Zack Snyder’s Justice League: The Snyder Cut vs the Theatrical Cut

The Epilogue

Finally, we come to the ending, for which there’s about as many in the Snyder Cut as there were in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). When it comes to closing montage, it’s not a voice over from Lois like in the theatrical cut, but Silas. It’s not the same wording, either. Whereas Lois’ narration in the theatrical cut was about the celebration of heroes, Silas’ narration is about achieving one’s potential, which not only ties into the film’s larger themes, but also Cyborg’s story.

Then there’s the Legion of Doom teaser with Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) and Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello). As explained in our “Justice League ending” article, this scene in the Snyder cut is identical to the one from the theatrical cut except for certain key lines of dialogue. It not only sets the stage for Justice League 2, but Ben Affleck’s version of The Batman that ended up being scrapped in favor of Matt Reeves’ upcoming reboot.

And then we get a new vision of Batman’s “Knightmare,” which also has the much reported on return of Jared Leto reprising his role as The Joker. And no, this is not Batman having a hallucination; the Clown Prince of Crime has indeed joined the Caped Crusader alongside Cyborg, Flash, Mera, and Deathstroke in a very uneasy truce. It actually does make sense in context and also feels reminiscent (but not quite the same caliber) as the interrogation scene between Christian Bale’s Batman and Heath Ledger’s Joker from The Dark Knight (2008).

In fact, including the “Knightmare” scene from Batman v Superman, this is the third vision of the future in which Darkseid takes over the Earth. That’s because earlier in the movie, Cyborg experiences a possible vision of the future from the Mother Box seconds before the League resurrects Superman in the Kryptonian ship. In short, it confirms that Snyder did have a greater plan in mind for Justice League sequels and the DCEU. As to what those plans were, well that’s for  another article.

As for which version is better? Again, I’ll leave that up to you, but I will say this. When Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) first showed in theaters, critics at the time panned it. Then came the director’s cut in 1992, and what was once considered a box office flop didn’t just transform into a science fiction masterpiece, it became the only way to see the movie. I wouldn’t go as far as to call Zack Snyder’s Justice League a “masterpiece,” but it’s definitely the only version of Justice League in my mind.

What did you think of the differences between the original Justice League and Zack Snyder’s Justice League? Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!