WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Zack Snyder's Justice League, now streaming on HBO Max.

After years of waiting, Zack Snyder’s Justice League has arrived on HBO Max. Despite having the same storyline as the 2017 theatrical version, Snyder’s cut is radically different, with countless tweaks and additions to its proceedings. One inclusion is a reference to one of Snyder’s favorite films, John Boorman’s adaptation of the Arthurian cycle, Excalibur.

This occurs when the League resurrect Superman in the Kryptonian ship. While heavily truncated in the theatrical version, Zack Snyder’s Justice League intensely draws out Cyborg hacking the security protocols whilst The Flash prepares to super-charge Clark Kent’s corpse and the Mother Box. Just before Cyborg gives the signal, he has a vision of an apocalyptic montage where Darkseid arrives and kills the League, leading to the Knightmare reality. However, before Cyborg can say anything, The Flash activates the Mother Box resurrection, and the Kryptonian Computer comments, "the future has taken root in the present."

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This line is in reference to Excalibur. In that film, Merlin says it to himself after Uther Pendragon sleeps with his ally’s wife, Igrayne. He useds Merlin’s spell to disguise himself as her husband, impregnates her with the future King Arthur and ensures the hatred of Igrayne’s daughter, Morgana Le Fay, which leads to the downfall of Camelot. As seen here, all future destinies can be traced back to choices made in the present.

Therefore, the reference also plays into Zack Snyder’s Justice League’s emphasis on duelling fates, as Superman is both Earth’s savior and its doom, just like King Arthur's conception in Excalibur "saves" and "dooms" Camelot. The potential Knightmare future, which was established in Batman v Superman, is particularly emphasised by Zack Snyder’s Justice League, as is the epic scope that the League is operating within. Snyder envisions the DC superheroes as mythological creatures, treating their lore with the same straight-faced sincerity that Boorman took King Arthur in Excalibur.

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This isn’t the first time Snyder has shown his love for Excalibur. Around the time of Watchmen (2009), Snyder was featured in a DGA Quarterly article, wherein he gushes about Boorman’s film and its influence on his work. He explains, "this is a myth that Boorman’s making real to us." He even references the film in the opening of Batman v Superman, as the title, Excalibur, is shown on the marquee of the cinema that Thomas and Martha Wayne were attending before they were shot.

Finally, prior to Warner Bros officially announcing Zack Snyder's Justice League, Snyder posted images of his cut upon the social network Vero and captioned it with dialogue from Excalibur, which has been collected by Reddit user DoctorBeatMaker1. Whatever future Snyder has with the DC Universe, his infatuation and vision for these characters has been showcased by Zack Snyder’s Justice League, including a reference to his favorite film.

Zack Snyder's Justice League stars Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Ray Porter as Darkseid, Ciarán Hinds as Steppenwolf, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon. The film is currently available on HBO Max.

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