In 2019, filmmaker Zack Snyder had to step down from directing duties on the upcoming Justice League film due to a horrible family tragedy. The film was taken over by Joss Whedon, who had successfully written and directed Marvel's superhero team-up movie The Avengers and its sequel a few years earlier.

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The subsequent Justice League film, however, was a critical and commercial disaster. Luckily for certain fans, many of whom were involved with toxic harassment campaigns, HBO Max released a four-hour "Snyder Cut" of Justice League to their streaming service. However, that version turned out to somehow be worse than Joss Whedon's theatrical cut.

10 It Isn't Overly Long

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The runtime of Zack Snyder's Justice League, in and of itself, isn't inherently a problem. Avengers: Endgame was also over three hours, and it made decent use of its screentime. No, the problem with Zack Snyder's Justice League instead is its languid pace, its boring monochromatic cinematography, and video game quality CGI.

The film's length only exacerbates and amplifies its existing faults. And while the theatrical cut of Justice League was way too short, given a choice between two extremes, brief is better than interminable.

9 Superman Got To Be Superman

Henry Cavill Superman Justice League

One of the biggest issues with Snyder's vision is the fact that it had no room for Superman. Sure, Superman existed in the Snyder films, but in the three films he directed, Superman never once got to be the optimistic paragon that fans love. And while that made sense in Man of Steel—as it was about Clark coming to terms with his powers—it's maddening that Superman remained dour and humorless for almost ten hours of runtime across three long films.

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However, Justice League's theatrical cutby contrast, showcased a fun, caring Superman who jokes around and goes out of his way to save civilians. It might've only been for five minutes, but it was a good five minutes and proved Henry Cavill was perfectly cast when he was given the chance to play the role.

8 Steppenwolf Looks Better

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Honestly, the villain Steppenwolf (voiced in both versions by Ciarán Hinds) looks awful in the theatrical cut too. His big, CGI body is too rubbery and fake-looking to be menacing, and his face exists right in the middle of the Uncanny Valley. Again, the problem isn't that Steppenwolf looks good in the theatrical cut... it's just that the spikey, overly shiny, somehow even more rubbery-looking Steppenwolf from the Snyder cut looks worse.

Seriously, Snyder's Steppenwolf looks like what would happen if the XXXTREME '90s were a person, if that wasn't giving his design way too much credit.

7 A Lot Of The Humor Still Works

Superman and Flash race in Justice League

There's been much discussion about how Whedon's jokey dialogue didn't mesh well with Snyder's more dour and operatic tone in the theatrical cut. That's true enough. Whedon's cut is an absolute tonal disaster. Nevertheless, it's still preferable to Snyder's self-serious wannabe-Wagnarian pablum.

For all the cringe jokes that don't really work, like The Flash's awful "brunch" runner, and the scene where the speedster falls on top of Wonder Woman, there are a lot of humorous scenes that do work.. Aquaman's "lasso of truth" scene and Superman and Flash getting ready for their race are both funny, and not in a bad way.

6 Doesn't Unnecessarily Kill Cyborg's Dad

Cyborg (Ray Fisher) in Zack Snyder's Justice League

Superhero films are full of genre clichés that should be left in the past. While Snyder's Justice League avoids many tropes, it definitely falls face-first into one as Joe Morton's Dr. Silas Stone (Cyborg's father) sacrifices himself to save the (mostly) white cast. This is exactly what Morton's character in Terminator 2 did thirty years ago. That's how pervasive the trope is.

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It becomes even more egregious when viewers realize he was the only other major POC in the film besides Ray Fisher's Cyborg. Kiersey Clemons' Iris West also showed up, but she was only in one scene.

5 Wonder Woman Reveals She Never Gave Up

Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in Justice League

One key sticking point with fans about Snyder's DCEU is the revelation that Wonder Woman, aka Diana Prince, gave up on humanity after WWI, and only decided to return to superheroing after the introduction of Doomsday at the end of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. However, in the Justice League theatrical cut, Diana tells Batman that she actually never truly gave up being a hero, making her more admirable and closer to the Diana from the comics.

In fact, Patty Jenkins would reiterate Whedon's point about Wonder Woman's continuing superhero career in Wonder Wonder '84. This was most likely of Jenkins' own volition, separate from Whedon, but that film still nonetheless feels more in line with the theatrical cut's version of Wonder Woman than Snyder's, even if the similarities were unintentional.

4 Darkseid Isn't A Weak Punk

Darkseid from the Justice League Snyder Cut

To be fair, Darkseid isn't in the theatrical cut... but that's preferable to what Snyder does with him. Because in Snyder's cut, viewers first see Darkseid during a flashback scene where he gets his butt kicked during the war for the Mother Boxes. This doesn't really inspire the necessary fear,  since the first time we see him he has to be carried away, defeated, and almost bleeding to death.

Some comic fans will complain that "it's not actually Darkseid, it's Uxas, before he gains his mantle!" However, a film should stand on its own, and not need ancillary material to make sense of what's going on. Without bringing in outside lore, this reads like a pathetic villain's pitiable defeat.

3 The Snyder Cut's R-Rating Is Excessive

Zack Snyder's Justice League - Aquaman, Cyborg and Wonder Woman

Now there's nothing wrong with R-rated superhero films. Deadpool, Logan, The Punisher, and even Snyder's own Watchmen film all benefit from their more extreme rating. But it is weird to have a film based on the Justice League that's so needlessly violent. And to what end? Snyder himself said that he doesn't believe in sanitized violence, because bloodless, PG-13 action doesn't allow audiences to see the consequences of said violence. And that makes a certain kind of sense.

However, that argument falls apart when you realize that he's talking about Wonder Woman throwing humans bloodily into walls. Diana Prince is known for her compassion. Wonder Woman and Superman aren't Deadpool and The Punisher. It's not the violence itself that's the issue but some characters should always be looking for a better way.

2 Martian Manhunter's Reveal Makes No Sense

Martian Manhunter in Zack Snyder's Justice League

Comic book Easter eggs are fun, there's no denying that. So, the problem with the reveal that General Swanwick (played by Harry Lennix) was actually Martian Manhunter the whole time has nothing to do with the character appearing in the Snyder cut, and everything to do with how little sense it makes.

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Like, with how powerful Martian Manhunter is, why did it take this long for him to do anything to help humanity? More egregiously, it ruins a great scene between Diane Lane's Martha Kent and Amy Adams' Lois Lane by revealing Martha was Martian Manhunter the whole time. Why undermine that character development for a pointless twist?

1 The Post-Apocalyptic Ending Was Awful & Unnecessary

Joker at the end of the Snyder cut

Contrary to popular belief, Zack Snyder's Justice League on HBO Max didn't film many new scenes, as most of the extra (reportedly) $70 million was given to finish editing and finalizing unpolished VFX shots. However, there were four minutes of filmed footage specifically shot for HBO Max, comprising the post-apocalyptic epilogue. And it's terrible.

From wonky VFX and claustrophobic cinematography to atrocious dialogue (including Batman's goofy f-bomb and Jared Leto Joker's "reacharound" joke), it's just awkward and unnecessary all around.

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