deadline of the film back, allowing Snyder to grieve and take time with his family, Warner Bro’s decided to move forward with the film, handing the reigns to Joss Whedon. This decision angered a lot of fans and many rumors sparked regarding the controversial move, later to be proven true by the actors themselves like Gal Gadot and Ray Fisher as well as many inside sources (Burwick). This is evidence that a director’s relationship with the actors also effects the film, as emotional turmoil will most definitely affect an actor’s ability to perform as well as a lack in motivation. When Whedon’s Justice League released in 2017, it was a major flop, having only a 40% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 6.1/10 on IMBD. Most fans and critics alike disliked the film and a movement that came to be known as “Release the Snyder Cut” started. This movement continued on for years until Zack Snyder was given permission to finish his version of the film and it was released as a fan service to HBO Max in 2021, this time around, earning a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.1/10 on IMBD. One can make the argument that the controversy surrounding the circumstances of Joss Whedon altered audiences’ perception on the films, but one cannot deny the visual, tonal and character development improvements in Snyder’s Justice League. Both films followed Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, Ben Affleck’s Batman, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, Ray Fisher’s Cyborg and Ezra Miller’s Flash, all on a mission to bring back Henry Cavill’s Superman and save the world from an invader that wanted Earth to fall to a war like world, Apokolips. The general plot of both films is similar if not identical, but the movies came to be very different from each other, being the first movie to have been completed by two different directors and released (Adams). While Whedon’s version took on a comedic, basic and overdone super hero genre film, Zack Snyder’s version was dark, deep and gave fans the dramatic realism drama that DC heroes and villains are famously known for. Whedon’s version ran two hours long, while Snyder’s detail-oriented film had a run time of four hours. The differences Snyder was able to make in those extra hours is incredible, he was even able to bring a major villain into the mix, Darkseid. Darkseid is a very popular DC villain as well as ruler of Apokolips, and was upsettingly left out of the Whedon film. Another character Snyder was able to bring in that was not in the Whedon version, was Martian Manhunter, a popular Justice League member. Zack Snyder’s Justice League was a big hit with fans and proves that a movies director is the piece of the puzzle that either brings a film together beautifully or leaves audiences disappointed.

I would argue that the differences in personalities between characters in each film are very prominent. Whedon added many comedic lines and scenes into the film, one very popular, or should I say unpopular being that of when Superman returns from the dead, attacks Batman and asks “Do you bleed?” (Justice League 2017). This was a call back to when Batman asked the same to Superman in Batman vs Superman (2016). This line did not sit well with viewers in Batman vs Superman and bringing it back in Justice League (2017) with the line reversed “…literally makes no sense” according to a tweet made by Zack Snyder (Burwick), of course the line was not included in the Snyder Cut. Another scene that falls short and gives the characters a difference in personality from the Snyder Cut, is a scene in which Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman falls on top of Ezra Miller’s The Flash. Gal Gadot was so against this scene; her stunt double completed the scene for her. The angle used in this scene is show casing Wonder Woman directly on top of The Flash, in a clearly sexual manner while The Flash looks around google eyed. Audience reviews seem to see the same indication, “The Flash shoves Diana out of the path of some falling debris and winds up lying atop her prone body, his head pointedly nestled between her breasts” (Adams). The scene seemed to be set up for comedic relief, but is outdated and overused. “…and while there have always been female superheroes, the representation of these characters (and whether that representation is potentially harmful) is the subject of debate among fans” (Gilmore, pg.190). The scene gives audiences the impression Wonder Woman is being used as something much less than that of the half goddess, Amazonian warrior with a very long history. The scene in discussion is not included in Snyder’s version of the film. Another aspect of Wonder Woman’s character that differs in each film is her brutality and connection to her Amazonian sisters. Although Whedon’s Justice League does give Wonder Woman her moments in action, The Snyder cut reimagines these scenes in a more developed, emotional and a warrior like manner, bringing the persona of Wonder Woman to life. Snyder gives Wonder Woman new theme music, that pays homage to her Greek mythology roots and also gives her an iconic moment at the end of the film, beheading Steppenwolf after he was defeated by Superman, the Whedon film does not include this scene. Snyder also develops a scene from Themyscira where her mother and sisters fight Steppenwolf, the main antagonist of the film. In Snyder’s Justice League, Hippolyta, the mother of Wonder Woman, tries to trap Steppenwolf’s army in “the cage” a vault like room that goes down into the ocean, showing the Amazons making the ultimate sacrifice, death, in order to help Hippolyta escape with Steppenwolf’s weapon and save humanity. Hippolyta has an emotional scene looking down into the ocean, viewing the cage falling, only to see the army rise from the water, her Amazons sacrifice seemingly in vain. This entire clip was cut from Whedon’s film, completely leaving out the emotional and character developing scene. Gilmore says this about the films Catwoman (2004) and Elektra (2005) “…the complexity of the characters is scaled back significantly here in favor of overt sexualization” (Gilmore, pg.174). I believe the same to be true in Whedon’s Justice League, Whedon includes questionable scenes with Wonder Woman and plenty of “butt shots” of Amazons on Themyscira but fails to include powerful and complex character scenes. Female characters are capable of being both beautiful and complex, which Snyder demonstrates with his film. The criticism that comic related material has faced due to the projection of women and lack of diversity is prominent and can be discussed while observing Whedon’s Justice League, as Joss Whedon not only portrayed Wonder Woman and the Amazons somewhat misogynistically but also significantly cut back Cyborg’s story arc and his fathers.

