Although the fandom is largely in consensus when it comes to the disaster that is the DC Extended Universe, there are fans still out there who believe that under the creative leadership of Geoff Jones the series still has a shot. I urge these fans to take a look at the utter chaos that was Justice League, surely that will be enough to change their minds. Justice League was, bar none, the most anticipated superhero team-up movie to ever go into production. A lot was riding on including hopes of the DC extended universe fandom and the hopes of WB executives trying to outmanoeuvre Disney.
But the fans wailed in unison as the theatrical cut of Justice League fell flat on its face. The CGI was horrible, the characters underdeveloped and the story unfinished. It felt less like watching Justice League and more like looking at the carcass of what could’ve been. We got a glimpse of greatness with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and then we were robbed of all hope as the Whedon Cut (THE DESPISED WHEDON CUT) of the Justice League premiered. It was choppy, unsatisfying and laughable at best. Our hopes were crushed, and it did not stop there.
After the movie was released, loyal fans rigorously went through the footage trying to piece together the original story before the dreaded reshoots. The result of this was evident as eagle-eyed fans did spot something that was completely overlooked before. Read carefully as I unveil yet another Easter egg from the Justice League that will make you question just how different (better?) the Snyder Cut really was. Let me put in front of you for scrutiny.
Recently while rewatching the movie, fans have spotted that the flag in the scene with Gordon in it (The US national flag) only has 48 stars. This is rather peculiar due to the fact that this represents an America before the last two colonies were assimilated into it. Can this be a hint at alternate realities, maybe, maybe not. The bone-chilling fact is that “Gordon” never actually shot any scenes with Joss Whedon so whatever the stars mean (or if nothing at all) can only be explained by Snyder himself.
Zack Snyder has often described his sensibilities as future plans for the DCEU as ambitious and slightly obscure, the fans crave it but the studio executives decided to shut it down. These kinds of Easter eggs are just one of many that will continue to appear as long as we keep receiving old footage shot by the master himself. I wonder if he even meant to keep this one when he was shooting for the Justice League.
Fans theorise that there were entire battle sequences and subplots of minor characters that were completely cut out of the Whedon Cut. The Snyder Cut (even though it is called unwatchable by the studio executives) is arguably brimming with intriguing content that would make fans question the reality of the world they are viewing. Much like what Batman v Superman does amidst the farce of superhero rivalry, the second movie of the DCEU franchise gave us the epitome of superhero moviemaking when it introduced the bone-chilling sequences such as the warehouse fight scene and Superman acting as a godly figure for humans (even though he does not wish to be a God).
The reality of the DCEU is much grimmer and its future (at least if categorised by fan expectation) seems tenable at best. The franchise hangs by a weak thread as it recovers from the failure of Justice League at the box office and now the studio executives must face their hardest enemies, disgruntled fans expecting failures.
Aquaman and Wonder Woman 1984 are the only films that seem to have made it out of the development hell and it seems rather unlikely that any other movie (that have already been announced) will be made unless Aquaman or Wonder Woman 1984 breaks records at the box office, a feat that will not be achieved by mediocre movies anymore, no matter how much the critics praise the theatrical cuts, or how much Warner Brothers pay them for promotion, the fans will judge the DCEU and decide whether they want it to live or to let it die.
Also See: Wonder Woman 1984: Hugely Popular Steve Trevor Theory Found To Be Untrue
