Zack Snyder's Justice League is filled to the brim with action, drama, and all kinds of crazy
superhero antics. It'd be totally understandable, then, if some of the movie's more subtle easter
eggs passed you by. Here are the things only real fans noticed in the Snyder Cut.
Wonder Woman may be exiled from Themiscyra, but that doesn't mean that the Amazons don't
have their own way of getting in touch with her. After Steppenwolf storms the Amazons'
stronghold and steals their long-guarded Mother Box, Queen Hippolyta fires off the
Arrow of Artemis and lights a far-off beacon, warning her daughter that danger is on its way.
Of course, an arrow belonging to the goddess of the hunt couldn't be
more appropriate as a way of communicating with Wonder Woman.
Not only can you catch Artemis herself fighting the forces of Apokolips alongside
Zeus and Ares in that big flashback, but guess what Artemis' Roman name is? Yup: Diana.
Artemis isn't the only figure from Greek mythology to make a sneaky cameo in the Snyder Cut, either.
In her introductory shot, Wonder Woman is standing on top of a statue of Lady Justice. Historically,
the earliest depictions of Justice were based on the Greek titan Themis , one of Zeus' lovers.
If you're a fan of fancy beverages, watch out:
Fred & Ginger Coffee, a high-end coffee shop with two locations in London, has made its way
to Metropolis — and it's brought a very famous customer with it. If you look through the window
as Lois exits the shop, you can see none other than Zack Snyder sitting at one of the counters.
As Snyder's publicist tells Insider, the director's cameo is a tribute
to both Fred & Ginger and Justice League's intense pre-production process. Apparently,
the Kings Langley branch of the store is where Snyder would sit and storyboard the movie,
and still holds a special place in his heart. And so,
the shop was re-created for the movie, and selected as the location for his big cameo.
The image of Batman perched on a gargoyle, glowering down at the city below him,
is one of the Dark Knight's most iconic poses — and the Snyder Cut recreates it in
stunning fashion. As you may have noticed, however, that's not just any gargoyle.
Wearing a heavy hood with bony hands and a skull-like face, the statue resembles the Grim
Reaper more than a traditional, winged beast. Even for Gotham City, it's pretty hardcore.
As it turns out, it's also a comic book reference. The same gargoyle appeared
on the cover of Detective Comics #682, which was illustrated by Graham Nolan,
a longtime Batman artist who also co-created the masked villain Bane.
As far as story is concerned, Detective Comics #682 doesn't have much to do with
the Snyder Cut. Writer Chuck Dixon's little yarn revolves around the B-list Batman villain
KGBeast and a nuclear device, neither of which feature in Justice League — although KGBeast
does make a brief appearance in Batman v Superman. More than anything, Snyder
probably just thought Detective Comics #682 had a cool cover. And hey, he wasn't wrong.
The Stone family is made up almost entirely of super-geniuses, so it shouldn't come as too much
of a surprise that they're quite well-read, too. Still, there's a big difference between
just liking a book and actually hanging a poster of it in your home. And yet that's exactly what
Victor and his father Silas have done: As Cyborg broods in his Gotham City apartment, you can catch
a poster referencing Franz Kafka's classic 1915 novella The Metamorphosis on his wall.
If you've read Kafka's story, the thematic parallels should be obvious. In The Metamorphosis,
a young salesman named Gregor Samsa wakes up one day and discovers that he's been turned
into a giant insect, then struggles to adapt to his new situation as his humanity slowly slips
away. For Cyborg, who's grappling with who — and what — he is now that he's half machine,
it's a tale that probably resonates kinda heavily. At least Cyborg gets a happier ending:
While Victor ultimately reclaims his identity and finds a new home with the Justice League,
Gregor starves to death after becoming a burden on his family.
The extended epilogue that caps off Zack Snyder's Justice League gives
fans their longest and best look at what the director had planned for
the "Knightmare" storyline first introduced in Batman v. Superman.
"She was my world… and you took her from me."
It's not the only taste we get of the DCEU's post-apocalyptic future, though. When Cyborg
grabs the Mother Box in S.T.A.R. Labs, he catches a glimpse of the horrors in store for
Earth's heroes — and, as you've probably guessed, that glimpse comes with a few Easter eggs, too.
The biggest one is the presence of another Green Lantern, albeit one who
has fallen to evil Superman's attacks. While he doesn't wear a domino mask in the comics,
the Lantern lying in the ruins of the Hall of Justice is almost certainly Kilowog , one of
the most popular members of the Green Lantern Corps ["core"]. Kilowog, who hails from sector
674 is traditionally depicted as one of the Lanterns who train new Corps members.
There are other references in this scene too. The Hall of Justice itself has been
one of the Justice League's most popular headquarters since 1973,
when it made its debut in the animated show Super Friends. In addition, the scene in
which Darkseid kills Lois and turns Superman evil looks like it takes place in the Batcave's ruins.
Look carefully, and you'll see Batman's signature red screens and his memorial to his late partner,
Robin, among the wreckage. Looks like Clark might have good reason to be mad at Bruce after all.
Batman v. Superman and Zack Snyder's Justice League borrow a few key notes from the seminal
'90s storyline The Death and Return of Superman. As in the comic books,
Batman v. Superman sees a genetically engineered superweapon called Doomsday kill the Man of Steel.
Also like the comics, when Kal-El returns, he wears a black suit decorated with a silver version
of his classic logo — although, sadly, the big boy scout's super-mullet didn't quite make the cut.