Cyborg (Victor Stone) was a very important player in the entirety of the plot of Justice League but in Whedon’s version, you wouldn’t really know that. Whedon cut out a very large amount of Cyborgs character arc, which in the Snyder version gives us an almost fully fleshed out origin story of Victor, one that includes his strained relationship with his father, struggles with his identity and coming into his newly found, forced upon him abilities. Similar to The Flash, Cyborg is struggling with personal issues at the same time as he is fighting to save the world (Adams). The lack of diversity within the superhero genre is evident “Notably, Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark, and even Bruce Banner, Peter Parker, and Clark Kent are (and always have been) people of privilege. Superheroes in general have tended to be college-educated white males…” (Kidman, pg.230). The appearance of Cyborg in live action was an amazing step towards diversity, “In addition to demonstrating the potential profitability of heroic black characters in the media, the blaxploitation films solidified a depiction of black heroes in stereotypical terms as streetwise tough guys and outlaws, fighting evil whites and drug dealers in defense of their urban ghetto neighborhoods and racking up plenty of sexual conquests along the way” (Grant, pg.300), Cyborg defied this stereotype, similar to other characters like Marvels Black Panther, and could be a fantastic role model for kids who wanted to look up to somebody that looked like them, an original character, not a remake of an already established white hero. Unfortunately, in the theatrical world release of Whedon’s Justice League, Ray Fisher was very disappointed in that his role was cut significantly shorter than what Zack Snyder had planned for his character. Ray Fisher even accused Joss Whedon of abuse towards him and some of his coworkers on set, resulting in an investigation. The differences in scenes in Whedon’s film and Snyder’s film concerning Cyborg and the Flash are very important, in Whedon’s version, these characters feel sidelined and like side-kicks, in the Snyder Cut, these characters are literally the saviors, and “soul” of the film.

When Whedon came on to the scene as the new director, he had a completely different stylistic approach to the film, rather than following Snyder’s vison of a darker, more emotional tone, he went with the “Avenger’s Formula” a franchise that has worked tremendously for Marvel and Disney. By the “Avengers Formula” I mean a superhero film that follows under a more comedic, family-oriented genre. This formula was not meant for these characters or plot and regarding characters being used for less than what they are, The Flash is heavily relied on for comedy in Whedon’s Justice League, stripping away scenes that are critical to his character arc and development. The Flash (Barry Allen) played by Ezra Miller, is a humorous character in the comics and other properties like Justice League: The Animated Series (2001) but he is also a founding member of The Justice League as well as one of the most powerful and intelligent members in the entire league. The Flash is also a relatable and loveable hero, “The realistic, emotional displays might be a greater factor in reader identification than the wonderous abilities” (Gilmore), not only does Snyder’s film give The Flash terrific shots of his super powers, running faster than the speed of light, Snyder shows off what Barry’s motivations are, his troubles and who he is as a person. The differences in The Flash’s scenes in both films once again, gives the character almost two completely different personalities in each film.

