April 3, 2020 was the original release date for Cyborg, a Justice League spin-off that never materialized. To mark the occasion, Zack Snyder posted a new image of actor Ray Fisher in character as Cyborg. Had things gone differently, the DC Extended Universe would be in a very different place from its current state, for better or worse. Originally, director Zack Snyder was planning to direct two Justice League films back-to-back, with assorted Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and Cyborg spin-offs building off the foundation of his epic vision for the DC universe.

Alas, things didn't quite turn out that way. After Warner Brothers balked at his vision for Justice League, combined with a personal family tragedy, Zack Snyder left the film and was replaced by Joss Whedon. The subsequent release of the highly altered version of Justice League was met with critical scorn and audience apathy, and vastly underperformed at the box office. As a result, either directly or indirectly, the initial plans for spin-off films were jettisoned. Ben Affleck dropped out of the Batman role, while movies like Green Lantern Corps. and The Flash remain mired in various stages of development limbo. It's not all doom and gloom, however, since Joker became a surprise critical and commercial success, while Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), despite failing to impress at the box office, was nonetheless accepted by critics as one of the best DCEU movies in recent memory.

Related: DC's Cyborg Movie Was Supposed To Release Today: Why It Didn't Happen

By and large, the slate of films based on DC comics have rebounded from the failure of Justice League, though it's always interesting to wonder what could have been. Case in point, April 3, 2020 was the planned release date for Cyborg, a stand-alone solo film based on actor Ray Fisher's character from Justice League. To lament the loss of the film and to celebrate the actor who played the role, Zack Snyder posted a photo on Vero of Ray Fisher as Cyborg, with the caption, "Half man, half machine, all heart." For his part, Ray Fisher hasn't tweeted about the Cyborg release date, with his latest social media post being a touching memorial to the late Bill Withers, the singer-songwriter who passed away earlier this week.

Zack Snyder Vero Cyborg Screengrab

Zack Snyder's original vision for Justice League would have resulted in a vastly different cinematic universe than the one that ultimately came into being. Had things progressed unimpeded, both The Flash and The Batman films would already be released, and Cyborg would be out today. Then again, there would likely be no Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix, so there are pros and cons to every scenario. Likewise, if things had gone differently, Ezra Miller may not have made his unprecedented cameo in The CW's Crisis on Infinite Earths.

It's hard to imagine Ray Fisher's Cyborg won't return to the DCEU in some capacity, though time will tell with regards to how his prospective comeback will ultimately play out. Zack Snyder's original vision for Justice League, dubbed the "Snyder Cut" by fans, has reached mythical status among the DC faithful, and he's often said that Cyborg was the focus of a lot of material that was cut from the final film. Maybe audiences will get to find out for sure if the Snyder Cut ever sees the light of day.

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Source: Zack Snyder

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