Good news for DC Extended Universe fans who are also subscribed to Netflix: you’ll now finally be able to watch some of this franchise’s offerings on that streaming service. It’s been announced that eight DCEU movies will be added to Netflix on December 1, thus expanding the service’s already-decently-sized library of DC content. One of those movies, however, is the theatrical cut of Justice League rather than Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and Snyder Cut fans are not happy about this.
If you follow along with news about DC movies, you’re aware that the version of Justice League that played on the big screen in late 2017 was almost entirely comprised of footage shot during reshoots helmed by Joss Whedon, who took over directing duties from Snyder following the latter’s exit during the postproduction phase. That movie was met with mixed-to-negative critical reception, whereas Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which was first released to Max subscribers in early 2021, has been much more well received. Fans of Zack Snyder, of course, consider that cut the “true” version of Justice League, as evidenced by @KnightmareYuvi’s reaction to the Netflix news on X (formerly known as Twitter):
That isn’t the real Justice League movie
Of course, not everyone who’s browsing on Netflix is familiar with the behind-the-scenes happenings in DC media, so when they see that Justice League is on there, they might either confuse it with Zack Snyder’s Justice League or not even know there are two versions of this story available. As such, these fans are doing their best to let others know that the Justice League that will be on Netflix is not the one that’s more widely preferred by both them and the general public. @patrick96231388 said the following, which was accompanied by a helpful graphic with both Justice League posters:
You've got the wrong Justice League. That's the studio-butchered, theatrical cut.
In the immediate years after Justice League’s release, Snyder’s fans began the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign, which requested that Warner Bros. Release the version of this movie that better reflected the filmmaker’s vision. Although it initially seemed like this would never happen, by February 2020, the studio greenlit the project. @SuperTuberEddie included the below caption about how Netflix is only including the theatrical cut with a gif of Henry Cavill’s Superman using his heat vision in Zack Snyder’s Justice League:
Me when they see the ABOMINATION that is 2017 Justice League and not the Zack Snyder’s Justice League on the list…
Although the basic story is the same for both versions of Justice League, i.e. Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Cyborg and Superman teaming up to fight Steppenwolf and his Parademon army, there are plenty of differences between the two, particularly because the theatrical cut was exactly two hours long, whereas Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a little over four hours. Snyder Cut fans certainly don’t mince words when they express how much more they like the latter over the former. @TPZMickD said:
#ZackSnydersJusticeLeague please. That other version is a grotesque vandalism.
But Snyder Cut fans weren’t only up in arms about the lack of Zack Snyder’s Justice League on Netflix. Many also expressed their dissatisfaction about the platform appears to be supplying the theatrical version of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice rather than the Ultimate Edition, which also enjoyed better critical reception. As @Art_Barillas put it:
Come on @netflix. Do better. Batman V Superman the extended edition and Zack Snyder's Justice League
Additionally, plenty of people also clamored for Netflix to not only release the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad, i.e. the version that better reflects David Ayer’s vision, but also allow Snyder to finish out his DC saga on there. Between Netflix merely licensing these DC movies rather than outright owning them, Warner Bros. gearing up to leave the DCEU behind and usher in the new DC Universe, and Snyder already keeping busy on Netflix with his Army of the Dead and Rebel Moon universes, don’t count on that happening. At this point, the best we can hope for is the remaining DCEU movies to also be added to the platform, though even that’s not a guarantee.
If you’re interested in streaming Zack Snyder’s Justice League, it’s still only on Max, though remember that it can also be purchased on home media. For those interested in Snyder’s non-DC work, Both Army of the Dead and its spinoff, Army of Thieves (which he co-wrote produced), can be viewed on Netflix now, Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire arrives on December 22, and Part Two: The Scargiver follows on April 19, 2024.
