It wasn't just disappointment in 2017's Justice League as directed by Joss Whedon that emboldened a fandom to demand a legendary “Snyder cut”. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back after a decade of moody and dour DC theatrical films released at the peak of the “Comic Book genre”.
Before Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) starring Michael Keaton, comic book movies were considered less than cinematic. Abysmal reactions to 1986's Howard the Duck and 1987's Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, stained films adapted from comic books as a financial risk at best or, worse, dumb. Batman (1989), while indicative of Tim Burton’s eclectic style that would take over his later films, had all the primary color of a comic book paired with surprisingly strong performances. Not since the beloved Christopher Reeve’s Superman had a comic book character taken a film audience so well, spawning off a series of sequels and kickstarting the rise of the “Comic Book genre.”
By all logic, DC should be dominating by now. In 2005, three years before Marvel’s Iron Man blew up the genre, they went back to the beginning with Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins. Starring Christian Bale, the Batman relaunch (plus its two sequels The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises) destroyed box offices from 2005 to 2012. There was one thing tripping up DC on its way to DC Films and the DC Extended Universe: Superman.
Or to be specific, 2006’s Superman Returns directed by Bryan Singer. Meant to be a spiritual successor to the original Christopher Reeve-starring Superman, Superman Returns with Brandon Routh as the titular character was a melancholic turn on the “boy scout” of DC characters. For Superman to have some pathos and sadness wasn’t a poor direction. For sure, Superman’s story in the comics has gone dark many times. But with the last Superman film now decades in the past, Superman Returns was asking an audience to focus on basically a moody acquaintance rather than a familiar character. And this after the dark, militarized, dripping in PTSD Batman Begins.
Superman Returns has many appreciators but the low tone wasn’t quite right to reintroduce the hero considered the other side of the coin to Batman. So of course DC did it again with a 2013 reboot Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder. Man of Steel found Henry Cavill’s Superman depressed and lost, not the farm-raised last son of Krypton dedicated to saving the people of Metropolis fans were desperate to see. After several Christopher Nolan dark Batman movies, another dark Superman film was lacking in an individual identity from the mood of the Batman Begins trilogy. This lack of duality in the characters of Superman and Batman was exacerbated in 2016’s Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, directed again by Snyder, where Ben Affleck’s older Batman faces off with Henry Cavill’s Superman. It was, again, sad, moody, dark, and not well-received at all.
Which leads to the infamous 2017 Justice League. The trials and tribulations of the CGI mustache, Whedon cut, 2017 Justice League are well-known. It was supposed to be the great teaming up of DC’s most popular characters. But with its sloppy edit and incomprehensible introductions to Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg; the 2017 Justice League was a film with a bad attitude. And being released the same year as juggernaut Wonder Woman, action-packed and positive, didn’t help for comparison.
In the 2017 Justice League, despite the theme of “love conquers” in Wonder Woman and the previous nothing of Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg; everyone is miserable. It's evident that the DC films are produced and directed by fans of the original work and the dark turns of Superman are fascinating… when there’s something to compare the character’s turn to. And expecting a general audience to know the comic background of a superhero that has existed for over fifty years is unreasonable.
That it took a 4 hour “Snyder cut” of Justice League released to streaming in 2021 to show this team up in any light other than dour or boring is a testament to the previous missteps in tone, whether it was to recreate the success of Nolan’s Batman or not. There’s a basic symbology to bringing together the OG superheroes of the Justice League, hinted at throughout the disorganized DC Extended Universe, and one that has not been given a full opportunity to be cooked.
Batman is dedication to right through pain. Wonder Woman is the strength of love. The Flash is optimism in power. Aquaman is trust in others. Cyborg is heroism in adversity. Superman is hope. If every individual member of the Justice League had their own standalone film ahead of their great team-up, as opposed to being dragged down into another plot that rushed what made them heroes in favor of the realism of misery, there would have been no need for four hours of character development in a "Snyder cut."
Truly it was Cyborg who got the short end of the stick in the DCEU. At least following the 2017 Justice League, Aquaman had his own standalone film Aquaman in 2018 and The Flash just began filming in April of 2021. But Cyborg, arguably the one character that fits a dark and angry narrative, still has not seen a solo theatrical release. In attempting to roll the critical accolades of Nolan’s approach onto the rest of the extended universe and keep up with the pathos being introduced in the MCU, DC muddled their strongest OG superheroes and sidelined the one guy who IS pathos.
But it’s getting better. Zack Snyder's Justice League was hugely popular, proving the issue isn’t an audience disinterested with the properties, but an audience that wants variety and depth. And the 2016 Suicide Squad spin-off Birds of Prey, as directed by Cathy Yan and starring Margot Robbie as fan-favorite Harley Quinn, proved unique approaches to familiar characters will engage a wide audience. And 2022's The Flash (based on the limited comic series Flashpoint) will reference DC films from Ben Affleck to Keaton, traveling in and out of the Arrowverse, and is developing into a much higher energy film than has been produced through DC Films.
Maybe after another run at Batman with the 2022's The Batman directed by Matt Reeves and featuring Robert Pattison in the title role, DC can dig deeper into remembering the fun of it all. Or at least give Cyborg the standalone film he deserves.