The characters of Batman, Superman and Aquaman are the most subtlety changed in each version of the movie. Aquaman was sort of just there in both versions and was more of a set up for his solo film Aquaman (2018) which was a better introduction to his character overall. It’s my belief that Whedon didn’t want to change Batman or Superman too much, given the fandom surrounding the two enormous characters and their popularity, handling properties with big names like Superman, one of the world’s most recognizable characters, (Kidman, pg.101) may be intimidating, showcasing the importance of the historical value of the complex history of these characters. The character of Superman, famously criticized in Umberto Eco’s essay “The Myth of Superman” is a very hard character to develop, as Ecco states, “Superman, by definition, the character whom nothing can impede finds himself in the worrisome narrative situation of being a hero without an adversary and therefor without the possibility of any development” (Eco, pg.3). In the previous film, Batman vs Superman, Snyder makes Batman Superman’s adversary, which was difficult to convince fans, but in Justice League, Superman really had no adversary in both films, easily taking down Steppenwolf when he is brought back to life. Although, in the Snyder cut, one can argue that Superman was an adversary to himself, a compelling narrative that has worked very well in the comics to develop Superman as a character, constantly pushing his own emotional boundaries with the help of Lois Lane, which was far more depicted in the Snyder version of the film. In Snyder’s Justice League we are once again captivated by the humanity and heroism of Superman, a special scene before Superman goes to fight alongside the Justice League, gives us dialogue of both his biological and adopted fathers from his origin film Man of Steel (2013), showing us a glimpse of what Superman fights for. Superman is a character that is God like, with almost limitless power, but once again readers find ways in which we relate to the hero as an everyday person with problems just like us, a narrative that audiences have resonated with for generations and only grows stronger as our parents show us the comic movies of their own generation. When it comes to Batman, the name alone brings in audiences, the Dark Knight (2008) film racking in $1,004.6 (millions) globally. Batman has had many properties over the years and is almost as old as Superman, but not quite. In Justice League both versions of the film portray Batman as the man that brings the heroes together, in order to defeat the threat against humanity. Batman is often the brains of the group as well as the billionaire that can obtain anything, but he also has a historical character development. At the end of the Snyder cut, a special scene is added with Bruce Wayne (Batman), Martian Manhunter tells him, “Your mother and father would be proud”, Bruce then replies “I hope so”, showing us a glimpse of what Batman fights for with one special scene, not included in the Whedon version.

If not for the early renditions of Batman, making his debut in 1939 and for Superman, who debuted in 1938, we would not have the huge market for Superhero films today, including Marvel’s Avengers. The fans of this genre made the Snyder Cut possible and if not for their relentlessness of wanting these characters to be given the time and development they deserve, Warner Bros would have never released Snyder’s version of the film. The release of the Snyder cut gives us an insight on how serious fans take the history of these characters and how much they mean to us as a society. Although it is unlikely Zack Snyder will be given the opportunity to continue with these characters, new films coming out like the The Batman with Robert Pattinson, Michael. B Jordans new Superman property for HBO Max, season 2 of Invincible and not to mention phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I don’t think the demand for comic related genre will let up anytime soon and I don’t think fans will accept anything less than greatness from films about our beloved heroes.

Works Cited

Burwick, Kevin. “One 'Justice League' Line Added in RESHOOTS Makes No Sense to Zack Snyder.” Movieweb, Movieweb, 21 Aug. 2020, movieweb.com/justice-league-do-you-bleed-line-zack-snyder/.

Eco, Umberto, and Natalie Chilton. “The Myth of Superman.” Diacritics, vol. 2, no. 1, 1972

Grant, Barry Keith, and Scott Henderson. Comics and Pop Culture: Adaptation From Panel to Frame. University of Texas Press, 2019. EBSCOhost

James N. Gilmore, and Matthias Stork. Superhero Synergies: Comic Book Characters Go Digital. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2014.

“Movies: Tv Shows: Movie Trailers: Reviews.” Rotten Tomatoes, www.rottentomatoes.com/.

Sam Adams. “What You Learn From Comparing Both Justice League Cuts”. Slate.com, The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company, 2021.

Shawna Kidman. Comic Books Incorporated: How the Business of Comics Became the Business of Hollywood. University of California Press, 2019.