The new teaser for Zack Snyder's Justice League subtly suggests that Martian Manhunter may make an appearance. Justice League began under the stewardship of Snyder, but personal circumstances forced him away from the project and Joss Whedon took over in post-production. Heavy rewrites and reshoots occurred during this period, creating, among other things, a much lighter tone in the theatrically released version. After sustained campaigning from both fans and the cast, the original director's cut of the film - known as Zack Snyder's Justice League and nicknamed the "Snyder Cut"- will be released on HBO Max in 2021.

Martian Manhunter first appeared in the comics in 1955. Hailing from Mars, the extraterrestrial J'onn J'onzz possesses a wide variety of powerful abilities by virtue of his race, including super-strength, flight, and shapeshifting. He is one of the seven original members of the Justice League, and one of only two - alongside the Green Lantern - that have not yet properly appeared in the DCEU. At least, not in plain sight.

Related: What Darkseid Is Doing In The Justice League Snyder Cut Trailer

In the trailer, released at the DC FanDome event and leaked prior, there is a brief shot of an alternate version of the meeting between Lois Lane and Martha Kent. While J'onzz does not appear, it has been revealed through storyboards that this meeting scene was meant to reveal the latter character to be Martian Manhunter, in a disguise adopted in addition to his Calvin Swanwick persona. While the appearance, even in its intended form, would most likely be little more than a cameo in the context of the larger movie, the significance of J'onn J'onzz to the comic book history of the Justice League would make it a very noteworthy addition of the Snyder Cut.

Martian Manhunter invades the White House

In live-action, J'onn J'onzz has appeared as Martian Manhunter in Smallville and the Arrowverse universe of shows. Harry Lennix previously appeared as Calvin Swanwick in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but Swanwick was not meant to be Manhunter in these appearances, and it was only a fan theory that led Snyder to give the character a retconned secret identity.

While the full extent of its differences from the theatrical cut is not entirely known, there will certainly be other characters appearing for the first time in Zack Snyder's Justice League. Most notable among these is Darkseid, who, along with Manhunter and the upcoming Green Lantern Corps, looks to expand upon the extraterrestrial element of the DCEU. And while Superman already represented this to some degree, his origin is much more familiar to general moviegoing audiences than those of some of DC's more obscure cosmic characters. This seems like an appropriately risky direction to take, as the studio has already shown a willingness to dive headfirst into multiverse complexities, so it is only fitting that its characters become as idiosyncratic and outlandish as the world around them.

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