Fans of the DC Extended Universe were rewarded with the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League on Max in 2021, which brought together most of the director’s original vision for the movie following his controversial exit from the original production that left Joss Whedon in charge of the final theatrical cut of Justice League.
While there were a lot of amazing moments in the “Snyder Cut” of Justice League that made the rerelease more than worth it for dedicated fans of the characters, there were still a few annoying changes and additions that even dedicated fans of the SnyderVerse could find issues with.
Updated on October 31st, 2023 by Jordan Iacobucci: The Snyderverse is officially dead, with James Gunn and Peter Safran now taking charge of DC Studios. As part of their plan to revitalize the franchise, Gunn and Safran are launching the DCU, which will reboot the shared universe of superheroes. Beginning with Superman: Legacy in 2025, DC is about to make a completely fresh attempt at a cinematic universe. This news is more than welcome, with even Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the pinnacle of what the Snyderverse was supposed to be, sporting several glaring issues that even hardcore fans cannot ignore.
15 Zack Snyder’s Justice League Will Never Get A Sequel
One of the most untenable faults in Zack Snyder’s Justice League actually isn’t the movie’s fault at all. After several failed attempts at launching an ongoing storyline in the DCEU, Zack Snyder finally gave audiences something to look forward to in his cut of Justice League, including a war with Apokolips and an adaptation of Injustice Superman. The problem, however, is that none of these teases will ever come to fruition.
Audiences knew from the very beginning that Zack Snyder’s cut of Justice League could never feasibly receive a sequel. The launch of the DCU further cements this unfortunate reality, sporting a rebooted Justice League separate from that in Snyder’s film. As such, the excitement that would normally fill viewers after watching the movie is replaced with an unending sense of disappointment.
14 The Humans Didn’t Properly Protect The Mother Box
While most of the major faults in Justice League‘s theatrical cut were amended by Zack Snyder’s version of the film, one problem still remained. When the three great peoples of Earth, the Amazons, the Atlanteans, and the humans, were each entrusted with a Mother Box, one group sorely underperformed in their duties. In watching both cuts of the film, the humans underwhelm viewers in their strategy to protect the Mother Box.
The Atlanteans and Amazons both kept a watchful eye on their respective Mother Boxes, guarding them with their very lives. The humans, on the other hand, dug a deep hole and dropped it inside, hoping that no one would dig it up for the rest of eternity. Naturally, their Mother Box ends up being the easiest for Steppenwolf to uncover. While far from Zack Snyder’s biggest mistake with the DCEU, this is certainly an annoying one.
13 Wonder Woman Murders A Group Of Terrorists
DC superheroes sometimes vary in their willingness to kill villains, especially on the big screen. Wonder Woman, however, has no qualms about killing enemies, as she clearly shows in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. When a group of terrorists attempts to rob a bank, Wonder Woman saves the day–but not before completely obliterating the terrorists.
Audiences don’t generally have an issue with superheroes killing their enemies, but this particular scene implies a surprisingly gruesome death for the bank robbers. Moreover, their deaths occur right in front of a group of innocent onlookers, which includes a young girl who is surely traumatized by what she just witnessed.
12 Justice League’s Cast Includes Several Controversial Actors
All the way back in 2016, Zack Snyder assembled a group of actors for the DCEU’s Justice League. While many of these choices seemed right at the time, audiences have turned on certain castings over the years. While certain DCEU actors like Henry Cavill and Jason Momoa remain fan favorites, others have become controversial for both their depictions of classic characters and their propensity for off-screen drama.
The two most notable examples of this are Ezra Miller and Amber Heard, both of whom appear in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Fans have been calling for Miller’s recast for years, following several very public controversies involving the actor’s poor behavior. Amber Heard, who plays Mera, was steeped in a mountain of controversy following her dramatic divorce from Johnny Depp. While every story has two sides, there are some actors that audiences won’t mind being recast in future Justice League iterations.
11 The 4:3 Format Seems Unnecessary
One of the first things fans had to accept when watching Zack Snyder’s Justice League was the odd screen format, which is referenced by a title card at the beginning of the film to prepare viewers for Zack Snyder’s ultimate vision for the movie.
While the reasons behind filming in 4:3 format given the use of IMAX cameras make sense, it was still an odd choice to keep the new cut of the film in the boxier aspect ratio given the streaming release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, as most home theaters obviously aren’t able to screen in the desired IMAX ratio.
10 The Lengthy Four-Hour Runtime Was Hard To Sit Through
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is unlike most typical director’s cuts released after the original movie, in that his version of the film did much more than add in a few cut scenes or adjust takes for pacing. Instead, Snyder added almost an entire movie length of footage onto the original two-hour runtime.
While there is a certain point in the movie that the action takes over the viewers and the four-hour runtime doesn’t register, getting to that point is still a long trip that might have been better served with the abandoned plans to release the movie as chapters in a series.
9 There Is Way Too Much Slow Motion
Zack Snyder has many trademarks as a director, including his ever-present love of slow motion. This is noticeably present in his cut of Justice League, which includes countless slow-motion shots, which actually comprise just over 10% of the film’s runtime. While sequences like the Flash’s run through the Speedforce make good use of this technique, much of the slow motion in the film is completely unnecessary.
