Objectively, imagine that you are called to modify the existing project of another director based on certain mandates given by the Studio funding it. Would you do it? I guess, this is at the heart of the whole issue of Joss Whedon’s Justice League’s existence. You cannot fully review it without framing it into the wider context of what happened behind-the-scenes. As a film (I watched it in cinema when it came out), I think it is a 5 out of 10. The storyline was “weak” and “imbalanced” – there was really no build up of anything, and the conclusion is similar to every superhero, super-sentai TV episode out there – lacklustre and predictable. Zack’s original vision for the movie was realised in 2021 and in my opinion, had the necessary makings of a solid 8 out of 10. But let us not kid ourselves (even though I was a Snyder fan and backed the Snyderverse for a very long time), there were intrinsic problems that existed because of Studio interventions after “Man of Steel” and “Batman V Superman”.
Warner Bros. viewed Snyder’s original vision as fundamentally problematic rather than simply requiring minor adjustments. The studio had reportedly described Snyder’s original cut as “unwatchable,” necessitating what they perceived as a complete creative rescue mission. The extent of their concerns becomes clear when considering that they were willing to invest massive resources into reshaping the film rather than supporting the original director’s vision through completion. One of these differences can be seen in the rigid runtime constraint imposed by Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara, who mandated that Justice League’s runtime could not exceed two hours. This directive stemmed from the belief that Batman v Superman’s longer runtime had contributed to its perceived underperformance at the box office. The other difference is the film’s overall tone and aesthetic approach, Warner Bros. wanted to move away from Snyder’s mythological, serious style toward a brighter, more humorous sensibility that aligned with what worked from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially on the Avengers films.
These were the constrains that Whedon was given at the start – change the script, and direct a film based on commercially-proven formula. I am very sure Joss Whedon did not disagree with the main demands of the Studio, as it jived with what he was preaching to Marvel Studios. However, this made for a challenging task – how do you make everything “work” given that most of the shooting has been done already?
The result of his effort is the following scenes – from Start to Finish.
Justice League (2017) – Joss Whedon’s Theatrical Cut: Chronological Scene List
- Cell-phone video: kids interview Superman in a shaky, vertical phone recording before the main titles.
- Gotham rooftop: Batman uses a robber’s fear to draw out a Parademon, nets it, and sees the burnt three-box symbol after it self-destructs.
- Title and global mourning montage set to “Everybody Knows,” showing a world without Superman.
- Metropolis grief: Lois mourns, visits the memorial, and Martha struggles after losing the farm, reflecting the world’s despair.
- London bank: Wonder Woman stops a terror bombing, deflects bullets, and neutralizes the leader by blasting him back with her gauntlets.
- Iceland recruitment: Bruce reaches the fishing village, confronts Arthur about the coming threat, and is rejected.
- Bruce and Alfred discuss Arthur’s rejection, the Parademon sign, Barry, Diana, Victor and the need to recruit a team in the wake of Superman’s death.
- Central City prison: Barry Allen visits his father Henry and later returns to his apartment, underscoring his stalled life.
- Victor in hiding: Silas tries to reach his son, who tests his evolving cybernetic abilities and fears being seen as a monster. S.T.A.R. labs infiltrated by Parademons.
- Themyscira awakens: the Amazon Mother Box pulses, Steppenwolf boom-tubes in, and an Amazon chase ensues as he captures the Box.
- Hippolyta’s warning: the Queen fires the ancient warning arrow to light the shrine and alert Diana in Man’s World.
- Martha visits Lois in her office, reflecting on their concerns.
- Victor discovers Bruce’s secret identity. Diana briefs Bruce: the “history lesson” recounts Steppenwolf’s ancient invasion and the alliance that hid the three Mother Boxes. Victor tracks them.
- “I’m in”: Bruce recruits Barry at his apartment when he admits he needs friends and accepts immediately.
- Victor meets with Diana. Diana persuades Victor to join them.
- Atlantis outpost: Steppenwolf attacks, Mera intervenes, and the Atlantean Mother Box is taken after a brief underwater battle. Arthur meets Mera.
- Russia set-up: Parademons invade a remote nuclear site – family in terror. Steppenwolf plans to get the last Mother Box.
