History Trivia / JusticeLeague2017

* BoxOfficeBomb: With a budget estimated at $300 million ($500 million counting marketing, interest expense, and residuals) ''Justice League'' is among the most expensive movies ever made,[[note]]Its production budget alone is around twice what is typical for big superhero movies. ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'', ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'', ''Film/XMenApocalypse,'' and ''Film/{{Suicide Squad|2016}}'' all came out within a year of it, and their budgets varied between $149 and $178 million.[[/note]] and so needed to gross a massive amount just to break even ($750 million at the highest estimate, $650 million at the lowest). It opened in a surprisingly competitive season on the release calendar[[note]]The film adaptation ''Literature/Wonder2012'' opened at the same time and proved to be an incredibly strong family film (giving parents a much gentler option to take their children to) and the much better received ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' was still in the middle of its own box office run, drawing away viewers. ''Series/ThePunisher2017'' and ''VideoGame/{{Star Wars Battlefront II|2017}}'' were also released on the same date, giving many comic book movie[=/=]TV[=/=]video game fans a reason to stay home instead. Disney-Pixar's ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'' opened a week later and blew all competition out of the water.[[/note]] and its opening domestic weekend of $93.8 million, likely due to negative publicity from ''Batman v Superman'' and ''Suicide Squad'' and its notoriously {{troubled production}}, was only about half of the former and the lowest of any DCEU film thus far, combined with a lackluster promotional campaign and another critical backlash after a long embargo. [[https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2017/11/20/warner-bros-faces-a-possible-50m-to-100m-loss-on-justice-league/#5e80a1e25d8b Industry]] [[https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2017/12/12/justice-league-is-the-biggest-grossing-box-office-bomb-ever/#30898c6f7942 analysts]] predicted a $50 to $100 million net loss for Warner Brothers. The film has earned the [[MedalOfDishonor dubious title]] of [[https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2017/12/12/justice-league-is-the-biggest-grossing-box-office-bomb-ever/#62f3eb9b7942 "the most successful box office bomb ever"]], as while its gross ($658 million) would be a nice success for a standard summer blockbuster with a production budget in the $140-180 million range, the power of the Batman and Superman brands plus the [[TroubledProduction extremely inflated]] budget due to mandated reshoots led to far, far higher expectations than what were ultimately fulfilled, leading to the loss.

** Creator/JossWhedon apparently wasn't happy with how Steppenwolf turned out, as he [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/joss-whedon-likes-tweets-criticizing-justice-league-villain-1058992 liked a tweet that called him "the worst comic book movie villain of all time"]]. Retrospectively, given how differently Steppenwolf is portrayed in ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'', Whedon didn't like the changes he ''[[CreatorsApathy himself]]'' applied to the character. [[note]]It should be noted that he had no control over his design, which was set in place before he was hired.[[/note]] In a 2022 interview, Whedon admitted that working on the film was [[https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwikmviev7n1AhUFZDUKHfvwCbgQFnoECAQQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vulture.com%2Farticle%2Fjoss-whedon-allegations.html&usg=AOvVaw1vW4CGB09SjVeYxwMfBfq1 one of the biggest regrets of his life.]]

** A number of people who worked on the film have expressed how disappointed they were that a large part of Snyder's work on the film was scrapped and replaced by Whedon's additions. Cinematographer Fabian Wagner has openly stated he was disappointed with how the theatrical cut turned out and has expressed his wish to see Creator/ZackSnyder's version of the film (he reportedly cried when watching the theatrical version, and they were ''not'' {{tears of joy}}). Ditto with Ben Affleck's stunt double Richard Cetrone, storyboard artist Jay Oliva, stuntman Nick [=McKinless=], production designer Creator/PatrickTatopoulos, photographer Clay Enos and actors Creator/JasonMomoa, Creator/RayFisher, Creator/JKSimmons and Creator/CiaranHinds, among others. They were joined by Creator/GalGadot and Creator/BenAffleck, who both tweeted "[=#ReleaseTheSnyderCut=]" on the second anniversary of the film's release date (they had remained utterly silent on the subject up to this point).
** Creator/ZackSnyder has gone on record to [[http://comicbook.com/dc/2018/02/28/zack-snyder-justice-league-superman-mustache-shade/ make jabs about how bad]] Henry Cavill's CGI-removed mustache looked (he didn't film said scenes) and the Russian family subplot was not part of his original cut ("Honestly, what Russian family?" was his response on that). He also admitted having never seen the version that was released in theaters. When talking about his upcoming Creator/{{Netflix}}-produced film ''Film/ArmyOfTheDead'', Snyder said that he "had no handcuffs on this one" / "the version you'll see will not be a bastardized one", no doubt referring to the ExecutiveMeddling he had to face on ''Justice League''. In May 2021, he revealed that, back in 2016, he had to shoot a scene with the League in a truck making quips while transporting Superman's coffin. He said it was "the worst thing I've ever seen", and didn't include it in his 2021 cut.