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Snyder’s unrelenting use of slow motion is one example of how studio notes can actually be a good thing. When left to their own devices, directors can sometimes lose sight of their audience, leaning into techniques that aren’t fun to watch. If a film is already touching the four-hour mark, heaps of slow-motion shots that add nothing to the story should be the first things to get cut.
8 The Introduction Of Iris West Failed To Actually Introduce Her
Joss Whedon’s theatrical cut of Justice League removed a number of characters who were brought back for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, including Kiersey Clemons’s Iris West. West appeared in one of the new release’s key additions that highlighted Barry Allen’s control over his abilities and showed an obvious attraction between the characters.
However, only comic fans and those who followed the development of the film knew of the character’s ultimate importance to The Flash legacy as Iris West was left unrevealed in any other way besides the credits. To make matters even worse, Iris West’s return in The Flash was equally underwhelming, leaving the character completely unexplored in the DCEU.
7 The Inclusion Of Unnecessary Scenes Detracted From The Movie
While Zack Snyder has become known in Hollywood for his particular style and dramatic flair, there were a number of unrestrained moments in Zack Snyder’s Justice League that could have still been further edited to reduce the lengthy runtime and further elevate the already improved movie.
Extended scenes of folk singers heralding the Aquaman certainly fit with Zack Snyder’s usual style. With virtually nothing taken out of Zack Snyder’s original vision, his cut of Justice League struggles with pacing. Ultimately, with so much story to work through, Zack Snyder’s Justice League may have worked better as a limited series.
6 The Atlanteans’ Use Of Air Bubbles To Speak Underwater
One of the biggest changes made to the established characters in the DCEU by Zack Snyder’s Justice League was the Atlanteans’ methods of communication underwater, which was quite a bit different than what was seen in 2018’s Aquaman.
Atlanteans like Mera and Vulko communicated underwater using clicks and squeals like a whale would, but then created large bubbles of air underwater if they needed to hold a conversation with words, which didn’t make much sense for the underwater society despite the obvious problems of normally speaking underwater. It remains to be seen whether or not the upcoming Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom will change its depiction of air bubbles to fit those of Justice League.
5 Martian Manhunter’s Transformation Into Martha Kent Didn’t Work
In the original theatrical cut of Justice League, a conversation between Martha Kent and Lois Lane occurs that helps inspire the mourning reporter to get back to work covering the big stories, because the world still needs Lois Lane.
A similar scene takes place in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, though as Martha leaves it is revealed that Martian Manhunter shape-shifted into her form to bring Lois Lane back to work. Not only does this make little sense, but it also takes away from Martha Kent’s moment in the movie, making it one of the few things done better in the theatrical cut.
4 The Inclusion Of Jared Leto’s Joker Felt Hollow And Forced
Zack Snyder’s Justice League did more than add in deleted scenes, including brand-new segments that were filmed to add to the HBO Max release. This included an extended “Knightmare” scene set in a dark future of the DCEU that was first teased in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Batman is shown leading a powerful team of survivors in a post-apocalyptic setting that was revealed to include The Joker, played by Suicide Squad‘s Jared Leto. Snyder’s desire to include a Batman and Joker scene in the SnyderVerse felt forced and unrelated to the rest of the film, despite the benefit of seeing Ben Affleck’s Batman threaten his long-time enemy.
3 The Knightmare Cliffhanger Was Interesting But Unrewarding
Jared Leto’s Joker wasn’t the most annoying thing about Zack Snyder’s Justice League “Knightmare” scene, as it ended on a cliffhanger that served as one of the many endings of the HBO Max release that continued to tease an ongoing storyline.
Seeing future versions of characters like Cyborg, Mera, Flash, Deathstroke, and even the Joker as they faced off against a Darkseid-controlled Superman and the forces of Apokolips to save the remains of Earth teased fans with something they will likely never get to see on the big screen, which might have been better left unexplored.
2 Martian Manhunter’s Attitude Could Have Doomed The Planet
Fans who followed the behind-the-scenes details behind the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League already know some of the circumstances behind the reveal of Man of Steel‘s General Stanwyck as the Martian Manhunter in a scene originally filmed for John Stewart/Green Lantern.
However, despite having prior knowledge of the situation and coming war, J’onnz makes his presence known to Bruce Wayne only after the climactic battle with Steppenwolf that almost led to the destruction of Earth and reveals he’s decided to join the team and fight for the planet, which felt a little late.
1 The Ongoing Toxic Debate Among Equally Passionate Fans
Unfortunately, one of the most annoying things about Zack Snyder’s Justice League has been the ongoing debate between equally passionate fans of the characters and the movies that have created a sometimes toxic environment in the fandom.
Whether labeled as a “SnyderBro” or a “SnyderHater,” both sides of the argument seem to be dedicated fans despite conversations often turning heated. This tainted some of the buzz and post-release enjoyment of the film and launched even further division in a fanbase that loves the heroes of the Justice League equally.