- Silas abducted by Parademon, implied others abducted as well. Bruce, Barry meets up with Diana, sees Bat-signal. Victor discover his father’s abduction and sees the signal as well.
- GCPD rooftop: Gordon shares winged-creature reports; Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Victor respond as the team starts to coalesce.
- Gotham Harbor tunnels: Nightcrawler fight against Parademons begins as the League attempts a hostage rescue.
- Flood escape: Steppenwolf redirects a missile to breach the walls; Aquaman arrives and holds back the tidal surge so the team can flee. Gordon debriefs.
- Russia set-up: Family preparing to hold up in their house. League gathers in the Batcave.
- Cyborg reveals the human Box. Resurrection debate: the League debates using the Box and Kryptonian ship to revive Superman as Bruce prepares a Lois contingency.
- Smallville grave: Barry and Victor exhume Clark’s body by night in a quiet, somber sequence of shared purpose.
- Kryptonian scout ship: Flash energizes the Mother Box at the precise moment to trigger resurrection as the Box hits the amniotic fluid.
- Heroes Park fight: disoriented Superman battles the League and turns on Batman with the “Do you bleed?” callback line.
- Lois contingency: Alfred brings Lois, who calms Clark, and they depart for Smallville as the League regroups in shock.
- Box stolen: with the team distracted by the resurrection, Steppenwolf raids the Kryptonian ship and steals the last Box.
- Smallville recovery: Clark reconnects with Lois at the farm and gradually regains his memories and purpose.
- League argues among themselves. Clark reconnects with Martha.
- Russia set-up: at the remote nuclear site, Steppenwolf unites the Boxes and alien growths begin terraforming the surrounding area.
- League finds Steppenwolf’s base, prepares for assault.
- Assault begins: Batman draws Parademons with the Batmobile while the others push toward Steppenwolf’s stronghold. Fight against Steppenwolf begins while Victor begins separating the Mother Boxes.
- Superman arrives: Clark joins the battle and counters Steppenwolf’s attacks on the team.
- Civilian rescue: Flash evacuates a Russian family and League begins broader evacuation amid spreading tendrils and chaos.
- Separating the Unity: Superman and Cyborg pull the Mother Boxes apart, stopping the catastrophic synchronization.
- Final Battle: League attacks Steppenwolf. Superman freezes Steppenwolf’s axe and Wonder Woman shatters it.
- Fear and retreat: sensing Steppenwolf’s fear, Parademons turn on him as he falls back through a Boom Tube.
- Nuclear site recovers from the terraforming activity.
- Epilogue vignettes: Bruce bought the bank, Martha returns to the farm. Barry gets a CCPD job. Lois resumes writing for the Daily. Bruce, Diana and Alfred plan to rebuild Wayne Manor as the team’s headquarters with room for future allies. Victor continues work with Silas, Arthur heads toward Atlantis, Diana returns to public heroism, and Clark resumes life in Metropolis.
- Mid‑credits race: Superman and Flash agree to a friendly race with a brunch bet on the line.
- Post‑credits stinger: Lex Luthor escapes Arkham and recruits Deathstroke to form a “league of our own.”
My Analysis:
Josh Whedon is obviously a brilliant man and skilled at what he does. To be able to compress what was a 4 hours film into a 2 hours film is nothing short of amazing. In reducing the runtime, it is inevitable that the roles of each League member had to be downsized as well. The main character that got the most cuts was Cyborg’s, followed by the Flash. Cyborg’s original theme had a start, middle and end – from resentment, progressing to acceptance and vindication of the ‘accident’ that left him ‘not human’ in his own eyes. It took a long time to do it justice, as was shown in Zack’s version. The payoff was great – as we see that sacrifices, both of his father and his own ‘pain’ and ‘self-pity’, enabled him to see that he is “not broken” and moves on with his “new” life. This is impossible to set up in a shorter film. And to share screen time with another hero that had similar issues with his abilities (Barry Allen) – it is not possible to do them justice. The next best thing was to turn them into ‘comic relief’ – not unlike the hugely popular cartoon versions! Characterisation needs screen time to flesh out. There is just no way around it. It takes a lot of creativity and techniques to provide familiarity of a character with the audience (what more with nearly dozen characters!).