As such, you may think that the four super-suits Superman considers before
deciding on his all-black garb are references to the four replacement
Supermen who took Clark Kent's place after his death: Eradicator, Cyborg Superman, Steel, and
Superboy. But they're not. Instead, they're throwbacks to Superman's previous DCEU adventures.
In addition to Superman's classic red-and-blue garb, the Kryptonian spaceship contains
Jor-El's bone armor, the space suits worn by Zod's soldiers, and the general's very own combat gear.
The Snyder Cut also continues the DCEU's so-subtle-it's-almost-buried
subplot regarding Superman's cousin Kara Zor-El , better known to comic book readers as Supergirl.
As in Man of Steel, the Kryptonian scout ship contains a pod that's been mysteriously opened,
as if someone had climbed out. Well, according to a Man of Steel prequel comic written by Snyder,
Man of Steel screenwriter David S. Goyer, and Geoff Johns , Kara was the one who landed the
scout ship on Earth after another Kryptonian hijacked it, killing most of the crew.
Snyder has confirmed that the vacated pod was supposed to set up a standalone Supergirl movie,
while many viewers will be quick to note that the bone armor presented to Kal-El
after his resurrection looks like it's fitted for a female body. At this point,
it's unclear whether Snyder's original plans for the Girl of Steel will come to fruition, but Sasha
Calle has been cast as Supergirl for Ezra Miller's solo Flash movie, so, y'know. Anything can happen.
After Barry Allen visits his father at Iron Heights Penitentiary,
he cuts through a train yard on the way back to his lair.
Take a look at the warehouse behind him. Sure, the name "National Storage" may not seem like much,
but it's actually a really deep cut from DC's long and storied history.
While the company's early history is a little complicated, what we think of as DC Comics was
actually called National Comics Publications for the bulk of its early years. Sure, a badge on the
covers of National's books used some variant of the phrase "Superman-DC" — after Superman,
its most popular character, and Detective Comics, arguably its most famous comic
book. But that was just branding. Legally, National Comics was the name of the game.
Still, that didn't stop fans and pros alike from calling the company DC. Even Marvel got in on the
act, snarkily referring to its "Distinguished Competition" in their letters pages. Finally,
in 1976, comics legend Jenette Kahn re-organized the company and made the DC Comics name official.
It's hard to overstate the debt that Zack Snyder's DC films owe to Frank Miller's The Dark Knight
Returns, the grim and gritty take on Batman that revolutionized superhero comics in 1986.
As in that story, Ben Affleck's Batman is an older, semi-retired version of the character
who has become cynical and jaded after decades spent fighting crime. In this world, Superman's
godlike power is just as much of a threat as an asset, too. Everything is bleak and fatalistic
and violent, and while there are glimmers of hope, they're hard to see through the darkness.
And so, unsurprisingly, the Snyder Cut pays tribute to Miller with a couple of shots that
could've been taken right out of the comic. During the epilogue, right after Commissioner
Gordon flips on the Bat-signal again, there's a shot of Batman standing on top of a vehicle
that looks a lot like The Dark Knight Returns' tank-like Batmobile. Even better? Cowering in
its headlights are a group of goons who sure look like they're wearing the distinctive
eyewear that belongs to the Mutants, the street gang that comes to power after Batman retires.
"One misses the days when one's biggest concerns were exploding wind-up penguins."
That's not all, though. A few minutes later, the Snyder Cut takes us to Arkham — but not
Arkham Asylum, as it's normally known. No, this time around, the madhouse is called the Arkham
Home for the Emotionally Troubled, a name ripped directly from the pages of Miller's magnum opus.
Okay, let's face it. By all indicators, Zack Snyder's Justice League isn't getting a sequel.
But that didn't stop the director from loading his revamped Justice League cut with setups for
what was supposed to come later. Obviously, the Knightmare sequences contain the biggest teases,
but eagle-eyed viewers have spotted another one: a pregnancy test in Lois Lane's dresser,
hinting that the Man of Steel might just have a child on the way.
Well, at this point, you can probably consider it more than a hint. In an interview with Vanity
Fair, Snyder confirmed that his never-to-be-seen sequel plans involve a super-baby,
and while that's been a popular idea lately, Snyder's take sounds positively
bonkers. In the Snyderverse, Clark and Lois' son would have been born without powers,
and would later get into the family business anyway by taking over as
the new Batman after Bruce Wayne sacrifices himself to save the world.
Zack Snyder's Justice League can be pretty bleak at times, but it ends, surprisingly enough,
on a genuine moment of hope. Sure, Darkseid is still out there plotting, and that whole
post-apocalyptic future is on its way, but for the moment, things are looking up. Superman is
back. The Justice League has assembled. Martian Manhunter has revealed himself to Bruce Wayne and
offered to lend a hand, and everyone is ready to rebuild after Steppenwolf's attack.
That includes Bruce Wayne himself. In the DCEU, Bruce abandoned his traditional home,
Wayne Manor, after the Joker killed Robin and burned Bruce's house to the ground.
According to the last shot of the movie, however, Wayne Manor won't stay unoccupied for long.
Right before the credits roll, you can see that the stately manor, now
under re-construction, as Martian Manhunter soars into the sky.
It's unclear as to whether Bruce is planning to move back in himself, though. According to Snyder,
and reinforced by a scene a few minutes earlier, Wayne Manor is set to become the new Hall of
Justice, giving the Justice League a new HQ — and, importantly, one with room for a few new
members. Of course, it's unclear how long the new headquarters will last — but after experiencing
the epic and dark journey that is the Snyder Cut, it feels like an awfully nice note to end on.
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