After the response to a TV spot for Black Adam, Warner Bros. might be changing its mind about Joss Whedon's Justice League being canon to the DCEU. After spending almost a decade in various stages of production, Justice League finally started filming in 2016 with Zack Snyder in the director's chair after previously directing DCEU films Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. However, after Snyder left the project during post-production and Whedon took over, massive rewrites and unprecedented re-shoots meant that the released film was very different to what was originally planned and turned into one of the most divisive films of the modern era.
The negative response to both the theatrical cut of Justice League and the stories from the film's production meant that Warner Bros. was constantly put under pressure to release the "Snyder Cut", which was eventually realized on HBO Max in March 2021. Despite receiving mixed reviews, Zack Snyder's Justice League instantly became the fans' favorite and received a much more positive reception than Whedon's original Justice League. Even so, Warner Bros. and Zack Snyder himself have always remained steadfast in their insistence that "Josstice League" is the version of the film that is canon to the DCEU, with Snyder stating that "[he feels] like the only way that [he] could have made [his version of the film] with autonomy was because of that."
Recent developments have left the future of the DCEU in disarray, but most DC fans have shown excitement for the upcoming release of Black Adam, which will feature Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson as the titular antihero. With a release date set for October 21, 2022, promotional material for the film is rife, including a TV spot that included a short scene showing the version of Steppenwolf from Joss Whedon's Justice League. A flood of complaints hit Warner Bros. regarding the use of a Josstice League scene in the Black Adam trailer, which forced the studio to replace the scene and repost the spot. Even Johnson himself reposted it on his social media pages with the caption, "corrected." This quick change from Warner Bros. has left many speculating that the studio might be changing its mind about Joss Whedon's Justice League being DCEU canon, potentially setting up a new future for the franchise in the process.
Why Joss Whedon's Justice League Shouldn't Be DCEU Canon
The DCEU has gone through a turbulent period, with 2016's Suicide Squad, 2018's Aquaman, and 2020's Wonder Woman 1984 among several to be met with a negative reception from critics and audiences alike. However, it's Joss Whedon's Justice League that has been the most divisive project to come from the DC shared universe, with many comparing it negatively to Marvel Studios' The Avengers. Where the MCU took time to set up interconnected stories spanning years, the DCEU rushed into a massive crossover event without setting up meaningful character relationships or planning their course of action properly, something which proved detrimental to Whedon's Justice League.
Zack Snyder's Justice League, on the other hand, worked tirelessly at creating stronger foundations for each of the characters. Backstories and cultures were properly developed, creating ample opportunity for these stories to be revisited in future DCEU installments. That is, if Snyder's version is eventually considered canon instead of Whedon's. Following the 2022 merger of Discovery Inc. and WarnerMedia, the future of the DCEU might be about to get some serious changes. With 2023's The Flash rumored to be resetting the DCEU, it's unsure what the events of Justice League and Black Adam will mean in the future.