** Producer Deborah Snyder (Zack's wife and co-manager of their production company) and Executive Producer Creator/ChristopherNolan (a good personal friend of the Snyders) both advised Zack to never watch this cut of the film, with Mrs. Snyder saying she was sure that seeing how much of it was changed would "break his heart."

** Various other DCEU creative staff have expressed disappointment with how the production was handled and how the final movie turned out. This was partly because they developed their movies to pair with ''Justice League'' in an organic way only to see everything either get changed or removed altogether, and partly out of solidarity with Creator/ZackSnyder, who helped to get them hired and encouraged their vision. Creator/JamesWan and Creator/JasonMomoa have said ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}'' picks up where Snyder's original version of the film ended, while Creator/PattyJenkins said she barely recognized the characters who came from [[Film/WonderWoman2017 her movie]] (notably, Diana being more aggressive in the Whedon scenes).

** After Creator/ZackSnyder's daughter Autumn tragically committed suicide during post-production, he continued working on the film for about a month, but when reshoots were scheduled in England, he decided to step away from the project to spend time with his family. Creator/JossWhedon took over as director and scriptwriter for those sequences.

** Principal photography went smoothly for the most part. Then Snyder left in May 2017 following his adopted daughter Autumn committing suicide. WB execs brought in Creator/JossWhedon, who was already brought in to help with rewrites (given he struck gold making [[Film/TheAvengers2012 the Marvel equivalent]]), to reshape the movie according to their demands since they found the early cut Snyder turned in before his departure to be "unwatchable". Contrary to what they once claimed, they never did test screenings on Snyder's version, and some of the 2017 executives who attended a screening of Snyder's version in late 2019 leading up to its 2020 announcement admitted they never even ''watched'' it before ordering reshoots.

** The release date is the sixteenth anniversary of the first episode of the Franchise/{{DCAU}} ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' series.

** Creator/JossWhedon apparently wasn't happy with how Steppenwolf turned out, as he [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/joss-whedon-likes-tweets-criticizing-justice-league-villain-1058992 liked a tweet that called him "the worst comic book movie villain of all time"]]. Retrospectively, given how differently Steppenwolf is portrayed in ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'', Whedon didn't like the changes he ''[[CreatorsApathy himself]]'' applied to the character. [[note]]It should be noted that he had no control over his design, which was set in place before he was hired.[[/note]]

* OldShame: In a 2022 interview, Joss Whedon admitted that working on the film was [[https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwikmviev7n1AhUFZDUKHfvwCbgQFnoECAQQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vulture.com%2Farticle%2Fjoss-whedon-allegations.html&usg=AOvVaw1vW4CGB09SjVeYxwMfBfq1 one of the biggest regrets of his life.]]

** On October 5, 2019, Snyder shared the storyboard of a scene involving Comicbook/MartianManhunter, and revealed that he was Calvin Swanwick (Creator/HarryLennix) all along. A number of people theorized this ever since Swanwick appeared in ''Film/ManOfSteel'' and ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice''.

* MilestoneCelebration: 2017 is the centennial of Creator/JackKirby's birth, and the Comicbook/NewGods / Fourth World series makes their cinematic premiere in this film (Steppenwolf, the Parademons and the Mother Boxes are all his creations). This would make ''Film/JusticeLeague2017'' ''the fifth''[[note]] after ''Film/{{Logan}}'' (Professor X, the X-Men, and mutants), ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'' (Groot and Ego the Living Planet), ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' (Iron Man) and ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' (Thor and the Hulk)[[/note]] and last superhero film in the same year to feature Kirby's creations and co-creations, and the only one from DC Comics. Fittingly, the film came out two weeks after ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', and Kirby often mentioned that he envisioned the Fourth World as the SpiritualSuccessor to his work on ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor''.

