“Zack Snyder’s Justice League” Trailer Re-Drops, Gets Breakdown from Director

Zack Snyder’s Justice League, otherwise known as the famous #SnyderCut, re-released its first official teaser trailer, complete with additional clips.

Snyder held a live event on VERO, treating his followers to an exclusive director-breakdown of the teaser. Fans were treated to a gorgeously remastered monochromatic coloring, Snyder’s preferred visual aesthetic for the film. The director having chosen to drop the trailer on November 17th comes as no surprise to the #SnyderCut movement. The date comes with a mix of varying emotions for both the director and his fans alike.

In 2017, the theatrical cut of the film released in theaters. That iteration of the film suffered massive reshoots and editing changes in late production following Snyder’s departure. For many, a need to see the director’s true vision of the film arose. After three years of campaigning for its release, the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut fandom have seen their efforts rewarded. On November 17th, 2019, many members of the main cast became vocal proponents of seeing the fabled cut. May 20th, 2020 saw the monumental push from that day come to fruition, as Snyder announced that the film was officially green-lit.

Snyder started the event by playing the trailer without commentary. In addition to the stunning monochromatic visuals, the teaser featured a slew of superhero drama and action from DC’s finest. Snyder himself noted that he had a lower-quality version he worked with for two years, but promised that he would provide a color version for release.

Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” made its triumphant return for most of the three-minute run-time. The song’s lyrics are especially poignant, serving as a sort of meta-commentary from Snyder to his fans and others about the journey of the legendary film. The rest of the hour-long stream was devoted to a scene-by-scene breakdown. While part of that time was devoted to more technical aspects, like set design and special effects, fans were treated to a litany of facts involving their favorite DC characters.

The trailer started on a shot of Darkseid, or Uxas, as the director called him. Notably, the character was replaced by Steppenwolf in the same scene of the theatrical cut. As the New God slammed the earth, the director noted that the floating essence from the planet was, in fact, the Anti-Life Equation.

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice came into play next. Superman briefly was shown being impaled by Doomsday‘s spiky bones. His death was then confirmed to massively influence the events of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Eagle-eyed fans were then treated to the easter egg-heavy imagery of the Hall of Justice rubble in the Knightmare sequence. Snyder noted a couple of key objects in-frame: a portrait of Thomas Wayne was on the left, and a Joker card that was on Batman’s rifle in BVS floated by center screen.

Diana Prince was then seen entering the shrine of the Amazons. There, she was seeking the arrow shot by Artemis. Interestingly enough, we now know that there were important clues on the arrow’s shaft: Diana’s path back to Themyscira and the location of the shrine itself. The Snyderverse canon was also updated, confirming that Ares had killed the Old Gods by that time.

The league assembled for the first time in the next clip. The location was confirmed to be the Wayne aerospace hangar. There, Bruce Wayne himself was said to have built military-style vehicles and aircraft, including the Flying Fox. Cyborg was revealed to be the source of the Superman hologram.

Aquaman was then shown walking around a small Welsh fishing village. This particular England set, among many present in the film, featured houses built at one-third scale for two of the clips shown. The segment ended with Momoa‘s Arthur Curry being blasted by water cannons to simulate the turbulent seas.

Eli Snyder, the director’s son, choreographed the sequential segment. Vic Stone was shown playing a football game against Wisconsin at GCU. The character’s mother appeared at the end of the scene, cheering on her son. It’s now known that Silas Stone, Vic’s father, was at STAR Labs at the time. Following soon after his accident, fans were then shown Victor Stone as Cyborg. The reluctant hero appeared hiding in his apartment, as he watched a group of children plays his favorite sport, football. Similar to the theatrical cut, fans should expect Cyborg and his father to explore his new status-quo.

The following clip showcased Superman’s famous black suit in spectacular fashion. Clark Kent was seen exiting the scout ship from Man of Steel after being reanimated, confirmed Snyder. Wonder Woman then stole the spotlight and everyone’s hearts. The scene saw her talking to a young girl she just saved, inspiring her to become a feminine icon of her own someday.

The director then took a moment to answer a fan’s question. In perhaps one of the biggest reveals of the video, fans learned that there may be another Kryptonian walking or flying around in the DCEU. A crashed pod, similar to the one Superman arrived in, was confirmed to have been opened, seemingly from the inside.

Barry Allen burst onto the screen next. The young man was seen applying for a job in a pet store just as a car accident happens outside. In a flash, we saw Allen zoom off into the Speed Force to rescue a famous face, Kiersey Clemons’ Iris West. Snyder revealed that his film won’t touch on the Flash‘s origins, but Barry’s personal and professional struggles will be explored.

The Flash’s power’s also earned a quick commentary from the director. Allen has to be extremely careful when he uses his powers, as he can cause people great harm, thanks to physics. He’s also in desperate need of a suit, as viewers could spot his bare feet on the road after the daring rescue. The speedster’s powers apparently make his shoes explode as he takes off.

Cyborg was then shown violently digging at a grave. Snyder didn’t offer fans any commentary on the scene for the video, but had previously said that it was possibly his own tomb. The next scene was pure visual iconography for comic book fans. Batman appeared atop a gargoyle at night amidst an appropriately themed lightning storm. It’s now known that the Dark Knight was at the GCPD in the scene.

