Tear Jerker / Zack Snyder's Justice League

"So many years with you I wasted. So many wrongs I've left un-righted."

"How many can die in your arms before you grow numb to death? And how many dead eyes can you look into before you die inside yourself?"

— Joker

Contains unmarked spoilers. You Have Been Warned!

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Previews

• Bruce forlornly looking at a hologram of Superman. He has become more optimistic, yes, but he still remembers the sacrifice it took for him to embrace this viewpoint.
• In a Freeze-Frame Bonus, a charred Joker card flies past, implying Batman's archenemy didn't survive the invasion. Since this is chronologically set after Suicide Squad (which showed the Joker develop an emotional attachment to Harley Quinn), it's somewhat sad knowing that not even he could escape Darkseid's onslaught.
  • Somewhat thankfully, the second trailer shows that he has survived and seems to be working with Batman.
• In the third anniversary teaser, there is a scene where kids are playing football in the street, cutting to a hooded Cyborg watching them from a window. His normal life is essentially non-existent by this point.
  • "Hallelujah" adds an extra layer of sadness in the trailer.

The Film:

• Superman's Heroic Sacrifice from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is replayed here, but instead of faraway shots seen in the previous film, the camera zooms on his Crucified Hero Shot. As he screams in sheer agony from his impalement and Kryptonite exposure, his eyes gradually become empty. From this touch of realism alone, it shows us that this hopeful superhero did not deserve to die like this: alone, and in pain.
  • What makes this scene worse is the look on Batman's face. His eyes are watering up as he watches a good man give up his life for others, all the while knowing that it's partially his fault things came to this because he let himself give into his anger and paranoia and be manipulated by Lex Luthor. It's no wonder he is wracked with guilt and is so determined to make things right again.
• The song playing when Lois visits Superman's memorial at the start of the movie, "Distant Sky".
  • The Reality Subtext circumstances make the use of this song so much more poignant, considering that, like Zack Snyder working on the post-production of the film, Nick Cave recorded this song in the aftermath of losing a child.
• Lois kept Clark's cape and still wears the engagement ring he would've proposed to her with. It becomes a sweet moment later when he's brought back from death and notices she's wearing the ring.
  • A later scene has Lois wake up in the middle of the night, still grieving over Clark's death. While this happens, the piano notes from "What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving the World" play over a photograph of Clark and Lois, smiling. It's an unexpectedly sad moment, because even when there was Superman, Clark made time for happy moments with the woman he loved. And now, Lois cannot have any more of these moments due to his Heroic Sacrifice.
• The battle on Themyscira is much more brutal, with a much greater loss of life, and extensive Death by Adaptation. How so? Because the shrine holding the Mother Box falls into the sea right after it's sealed, killing all of the Amazons still fighting in there. Hippolyta spends several long moments giving a mournful Due to the Dead for her fallen Amazons, made worse by the fact that there is no reproduction that can replenish fallen soldiers with new ones. Every Amazon lost is a permanent loss, and Hippolyta is devastated to face it. It gets worse when she realizes that Steppenwolf wasn't defeated when it fell in.
  • Equally sad are the two moments given to two Red Shirt Amazons. One of them is shot in the chest by a parademon, which enrages Hippolyta enough that she makes a point to kill this parademon. The dying Amazon pleads with her queen to escape and seal the shrine, which she initially refuses to do. The second is the one who helps Hippolyta attempt to escape with the Mother Box, only for Steppenwolf to knock them and the horse they're riding aside, killing the horse and crushing the Amazon under the dead horse's weight. Hippolyta stays by her side until she dies. As a queen who loves her people dearly, these two moments are devastating for her. She refuses to let this take away from her dedication to stopping the impending apocalypse.
  • As Hippolyta shoots the arrow of Artemis to warn Diana of the invasion, she whispers for a plea for her daughter to return to her. It's been a hundred years since Diana left and Hippolyta still misses her.
• It says something that the film can make you feel bad for Steppenwolf, of all people. Sure, the guy is an unrepentant murderer and would-be conqueror, but rather than being a world destroyer just for the fun of it like in the other version, here he's been sentenced to exile and forced to conquer a number of worlds (he's got 50,000 more to go according to DeSaad) in order to be allowed to return to Apokolips. His weathered voice and the adoring gaze he gives to Darkseid make it clear that beneath it all, he's just a tired old guy who wants to go home. As he takes hit after hit from Superman and gets one of his horns burned off, he sees Darkseid watching from a distance, unscathed and unwilling to help. Doesn't excuse any of his actions, but it does earn him at least a little bit of sympathy.
  • Desaad reminding Steppenwolf of his debt deserves further mention here. We'd just seen Steppenwolf take on the Amazons of Themyscira, which despite his physical advantage over the warrior women was still a challenge for him. He even loses several parademons before managing to get the first Motherbox. This is just a single island. Then Desaad - who is sitting pretty back in Apokolips - trivializes the whole thing by telling Steppenwolf he needs to conquer tens of thousands more planets. You can almost hear Steppenwolf's heart sink at that moment.
  • He ultimately dies an undignified death that none of his allies or even family care to mourn, with Darkseid simply stepping on his decapitated head. At least in the theatrical cut, his defeat had a sense of poetic justice. Here, it's just brutal.
  • There's some sad irony as one realizes that Steppenwolf technically accomplished both his goals; the Mother Boxes finally sync in the Unity and scorch the surface of Earth... just for the Flash to reverse time and undo it. And he also finally gets to go home... as a disembodied head and body.