* RoleReprise: The Brazilian Portuguese dub has Marcos Souza as Cyborg, like in ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', and Ricardo Schnetzer as Slade Wilson, following ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' and ''Series/{{Arrow}}''.

** A storyboard sequence featuring the conversation between Lois and Martha showed that once Lois left the room, Martha [[spoiler: was going to be revealed as Comicbook/MartianManhunter in disguise, who would then morph into General Swanwick.]]

** In a [[https://www.instagram.com/p/BglGdfyFRri/?hl=en&taken-by=henrycavill video]] where he announced the shaving of his infamously troublesome mustache, Creator/HenryCavill assured everyone that what they're seeing isn't CGI. The notorious screenshot of his UncannyValley mouth also flashed in the ending montage. In November 2019, he stated that "''Justice League'' didn't work".

* BoxOfficeBomb: With a budget estimated at $300 million ($500 million counting marketing, interest expense, and residuals) ''Justice League'' is among the most expensive movies ever made,[[note]]Its production budget alone is around twice what is typical for big superhero movies. ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'', ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'', ''Film/XMenApocalypse,'' and ''Film/{{Suicide Squad|2016}}'' all came out within a year of it, and their budgets varied between $149 and $178 million.[[/note]] and so needed to gross a massive amount just to break even ($750 million at the highest estimate, $650 million at the lowest). It opened in a surprisingly competitive season on the release calendar[[note]]The film adaptation ''Literature/Wonder2012'' opened at the same time and proved to be an incredibly strong family film (giving parents a much gentler option to take their children to) and the much better received ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' was still in the middle of its own box office run, drawing away viewers. ''Series/ThePunisher2017'' and ''VideoGame/{{Star Wars Battlefront II|2017}}'' were also released on the same date, giving many comic book movie[=/=]TV[=/=]video game fans a reason to stay home instead. Disney-Pixar's ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'' opened a week later and blew all competition out of the water.[[/note]] and its opening domestic weekend of $93.8 million, likely due to negative publicity from ''Batman v Superman'' and ''Suicide Squad'' and its notoriously {{troubled production}}, was only about half of the former and the lowest of any DCEU film thus far, combined with a lackluster promotional campaign and another critical backlash after a long embargo. [[https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2017/11/20/warner-bros-faces-a-possible-50m-to-100m-loss-on-justice-league/#5e80a1e25d8b Industry]] [[https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2017/12/12/justice-league-is-the-biggest-grossing-box-office-bomb-ever/#30898c6f7942 analysts]] predicted a $50 to $100 million net loss for Warner Brothers. The film has earned the [[MedalOfDishonor dubious title]] of [[https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2017/12/12/justice-league-is-the-biggest-grossing-box-office-bomb-ever/#62f3eb9b7942 "the most successful box office bomb ever"]], as while its gross ($658 million) would be a nice success for a standard summer blockbuster with a production budget in the $140-180 million range, the power of the Batman and Superman brands plus the [[TroubledProduction extremely inflated]] budget due to mandated reshoots led to far, far higher expectations than what were ultimately fulfilled, leading to the loss.
* ChristmasRushed: The movie was originally on track for its release date, but the absurd amount of problems that were induced by the [[ExecutiveMeddling mandated reshoots]] and hasty "course-correcting" while Zack Snyder's post-production was underway for several months (he finished principal photography in October 2016 and stepped away from post-production in May 2017, reshoots/shootings of new scenes couldn't start until July 2017 and the film was due to release in November of that year, to give an idea of the rush), as outlined under the TroubledProduction section, resulted in a theatrically-released film that had [[SpecialEffectFailure botched special effects work]]. In fact, pushing back the film's release date was discussed, but studio executives forced the production to stick with the original release date (rumor has it they did because they had lucrative bonuses on the line). In comparison, ''Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice'' was pushed back nearly a year and was completed at least 6 months in advance, ''Wonder Woman'' had a similar leisurely post-production, and ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}'''s release was moved from July 2018 to October then December due to the extensive special effects work that was needed on it.

* AwesomeDearBoy: Ezra Miller was vocal from the start about how excited they were to play The Flash.

** Deborah Snyder and Creator/ChristopherNolan (credited as producer and executive producer, respectively) both advised Zack Snyder to never watch this cut of the film, with Mrs. Snyder saying she was sure that seeing how much of it was changed would "break his heart."

