The first trailer has been released for Zack Snyder's Justice League, but how does it compare to the theatrical cut? When polarizing director Zack Snyder left Justice League in May 2017 after suffering a personal tragedy, it seemed like his vision for the movie would never be seen. Joss Whedon took the project over, and he drastically rewrote the script. The resulting theatrical cut has commonly been described as something of a Frankenstein's Monster.

But, after literally years of pressure from a vocal fan movement, the Snyder Cut is becoming a reality. It will release in the United States on HBO Max in 2021 as a four-part limited series, with international distribution currently being arranged. And Warner Bros. used the DC FanDome event as an opportunity to drop the first Snyder Cut trailer, delighting viewers with shots of Darkseid, Cyborg's origin story, and Superman's return.

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Justice League is a unique opportunity for audiences to compare two different versions of the same product. To be fair to Joss Whedon, he was under substantial pressure from Warner Bros. to reduce Justice League to under two hours in length, and he didn't have complete creative freedom; this shouldn't really be seen as Whedon compared with Snyder, but rather simply as one iteration against another.

Snyder's Visuals & Cinematography Are Completely Different

Opening of Justice League

The first difference is in terms of overarching cinematic style. Snyder treats every single shot like it's a work of art. In contrast, Whedon tends to think in terms of individual scenes, emphasizing the flow of interaction between characters. There's room for both approaches in Hollywood; each has strengths and weaknesses, with Whedon's scenes never looking as beautiful as Snyder's, while Snyder is often criticized for pacing problems. Still, the one brief scene shown at the end of the Snyder Cut trailer — with Batman encouraging the Justice League — suggests Snyder has taken the time to really build on the character dynamics as well. It's possible the delay has actually worked to Snyder's advantage, giving him time to fine-tune the character arcs.

In aesthetic terms, the colorscheme and aspect ratio are very different as well. Whedon's reshoots were actually shot with a completely different camera to the ones Snyder used, which forced Whedon to crop Snyder's images in order to match them up. The version of Justice League coming to HBO Max – which could appear in a TV show format – will not feature any of Whedon's reshoot footage, and will instead restore the original aspect ratio, revealing the detail that was lost in the theatrical cut. "It's literally a restoration process," Snyder explained. "There were certain scenes that were just f___ed up by the crop."

Darkseid Appears In The Snyder Cut

Justice League Snyder Cut Trailer Darkseid

Darkseid was teased in the theatrical cut of Justice League, but he was never seen; the main villain was just Steppenwolf. But the Snyder Cut trailer opened with a stunning scene of Darkseid in all his glory, confirming the full forces of Apokalips will be coming to Earth. Interestingly, Darkseid is seen wielding a weapon lifted straight from the comics, one he used when he was known by his birth name Uxas. There have been some reports this is actually the Spear of Destiny, which can be used to control people's minds, and may in part explain how Darkseid takes control of Superman's mind. With Darkseid serving as the principal antagonist, Steppenwolf's role will naturally change, and another of Darkseid's servants — Desaad — is also briefly seen in the trailer as well. The CGI on all characters is impressive, vastly improved from the DCEU's Justice League movie.

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The BvS Nightmare Is Fulfilled

A Justice League sign is seen amid the rubble of Wayne Manor in the Knightmare Scene from Zack Snyder's Justice League

Joss Whedon's Justice League was essentially tasked with abandoning Zack Snyder's narrative, which was intended to run through Justice League and on to two more movies. As a result of this course-correction, Whedon had to drop a lot of setup from previous movies — most notably the famous "Nightmare" scene in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. But the Snyder Cut trailer makes it abundantly clear this will be picked up on in Snyder's version, with evidence of an extended Nightmare scene and hints Flash will run back in time, explaining Batman's weird vision of Barry Allen. In an odd way, this means the Snyder Cut will feel as though it has more of an organic tie to the DCEU than the DCEU's own version of Justice League.

Superman's Resurrection Appears Very Different

Superman Justice League black suit Steppenwolf

When Warner Bros. marketed Whedon's Justice League, they made the odd decision to attempt to conceal Superman's resurrection; a particularly strange decision given it was clearly set up in a comic-book-accurate way. The Snyder Cut trailer doesn't bother with this deception, instead confirming Superman is back from the dead. But his resurrection scenes are clearly very different, given Lois Lane doesn't appear to have been part of it; she's seen looking up in shock as she sees Superman hovering above her. What's more, the Man of Steel dons the black costume Snyder teased but was forbidden from using by Warner Bros. execs.

Cyborg's Story Has Been Restored

Justice League Cyborg Victor Stone Origin

Cyborg had only a minor role in the theatrical cut of Justice League, but he's been restored to a place of prominence in Snyder's version. Snyder has long insisted Cyborg is the "heart" of his story, with Ray Fisher's character portrayed as a footballer who suffers an injury and is transformed into a cybernetic being. Cyborg's condition is an allegory for disability and social anxiety, as he retreats from humanity, struggling to deal with how different he now feels. Making matters worse, the trailer confirms he will lose his last remaining connection to humanity when his father dies, an arc Whedon abandoned in his version. For Cyborg, the story of the Snyder Cut is a battle to reclaim his humanity, to find a way to connect with others — particularly to the Justice League.

Flash & Iris

Barry Allen helps Iris West safely to the ground

Finally, it looks as though the Snyder Cut will develop Barry Allen's Flash a lot more than the theatrical cut did as well. One shot shows Barry rescuing Keirsey Clemons' Iris West from a car accident. This helps establish Flash as more of an altruistic character, but also as someone who's a little reckless and spontaneous, because given his super-speed he really could conceal his identity. Amusingly, because Clemons' cameo was cut from Joss Whedon's Justice League, this actually means viewers will get to meet the DCEU's version of Iris first in a non-canon story. Iris' introduction serves as a neat symbol of all the problems Justice League encountered in the past.

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