• Cyborg's origin. Victor had just won a big football game, only to see his father didn't show up. As he and his mother drive home, Elinore tries to reassure Victor that his father didn't miss the game out of negligence, but then a truck crashes into them. Cut to a hospital, where Silas is told by a nurse that his wife is dead and his son is irreparably injured to the point where he'll die too. Silas just shatters at this news. Whatever he was like as a parent before, it's clear Silas really does love his son and will try to be there for him this time.
  • The whole state of Silas and Victor's relationship in this movie. Silas wasn't the best father, but he clearly didn't want his son to become a monster when he used the Mother Box technology to save him. Victor clearly resents him for this, and also blames Silas for a whole host of other things wrong in his life. The bitterness and pain in Victor's voice as he says this line really clinches it:
    Victor: (to Silas) If you were there, Mom would still be alive.
  • Silas's response to that line is a sad and rather resigned one. He accepts that Victor won't give him a second chance and instead implores his son to give himself one, leaving a voice recording for Victor to listen to on his own time. Victor listens to and absorbs the first half, which gives him a rundown on how his powers work, but when it gets to the part where Silas tries to speak to Victor from the heart as a father, Victor spitefully crushes it.
  • Victor's first heroic deed after becoming Cyborg (helping an evicted single mother by enlarging her bank savings) is immediately followed by a couple on the street being scared at his appearance.
• Barry visits his father in jail. The look on his father's face when he tells Barry that he should forget about him and live his life is heartbreaking. It's obvious how guilty he feels his son is putting his life on hold because of him.
• While meeting with Victor, Diana recounts her own pain to let him know she empathizes with him.
  Diana: I lost someone I loved once. I shut myself off from everyone but I had to learn to open back up again. The truth is, I'm still working on it.
• The camera panning over the photo of Jonathan Kent in Clark's grave, which is followed by that item falling into the water. Along with the somber strings playing over the scene, it's just a harsh reminder of one of the most significant losses Clark endured to become Superman.
• Cyborg's glimpse of the apocalyptic future:
  • The Hall of Justice is in shambles, with the Omega symbol emblazoned across a wasteland with machinery hovering overhead. Among the wreckage is the dismembered corpse of Kilowog!
  • Wonder Woman is dead, and her body is cremated in accordance with Ancient Greek tradition, including eye stones on her eyes. Hippolyta looks like she's completely given up any hope at this point. To add insult to injury, the funeral is being monitored by a legion of parademons and Darkseid himself watches from above.
  • Superman is back, but he's cradling a charred corpse and looking distraught. It's strongly implied the dead body is Lois'. As Darkseid places his hand on Superman's shoulder, we see something in his eyes just go out and you just know Superman has succumbed to Anti-Life.
• Clark is brought back to life, only to lose control of his Super-Senses and go berserk. None of the powered members of the Justice League can stop him, so Batman tries pleading with him, which also doesn't work. You can tell from the tremors in Batman's voice that he's fully aware he's going to die in this moment.
  • Superman's death in the last film was partially due to Batman's xenophobia and paranoia driving him to antagonize Superman, something that Batman is clearly angry at himself for. So when he sees Superman ready to blast him, one gets the sense that Bruce's fear is due to him realizing how deeply he's messed things up.
• Victor/Cyborg witnessing his father being unmade by the Mother Box. Silas gives his son a final apologetic look as he resigns himself to his fate, and Victor sheds a tear.
  • Upon arriving to the aftermath and learning what had happened, Arthur pins the blame on himself and the others for Silas' fate. Granted, it turns out Silas actually expected to not come out alive, but still.
• Mixed with Heartwarming, this line from Barry as he's running faster than the speed of light to undo the Unity:
  "Dad, whatever happens now, I just want you to know - your kid was one of them, Dad. One of the best of the best."
• Thanks to Steppenwolf's lies, by the end of the film, Diana still hasn't learned that her mother is still alive. She is seen looking mournfully at the direction of Themyscira, holding the Arrow of Artemis.
• Arthur meets up with Vulko and Mera one more time, but apologetically tells them he needs to see his dad. Vulko leaves resigned to this, but Mera stays behind and watches Arthur ride off into the horizon, not sure when or even if they'll ever meet again.
• The implications of the new Knightmare sequence. It seems like no matter what the Justice League does, they're fated to eventually fail against Darkseid through some kind of slip-up.
  • Then Bruce wakes up after dreaming of Superman coming after him again. Despite befriending the Man of Steel, it seems like some part of Bruce will always be afraid of him. His saddened reaction shows that he feels guilty for suffering bouts of paranoia.
  • Mera asking if Bruce even knew what it felt like losing someone you love. As the Joker puts it, he did, three times over.
  • Batman and Joker's conversation has a few of these sprinkled throughout.
    • First of all, it's revealed in this glimpse of the Bad Future that Harley died, with Bruce carrying her in her last moments. According to him, she made him promise her to kill the Joker while she bled to death, and it's a vow he promises to make good on when the time comes.
    • We also get a little Call-Back to Robin's death as was shown back in Dawn of Justice. The Joker asks Batman "why [he] sent a Boy Wonder to do a man's job", which clearly touches several raw nerves with Bruce, given how this was his other deepest personal shame.
    • The Joker's reaction when Bruce mentions Harley. He freezes up and doesn't make a comeback line, instead muttering "You almost had me". Considering their relationship in Suicide Squad, it's clear that he still has not gotten over her death. Especially since the way Bruce prefaces the line implies that the Joker loved Harley.
• "For Autumn."

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