** Due to the backlash against ''Batman v. Superman'', WB exerted much more control this time. This included a [[http://collider.com/justice-league-runtime-budget-revealed/ mandatory]] runtime of under two hours (despite Snyder's previous two DC movies being longer than 2 hours, and such runtime being common in superhero films[[note]]''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' for instance had a run time of 2 hours and 13 minutes[[/note]]) and making sure that the tone was lighter and less depressing, even though Snyder maintains the latter was always part of his plan. He pointed out that it was always going to be light-hearted since Flash was going to be in the team, although the humor that was eventually added to the film clearly has Joss Whedon's thumbprint.

** In mid-2017, Warner Bros. producer and executive Toby Emmerich pretended that Creator/JossWhedon would only direct minor reshoots and would finish the film according to Zack Snyder's vision. The reshoots were actually extensive, and comparing the 2017 theatrical version and Snyder's 2021 version is quite telling about the differences between what Snyder intended and the finished 2017 product.

** Principal photography went smoothly for the most part. Then Snyder left in May 2017 following his adopted daughter Autumn committing suicide. WB execs brought in Creator/JossWhedon, who had already been doing rewrites (given he struck gold making [[Film/TheAvengers2012 the Marvel equivalent]]), to reshape the movie according to their demands since they found the early cut Snyder turned in before his departure to be "unwatchable". Contrary to what they once claimed, they never did test screenings on Snyder's version, and some of the 2017 executives who attended a screening of Snyder's version in late 2019 leading up to its 2020 announcement admitted they never even ''watched'' it before ordering reshoots.

** There's also the Arrowverse crossover: ''Series/CrisisOnEarthX''. The Nazi Regime of Earth-X mounts an attempted invasion of Earth-1 and the heroes of [[Series/TheFlash2014 Team Flash]], [[Series/{{Arrow}} Team Arrow]], [[Series/LegendsOfTomorrow The Legends]], plus heroes from [[Series/Supergirl2015 Earth-38]] and one [[WesternAnimation/FreedomFightersTheRay hero from Earth-X - the Ray]] unite to stop them. While the crossover had its own flaws (mainly regarding RomanticPlotTumor and EndingAversion), it was overall ''far'' better received than ''Justice League''.

** Zack Snyder has said that Bruce was supposed to gift Barry with a new, more professional looking costume at the end of the film. However, the suit itself would not have been shown, as to allow the creative team of ''Film/TheFlash2022'' to reveal the new costume themselves.

* CreatorKiller:
** Creator/GeoffJohns and Jon Berg had time to greenlight ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}'', ''[[Film/Shazam2019 SHAZAM!]]'', and ''Film/WonderWoman1984'', but the critical and financial failure of ''Justice League'' got them removed from the head of Creator/DCFilms. Johns' career as a comic book creator has remained unaffected, however, and he went on to showrun ''Series/{{Stargirl|2020}}'' to better success while Berg went on to be the head of the production company Stampede Ventures.
** Creator/JossWhedon's career was hit even harder by the fallout of this movie's infamously TroubledProduction and critical/financial failure, as the ''many'' allegations of abusive behavior brought up against him by former colleagues and collaborators (most notably Creator/CharismaCarpenter) in the aftermath of Ray Fisher and Gal Gadot speaking out on his abusive behavior during his tenure as the replacement director all left a big dark stain on his reputation that many believe will be much harder to recover from, especially since these actions led to [[https://jezebel.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-joss-whedon-and-the-myth-of-the-h-1846288271 a reevaluation of his previous projects, career, and legacy]].

** In general, ''Justice League'' and [[OvershadowedByControversy the fallout]] from its infamously and deeply TroubledProduction left a dark stain on Creator/JossWhedon's career. He was initially brought on as a co-writer and was then appointed to replace the original director Creator/ZackSnyder after Snyder left shortly into post-production due to a family tragedy that left him [[CreatorBreakdown unable to deal with]] the [[ExecutiveMeddling studio heads]] anymore. Whedon oversaw rewrites and reshoots meant to incorporate [[LighterAndSofter a lighter tone and more humor]] into the movie, only for the resulting final product to be a critical and [[BoxOfficeBomb financial disappointment]] and an all-around embarrassment for everyone involved in its making, Whedon especially. This was further exacerbated by the "[=#ReleaseTheSnyderCut=]" movement from fans wanting to see the film closer to Snyder's original vision and stars Creator/RayFisher and Creator/GalGadot accusing Whedon of [[HostilityOnTheSet being abusive to the cast and crew members]], which snowballed into actors from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' and ''Series/{{Angel}}'' (especially Creator/CharismaCarpenter) speaking out about their own negative experiences with Whedon. He has not written or directed a film since. He did produce and write the first season of ''Series/TheNevers'' for Creator/{{HBO}}, but dropped out in November 2020 amidst Creator/WarnerMedia's investigation into the allegations surrounding ''Justice League'', and a show that he developed for Creator/{{Freeform}}, ''Pippa Smith: Grown-Up Detective'', ended up being scrapped at the same time. For many, the final nail in the coffin came with the 2021 release of the "Snyder Cut", otherwise known as ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'', which received much more positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, making Whedon's work on the 2017 theatrical cut (which has earned the derisive nickname "Josstice League") look even worse in retrospect.