I think the main problem with the whole movie is not what was presented, but what actually took place behind the scenes. We can only speculate since we were not there. Trying to be objective is not easy – there were many reports that were consistent about Whedon’s ‘style’ of directing. And in some sense I think we can understand where it stems from – he was seen as the ‘saviour’ of a ‘doomed project’ (at least in the eyes of the corporate financiers). I am sure that gave him the type of confidence and authority that is similarly found in a new corporate consultant that has been brought in to ‘turn around’ a failing company. Put this into context – Whedon did not have months to ‘gel’ with the cast as Zack had. It was either ‘his way’ or a ‘certain flop’ – and we all have seen how Ben Affleck reacted when he and Cavill received bad reviews of the previous team-up film; no one wanted a repeat of it. I am sure to some extent the actors (and actresses) knew that they had to play ‘nice’ in order to complete the film – that is the reason why ‘complaints’ were not brought up at that time. Everyone wanted this to be over with – as the momentum that they built with “Man of Steel” had an effective time period that is short (people are not that patient – they easily shift allegiance, what more with the massive success of the MCU). Besides, it takes time for people to stop and consider issues – and what better time than during the start of pandemic when everyone had to take a pause and reflect. Thus, Ray Fisher’s complaint only came up nearly 3 years after the film was released, in 2020. I am not denying the authenticity, but giving a possible reason why there was this gap before any negativity came up about Whedon’s directing of the film.
Anyway, back to the main part of this post – I really think Whedon did an excellent job given the circumstances. Focus on a tight, short narrative that could be fun. Instead of character-centric, we focus on how the team could come together in the first place. Give a clear enemy (even though the origins may be murky and ambigious). Give clear heroes (let them struggle with coming together – have them struggle to appoint a leader – have them lose round 1, and round 2 and then win round 3). Give them a clear theme (more or less – united is better than divided). Give them humour and brightness (whether we like it or not, reversal of doom and gloom takes time to work). At the end… a simple arc that conforms to your weekly episodic drama series works best. Pepper the ending with future directions – and hope for the best! Was Whedon’s Justice League really terrible? Not by a long shot. It appeased the top people in Warner Bros who wanted a more MCU-ish vibe. It made money, but not Batman V Superman level – final gross is USD 661 million, but made a loss when factored in the expenses that were very high, USD 750 million. The reshoots certainly affected the cost, but the initial costs were undoubtedly high because of Snyder’s initial large vision (which we saw in the 4 hour epic, 3 hours plus was from the initial USD 300 million spent). It was not bad at all. But there will always be people in management that only measure things strictly by money terms without any need to account for circumstances and context.
Lessons to learn:
1) Taking over another person’s project is ALWAYS difficult. This has always been the ‘consultants’ dillemma’. One will always face resistance, differing visions clashing, budgeting stress, and a hundred more day-to-day on the floor issues that you must troubleshoot while keeping a schedule.
2) Measure success on tasks set out; never on ambigious wants made by those who are disconnected from the project. This is an issue everywhere. A person on the top wants a net profit of 50% while conforming to limits that the person sets on the team. Ignorance is often concealed by passion – and ‘followers’ will blindly follow! These are the same people who will come out with conclusions that break the team, or worse… set a new direction that was never in the books to begin with!
3) Whedon’s behaviour on set cannot be justified – but his enablers and those who set him in that path should share in the guilt and wrongdoing. This is something that those on top seem to think they can get away with. A good example: Do everything you can, just get it done by this date! And they throw an unreasonable date. How can you expect the person who is burdened with this unreasonable timeline to cope with the stress without affecting his behaviour and judgment? Those who are able to do so are rare… but for most people, they crumble under that weight. They become snappy, short-tempered, paranoid, etc. This is not to excuse the behaviour of course, but to point the finger to those who started the whole thing – the goal setter! So many industries are afflicted by such top-down stress-givers who will just give these ridiculous limitations for their own selfish advancement without caring about those who are tasked to carry out the work and those who would supervise these workers.
I think it is good that the industry seems to have changed slightly ever since Whedon’s Justice League was released nearly a decade ago. Awareness is a good thing, but let us not swing to the other side that we do not appreciate what Whedon did wonderfully on this project. As usual, this is my own opinion and thoughts – feel free to disagree. It’s a free world.