Clark and Lois‘ apartment from BVS came back quickly after that. Lois Lane was shown embracing Martha Kent at the doorway. The director noted that the set was one of many rebuilt from the U.S. sets for their U.K. lot.

Though they were off-screen, the commentary condensed around two key characters. Vulko, played by Willem Dafoe, was noted to be the possessor of Arthur Curry’s mother’s trident, as well as his personal combat trainer. The familiar Atlantean face was confirmed to talk Aquaman into joining the league.

Momoa’s nigh-King of Atlantis is then shown leaving Amber Heard’s Mera. The two had just had a conversation in an air bubble, the Snyderverse workaround to underwater speech. The drowned tower she stayed in was revealed to be the former Atlantean site for one of the Mother Boxes.

All then began hailing Darkseid. Uxas himself appeared alongside his royal council in the “history lesson” segment. Fans found out that the Old God had begun revealing the Anti-Life Equation, as well as joining the Mother Boxes. All of existence appeared to be lost to the combined armies of the ancient world.

Part of that council, Desaad, showed off a grim smile in the next clip. The character was said to serve as a sort of “go-between” character amongst Steppenwolf and Darkseid. Snyder promised that he would provide additional background for all three villains.

Fans were then brokenhearted as the scene changed again. Cyborg and the Flash were shown in a portion of STAR Labs as a lone tear dropped from Stone’s human eye. “He’s dealing with something that just happened,” the director carefully and bluntly told dismayed viewers.

Superman was next seen shooting into the sky of Metropolis. The scene apparently takes place just after his resurrection, with the zoomed out frame illustrating his dual planetary citizenship. Lois witnessed this moment in a way described only as “having seen the impossible.”

Silas Stone’s selfless act flashed onto the screen in STAR Labs next. The character was seen giving his life in attempting to foil Steppenwolf’s plan of acquiring yet another Mother Box. Cyborg watched in peril in front of the dastardly devil.

The locust-like Parademons then raced after the Dark Knight’s Batmobile. Batman was shown leading the horde away from the rest of the league, as they prepare to take the fight to Steppenwolf in a reactor. The war-fitted vehicle blasted away from all of its mini-guns‘ cylinders.

The Amazon’s Queen Hippolyta graced the fans’ screens soon thereafter. The warrior woman was seen with Mother Box in-tow, as she began her daring escape from Steppenwolf’s deadly forces.

Steppenwolf’s design was delved into next. Snyder paused on an image of him arriving in the Themyscira temple, and commented on his armor. As many a-fan and critic have pointed out, his design is very spiky, scary, and intimidating – all intentional design choices. Those spikes, the director revealed, are actually his armor, and the film will show him briefly “naked.”

Back inside of the reactor at the end of the film, a trio of heroes appeared. Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Cyborg were shown in the heart of the structure, ready to do battle with Steppenwolf himself. His weapon, as of today, is semi-officially being described as an “electro-ax.”

The scene them zipped viewers over to STAR Labs yet again. The Flash was shown saving some employees from falling rocks. Snyder explained that The Flash isn’t flying, but has just redirected his momentum upwards quickly. The Batman’s famous vehicle raced back into the next clip. A Parademon was seen trying to give its side a flying tackle as it flew down the road. The teaser’s tempo picked up as the music swelled to yet another inevitable cut. Superman and Steppenwolf collided from opposing sides of the frame, just as an epic blow caused the screen to black out.

The blows and blocks didn’t stop there, though! Batman was spotted inside of the reactor, deflecting rifle shots from the Parademon army flying about. Alfred was confirmed to be the engineer of these mission-specific gauntlets. The trailer rolled on as fans mulled over the mysterious Speed Force scene. The Flash sped through the mystical tunnel – just another one of the instances the director refused to comment on.

Things felt a little more at home, as the shot of Lois looking out at Clark on Kent farm appeared next. Fans may recall that Snyder himself drew the image before shooting it. He then revealed that Clark had just been resurrected, recalling his memories at his former residence. Technology then tantalized Cyborg’s circuits, as he experimented with his powers. The electronics mastermind displayed his mastery over all virtual databases, including nuclear warheads.

Rulers abounded, as viewers were shown King Atlan using the golden trident‘s might during the combined tri-army fight against Uxas’ forces. Hero’s Park made a brave and bold debut in the trailer next. As the Man of Steel rose from the dead, Cyborg had to save a specific police officer, the actor who played the original Jimmy Olsen.

Almost seemingly swimming, The Flash came running back on screen. The Scarlet Speedster took a running leap into the lightning-infused, psychedelic landscape known as the Speed Force. The Justice League glimmered in all of their glory in the following gorgeous shot. The six legendary heroes posed amidst the dawn of a new day following their victory in the reactor. Cyborg was said to control the Flying Fox that picks them up soon after.

Finally, the clip concludes with the now well-known phrase #UsUnited. Five members of the iconic team assembled in the Wayne aerospace hangar for the first time in the film. Snyder slipped in a comment about Aquaman and Cyborg originally being at odds. He teased that the team would need to figure out their new dynamic going forward.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention was given a shout-out at the teaser’s conclusion. The fandom is close to raising $500,000 for the organization on behalf of the director’s late-daughter, Autumn Snyder. Donations can be made here.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League stars Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, and Gal Gadot, is directed by Zack Snyder, and will release on HBO Max in Spring 2021. Watch Snyder’s breakdown below:

What did you think of the teaser? Let us know in the comments!