** Creator/GeoffJohns and Jon Berg had time to greenlight ''[[Film/Shazam2019 SHAZAM!]]'' and ''Film/WonderWoman1984'', but the failure of ''Justice League'' got them removed from the head of Creator/DCFilms, though Johns' career as a comic book creator has remained unaffected by this and he went on to showrun ''Series/{{Stargirl|2020}}''.
** The negative reception of this movie (and the middling reception for ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' before it) as well as the ''many'' allegations of abusive behavior brought up against him left a pretty dark mark on Creator/JossWhedon's storied career to the point that he's reportedly been blacklisted from Hollywood.

** The negative reception of this movie (and the middling reception for ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' before it) as well as the ''many'' allegations of abusive behavior brought up against him left a pretty dark mark on Joss Whedon's storied career to the point that he's reportedly been blacklisted from Hollywood.

* HostilityOnTheSet: With regards to Joss Whedon's tenure as the replacement director. Ray Fisher has been especially vocal about his displeasure at having worked with Whedon, [[https://variety.com/2020/film/news/ray-fisher-joss-whedon-justice-league-1234695831/ accusing him of being unprofessional, abusive, and creating a toxic work environment]]. The fact that Jason Momoa, Gal Gadot (who herself had alleged that Whedon "threatened to ruin [her] career" and refused to film certain scenes for the reshoots, necessitating a body double to be used in them), and other actors who'd worked with Whedon on previous projects (particularly Franchise/BuffyVerse alumni Creator/CharismaCarpenter, Creator/SarahMichelleGellar, and Creator/MichelleTrachtenberg) openly expressed solidarity with Fisher only further backed up his claims. Fisher has also been harshly critical of the higher-ups in DC and Creator/WarnerMedia, especially Creator/GeoffJohns, [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/ray-fisher-opens-up-about-justice-league-joss-whedon-and-warners-i-dont-believe-some-of-these-people-are-fit-for-leadership accusing him of willfully ignoring and enabling Whedon's behavior]]. He also singled out Walter Hamada (who became head of Creator/DCFilms after the ''Justice League'' debacle), accusing him of covering Johns.

** Whedon oversaw multiple rewrites to the script (reportedly, over 80 pages of it were rewritten) and reshoots meant to bring in a [[LighterAndSofter brighter tone and more humor]]. This wound up almost entirely overhauling the film, scrapping large parts of Snyder's footage. Creator/RayFisher said only ''thirty seconds'' of his appearance in the 2017 film were shot under Snyder. This came at a high cost due to the nightmare of scheduling (reshoots started in July 2017, the film was due to release in ''November'' of that year) and development around four actors who were busy elsewhere (Creator/GalGadot was touring to promote ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'', Creator/EzraMiller was filming ''Film/FantasticBeastsTheCrimesOfGrindelwald'', Jason Momoa was filming ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}'' and Creator/HenryCavill was filming ''Film/MissionImpossibleFallout''), while having [[HostilityOnTheSet heightened animosity]] because of the stressful production and Joss Whedon's behavior. The conditions led to Creator/BenAffleck relapsing into alcoholism and giving up on a Batman solo movie.
** Several of these rewrites led to [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/amp/features/ray-fisher-opens-up-about-justice-league-joss-whedon-and-warners-i-dont-believe-some-of-these-people-are-fit-for-leadership?__twitter_impression=true conflicts with the actors]] - especially Fisher, who objected to the stark way much of his character's backstory was removed and the racial implications of some of the changes. A 2020 investigation on the film's production found out there were [[HostilityOnTheSet threats]] on the careers of some actors (namely Fisher and Creator/GalGadot) by Creator/GeoffJohns and Whedon respectively.

