DC fans who endured the theatrical cut of the 2017 movie Justice League likely had their jaws on the floor observing how different the characters in this universe appeared to be in the hands of Joss Whedon, as opposed to Zack Snyder. For some of the characters, they’d had significant exposure in the previous film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Others, though, were getting their first crack at full-screen exposure, and the personality tweaks were drastic.
In the months leading up to the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League on HBO Max, CinemaBlend will be analyzing all of the ways that we anticipate the core members of the team to be changing now that they are back under the guiding control of Zack Snyder. And we’re starting with a key character who seemed to suffer a significant change, transitioning from the warrior princess we saw in Batman v Superman to the objectified Den Mom that Joss Whedon turned her into.
We’re talking all about Diana Prince, the subject of the Snyder Cut video at the top of the page.
Every single actor in Zack Snyder’s ensemble went under the knife as the theatrical cut made its way to theaters. And they all suffered as a result. But it was Gal Gadot’s portrayal of Wonder Woman that really seemed to get watered down thanks to Joss Whedon’s contributions. Snyder painted Diane Prince as a formidable Amazonian, a warrior who could go toe-to-toe with Doomsday and fight shoulder to shoulder with Superman (Henry Cavill) and Batman (Ben Affleck).
Remember this incredible introduction scene?
When we catch up with Diana in the theatrical cut of Justice League, she is joining Bruce Wayne in his quest to unite “the others,” who Bruce says will be needed to face an enemy who is coming. She’s given precious little screen time to forge a bond with Cyborg (Ray Fisher), another character who landed on the cutting room floor during the transition. And in scenes where Wonder Woman is present, she’s too often the butt of a joke, or the object of sexualization by the male members of the league.
Here’s Aquaman going too far with Wonder Woman as the lasso of truth has him revealing his inner-most thoughts:
Many who fought for the release of Zack Snyder’s eventual cut of Justice League complained loudly about one offensive scene, specifically, where Flash falls onto Wonder Woman’s breasts as the two land following a spectacular action shot. It’s an embarrassing punctuation mark that was added in reshoots, and it demeans Diana from the place she should be in.
Instead, the trailer that Zack Snyder released at DC FanDome puts Wonder Woman back into a place of honor. And it’s this version we cannot wait to see more of in Justice League.
When will we see it? Time will tell, as HBO Max has kept a lid on its release date. But we expect Zack Snyder’s Justice League to drop in 2021, and we’ll continue to profile each JL hero as we get closer to that anticipated release date.
