MovieChat Forums > Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) Discussion > I really enjoyed this but Superman was d...

I really enjoyed this but Superman was done better in the theatrical version (SPOILERS)


This Director's Cut improved on the Joss Whedon version in many ways and overall felt more coherent and flowed a lot better. But I much prefer the way they did the Superman character in the previous edition. He actually felt like Superman in that movie, unlike Man of Steel and Batman v Superman where he was dark, brooding, and morose. That works well for Batman, of course, but not Superman. Which brings me to my main problem with the Snyder Cut.

In the theatrical version, he was more light hearted, heroic, and colorful like he should be. Going out of his way to save civilians, smiling quite a bit, laughing with Cyborg, racing with The Flash, and even mentioning that he's a fan of truth and justice. He actually felt like the "big blue boyscout" from the comics and was more akin to the beloved and more faithful Christopher Reeve version. They even played the classic Superman theme a few times (which is missing from the Snyder Cut). Bottom line, he actually felt like the more cheerful and somewhat humorous character from the comics, with all the great traits he is known for.

But in this Snyder Cut (which is otherwise more superior in nearly every way), he's back to being a dark, brooding, and overly serious "badass" who rarely smiles and barely even speaks. I was thrilled that they gave him his black suit and was extremely excited when he first appeared wearing it. But the problem is that his personality wasn't intact, and the dark colors he was wearing combined with his demeanor just made him feel like another Batman.

Hell, even Aquaman was the same way in this version. He hardly ever smiled or made quips and just seemed like another sullen and gloomy "badass". So we now have three superheroes who are ultra serious, brooding, and wear dark colors. It was like we had three Batmans. I much preferred the contrast between them all in the theatrical cut where they didn't all feel like the same type of character and even joked around with each other at times. That's something people actually do in real life, even in terrible situations.

Anyway, I liked this movie overall but was mostly disappointed in how they handled the Superman character. What does everyone else think?

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If I remember correctly, adding humor to the film was one of the things that Joss and WB wanted in the film. They didn't want the darker tone that Snyder was going for. I would liken it to the idea that they wanted their own "Avengers" film with they action and the lighthearted moments.

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That is most definitely the reason. And I'm not saying that the tone of the film had to be overly comedic and campy, or even as humorous as an MCU film. I just wish that Superman (and even Aquaman for that matter) wasn't overly dark and serious throughout the movie. Snyder's style works fairly well for Batman, kind of makes me wish he could have directed a solo Batman film.

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[deleted]

I've seen the film several times now, and I really thought Snyder portrayed Superman perfectly. I really didn't see any brooding in the film, and he actually smiled a lot in this version (during his reunion scene with Lois and Martha, his meeting with Alfred, and when he lifts Bruce up after the battle). I thought his scenes with Lois were beautiful and tender, and the gentle way he played with the butterfly and even the way he lifted up Bruce to stand by him side-to-side and the gentle head nod he gave him after the battle were more symbolic and telling of his heroic and good-hearted personality than any Whedon one-liner could hope to achieve.

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Fair enough. I should probably watch it again. I totally forgot about the butterfly scene, that was indeed a great moment.

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I hear you on how superman goes outta his way to save civilians, but I feel that there should have never been civilians in that location to begin with and the timing was all wrong. I like the more realistic Snyder version without civilians living in an unbelievable spot.

I also didn't care for the black suit nor the dark demeanor of superman or Auqamans. I did like the more colorful & cheerful superman in original mostly.

I did love the extra character building in Snyder's version though. I loved how they did the Amazon part in this version. Always thought the original was cheesy how they have all those thick drop doors drop down and next second Steppenwolf comes out the wall that looks no thicker than one of the drop doors.

Speaking of Steppenwolf, his look and voice was better in original. Made zero sense to take a already dark deep voice and go darker and raspier. Even his minions looked better in original.

Superman is very fast, but he's not flash fast. So the idea of them racing isnt good.

Last but not least, none of them think the best idea is to have Lois there to be the first person Superman see's when revived. Come on. If he sees her and still goes nuts, then you know you got a problem. And if there's any kryptonite left, you'd have a trap set incase. I thought Batman is a genius, apparently not.

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Well said. I completely agree. Superman racing Flash probably isn't a good idea (although they have done this in the comics before and sometimes Superman is depicted as being just as fast) but it does seem like something he would do. Civilians definitely shouldn't have been in that location to begin with but I still love the way Superman acts like saving them is top priority. I wasn't a big fan of Steppenwolf's voice or his shiny new makeover (his armor looked kind of gross) either but I do think he had better character development this time.

But yeah, I agree with you.

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Yes, Even though Steppenwolf's voice & look wasnt as good, his character development was better.

I've only watched it once and being 4 hours I'm sure I missed some things I liked or disliked. Should've written it down as movie went on, lol

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Haha yeah I should have done the same thing. I've only watched it once as well.

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Oh man, you hit on some spots here that I've been trying to get through to Snyder fanboys for some time.

I HATED the way they depicted Superman in Man of Steel and especially in Batman v Superman. It just wasn't Superman. People kept making excuses but Snyder just doesn't understand Superman.

That being said, I went into this movie understanding that this is Snyder's Superman and not the one most of us grew up admiring and loving and wanting to emulate in our daily lives as a heroic, caring, and upstanding citizen.

So Snyder sort of completing his vision of Superman's arc was done well for what it was, if that makes sense.

However, I do not in anyway like what they did to the character in Snyder's films, and Joss Whedon didn't really fix it so much as attempt to slather some sense of nostalgia on an already broken character.

I understand the gravitation toward the big blue boy scout in the way he's supposed to be, but everything else about the Whedon cut was just... ugh. And then knowing that this was supposed to be attached to the awful Man of Steel and BvS was sort of like trying to put your favorite cheese on a sardine sandwich.

I just came to terms with the fact that Snyder ruined Superman in his films and just rolled with it, because he had no clue how to capture the spirit of Superman, especially the way he was depicted by Christopher Reeve or voiced by Tim Daly in the Animated Series.

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Very well said! Those are some great points and I didn’t really think of it that way.

Snyder definitely didn’t understand the character but I can certainly see that he wanted continue the arc in his own way with his own interpretation. It does make more sense that Superman be more like he was in the previous two films, like you said.

However, there is one possible in-universe theory as to why his personality went from “dark and gritty” to more “colorful and light hearted”. Cringeworthy Whedon one liners aside, upon being resurrected he could have realized that the world no longer feared him and now celebrated his legacy, considering him a true hero and mourning his loss. Humanity now embraced him and didn’t consider him an intergalactic threat any more. Possibly? I don’t know, just a guess.

I’m probably grasping at straws but oh well.

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Actually... I mean... your in-universe theory is more well-thought out than the actual movies themselves, and delves into the sort of layered and complex character development neither movie bothered to explore. In that regard, I suppose you could be on to something.

I’m probably grasping at straws but oh well.


I think it's the fact that a lot of us wanted this new DCEU to be better than what it actually is. So there are some fanboys justifying everything Snyder does, others who have just sort of accepted it for what it is (I guess I'm in this camp), and some who have rejected all other incarnations and universes in order to adopt the Snyderverse as entertainment.

Ugh, I think the worst of it is that there was a TON of potential introduced by Snyder but he really needed someone else to script the characters and character arcs for him.

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You're absolutely right, it's really a shame knowing what could have been. Especially when, like you said, the potential was definitely there.

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