** In [[https://variety.com/2022/film/news/jeremy-irons-munich-netflix-snyder-cut-justice-league-neville-chamberlain-1235153798/ an interview]] with ''Variety'', Creator/JeremyIrons admitted that while he still hadn't seen the Snyder Cut version yet, he did agree that the theatrical cut was "dreadful".

* OldShame:
** In a 2022 interview, Joss Whedon admitted that working on the film was [[https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwikmviev7n1AhUFZDUKHfvwCbgQFnoECAQQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vulture.com%2Farticle%2Fjoss-whedon-allegations.html&usg=AOvVaw1vW4CGB09SjVeYxwMfBfq1 one of the biggest regrets of his life.]]
** Ben Affleck also called working on the film [[https://gamerant.com/ben-affleck-describes-working-justice-league-awful/ an "awful" experience.]]

--> It was really ''Justice League'' that was the nadir for me. That was a bad experience because of a confluence of things: my own life, my divorce, being away too much, the competing agendas and then Zack's personal tragedy and the reshooting. It just was the worst experience. It was awful. It was everything that I didn't like about this. That became the moment where I said, "I'm not doing this anymore". It's not even about, like, ''Justice League'' was so bad. Because it could have been anything.

** Ben Affleck also had a rough time from this movie due to the stress of the reshoots, which led to him relapsing back into alcoholism. He's since gotten clean, but it's clear he didn't enjoy his time with Whedon.

* FanNickname:
** "Josstice League" is used by many fans of the Snyder DC movies (and some people beyond) when they refer to this film due to the film being reshaped by Joss Whedon, and to differentiate it enough from the [[Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague director's cut]].
** [[{{Scandalgate}} "Mustache-gate"]] is the common name for how the facial hair Henry Cavill was contractually obligated to grow out for ''Film/MissionImpossibleFallout'' and [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DO26b1FUIAAG64R.jpg the botched CGI used for erasing it]] became the ''de facto'' symbols of everything that people felt went wrong with this cut of the movie.

** Samantha Win took umbrage with Steppenwolf telling the Amazons that he'll turn them into sex slaves, [[https://www.haberahali.com/gundem/zack-snyders-justice-league-19102.html finding it inappropriate for a movie that was advertised for kids]].

* DevelopmentGag: Possibly; In Snyder's version, the Mother Boxes are sentient and malevolent, while here they don't appear to be but Steppenwolf [[CompanionCube talks to them and treats them like they are]]. That said, it's hard to tell if this is intentional or just a by-product of Steppenwolf's AdaptationalPersonalityChange.

* OrphanedReference: In this version, Steppenwolf [[CompanionCube talking to the Mother Boxes]] just comes off as one of his quirks, while in Snyder's original version they actually ''are'' sentient and malevolent (although Steppenwolf doesn't talk with them there). Might also count as DevelopmentGag.

** Whedon oversaw multiple rewrites to the script (reportedly, over 80 pages of it were rewritten) and reshoots meant to bring in a [[LighterAndSofter brighter tone and more humor]]. This wound up almost entirely overhauling the film, scrapping large parts of Snyder's footage. Creator/RayFisher said only ''thirty seconds'' of his appearance in the 2017 film were shot under Snyder. This came at a high cost due to the nightmare of scheduling and development around four actors who were busy elsewhere (Creator/GalGadot was touring to promote ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'', Creator/EzraMiller was filming ''Film/FantasticBeastsTheCrimesOfGrindelwald'', Jason Momoa was filming ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}'' and Creator/HenryCavill was filming ''Film/MissionImpossibleFallout''), while having [[HostilityOnTheSet heightened animosity]] because of the stressful production and Joss Whedon's behavior. The conditions led to Creator/BenAffleck relapsing into alcoholism and giving up on a Batman solo movie.

** Executives refused to change the scheduled release date (see ChristmasRushed above), and post-production had the bonus of Creator/DannyElfman's score [[https://www.comicbookmovie.com/justice_league/danny-elfman-describes-justice-leagues-chaotic-production-had-to-score-storyboards-not-actual-footage-a155619 being hastily written]] based on ''storyboards'' instead of completed footage, and many effects not being up to snuff. In the case of the latter, the most infamous of these came in the form of the botched attempts to cover up Henry Cavill's facial hair, which he grew out for his role in ''Mission Impossible'' and wasn't allowed to shave off.