History Film / ZackSnydersJusticeLeague

* AvengersAssemble: More detail is given to the difficulties of bringing these heroes together, which Bruce bears the brunt of the responsibility and initiative. Being the TeamNormal he views this as his only real worthwhile contribution, with some implication that [[HeroicSacrifice he expects to die in the oncoming battle]] but is [[FlingALightIntoTheFuture satisfied that he brought them together to go forward from there]].

** In the theatrical cut, Lois comes to the memorial where Superman is freaking out because Batman sent Alfred to collect her to calm Clark down. In this version it's a coincidence that she visits every day, and Martha Kent [[spoiler: (Martian Manhunter in disguise)]] has independently told her to get over his death and come back to work, meaning this was the last day that the meeting could happen.

A [[DeliberatelyMonochrome black-and-white]] version of the movie (referred to as the ''Justice is Gray'' edition) was released on HBO Max on March 25, 2021. A limited Creator/{{IMAX}} RoadshowTheatricalRelease happened in selected US cities for charity purposes, with the money going to the [[UsefulNotes/{{Suicide}} American Foundation for Suicide Prevention]], which Snyder and supporters of the film's fan campaign backed since Snyder's daughter Autumn died by suicide in 2017, which led him to step down from working on the theatrical version.

Snyder has expressed interest in continuing the story in some way afterward; the film was initially conceived as the third chapter in a five-chapter MythArc. However, he made no promises, as he's noted that he's grateful that he got the opportunity to finish his movie in the first place. He also mentioned that whether or not he can do more with Creator/DCComics intellectual properties isn't solely up to him -- rather, it's up to those with the rights to adapt the DC Comics IP, Creator/WarnerBros, who are so far not interested in adapting his stories for the other two movies in his intended arc, the intended spin-offs tied to those movies, or partake in a similar effort to restore Creator/DavidAyer's original version of ''Film/{{Suicide Squad|2016}}'' (another notorious victim of ExecutiveMeddling with a reworked story and much never-seen-before footage that was scrapped from its theatrical version). You can read up details on what the sequel's story would have been [[Script/JusticeLeague2 here]].

** ZigZagged. Creator/ZackSnyder himself claims that this film is not part of the DC Extended Universe canon. However, Creator/JamesWan has said that ''Film/Aquaman2018'' is based on what happened in this version of Justice League. While Warner Bros has declared the theatrical version to be canon for the other films that took place after this one in-universe, the only real callback has been Superman's cameo in ''Film/Shazam2019'', so it's feasible that this could change.

* AccentAdaptation: In the theatrical cut, Creator/AmberHeard uses a standard American accent for the Atlantean Mera. In this version, Heard puts on a British accent. Oddly enough, you can hear her slip between the two accents in the theatrical version, denoting which lines were reshoots. However, if Creator/JamesWan's and Creator/JasonMomoa's claims that ''Film/{{Aquaman}}'' expressly follows this cut indeed [[{{Pun}} hold water]], it's unknown why Mera seemingly dropped it a year later.

** When Superman punches Flash and he falls near the memorials, one of the dead people's name is [[Franchise/SpiderMan Ben Parker]]. This is [[FreezeFrameBonus visible only for a split second]].

*** The League itself serves as something of a [[FamilyOfChoice "found family"]] for each member. Everyone is [[HurtingHero hurt]], [[BreakTheBadass broken]], or otherwise feel lost in the world, either because their powers make them feel like outcasts among the rest of humanity or simply going through innumerable tragedies and hardships that left them feeling like they had to close themselves off from others to not get hurt again. By forming the Justice League and overcoming struggles together, everyone finds a kindred spirit in one another and they know now that they're not alone.

'''Bruce Wayne:''' I don't care how many demons he's fought in how many hells -- he's never fought us. Not us united.

* RaceAgainstTheClock: Once Steppenwolf manages to gather the three Mother Boxes, he starts completing the Unity with them and the Justice League doesn't have much time to stop him. [[spoiler:They fail at first, but thankfully Flash is able to undo it via Speed Force TimeTravel.]]

** [[spoiler:The Martha Kent who has just had a heartfelt conversation with Lois about Clark exists the room and transforms into Calvin Swannick... who then shapeshifts into the ComicBook/MartianManhunter.]]

* WhamShot: [[spoiler:The shot of the Anti-Life Equation carved into the surface of Earth.]]

* WalkingSpoiler: When Victor enters the Unity and sees his family (not only his mother and father but himself, we know that the trio is actually ''not'' his family, but the mother boxes speaking to him. The subtitles give it away when identifying the pre-Cyborg Victor as "Mother Box as Victor".

* DoomsdayDevice: [[spoiler:Once completed by Steppenwolf, the Unity of the Mother Boxes detonates, and the blast is powerful enough to disintegrate everything in its path, even a half-goddess and a ''Kryptonian'']].

* {{Elseworld}}: One of the hurdles to getting the movie made was an issue surrounding how the film impacts the DCEU slate, which has changed significantly from when it was first made. As such Snyder agreed to view the movie as a separate incarnation from what the theatrical cut did and any movies that were/are in the pipeline. That said, the only outright ContinuitySnarl with future movies is Arthur having hostile [[MissingMom feelings towards his mother leaving him,]] while in ''Film/{{Aquaman}}'' he [[MommasBoy idolizes his mother]], a contradiction already present in and retained from the theatrical version of ''Justice League''.

The movie is not a conventional [[ReCut director's cut]] in the sense of including a few {{Deleted Scene}}s in the home video. As suggested by the title, ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'' is a ground-up rebuilding of the original movie Snyder was trying to make. As such, the many changes that occurred for the theatrical release -- between extensive reshoots filmed by Creator/JossWhedon, significant amounts of editing removing numerous subplots and backstories, and other results of ExecutiveMeddling from the studio -- are functionally gone, with the sheer volume of changes effectively rendering the theatrical version as a completely separate film. Without the constraints of a traditional theatrical release, the movie expands the story and numerous subplots to clock in at a length of 243 minutes (4 hours and 3 minutes).[[note]]Snyder confirmed that his original director's cut of the film clocked in at 214 minutes (3 hr 34 min), so the finished movie is about an extra half-hour longer, and about double the length of the theatrical version. The new footage comes from both additional photography and content from the original assembly cut of the film, which Snyder has said was nearly five hours in length.[[/note]] To account for that length, the film is divided into six [[ActBreak titled chapters]] and an epilogue so that viewers may approach it as a MiniSeries if they so choose (an {{intermission}} was added for the film's few theatrical presentations).

A [[DeliberatelyMonochrome black and white]] version of the movie (referred to as the ''Justice is Gray'' edition) was released on HBO Max on March 25, 2021. A limited Creator/{{IMAX}} RoadshowTheatricalRelease happened in selected US cities for charity purposes, with the money going to the [[UsefulNotes/{{Suicide}} American Foundation for Suicide Prevention]], which Snyder and supporters of the film's fan campaign backed since Snyder's daughter died by suicide in 2017, which led him to step down from working on the theatrical version.