Why Snyder Cut Superman & The Flash’s Justice League Post-Credits Scene

2017’s Justice League had a post-credits scene featuring The Flash and Superman, but it isn’t in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. To say that the Snyder Cut and the 2017 version of the Justice League are different films is a massive understatement. After Snyder had to step down towards the end of the original production after his daughter Autumn died by suicide, Warner Bros. brought in Joss Whedon to retool the film as they didn’t agree with the director’s initial story. When the Whedon cut made it to theaters, it became clear as day that this was no longer the same movie that Snyder had originally conceived. Multiple characters were removed while others had to do reshoots that benefited what Warner Bros. thought they wanted.

The 4-hour rendition on HBO Max, which restores Snyder’s Justice League, ends with a cliffhanger that would lead into sequels. The theatrical cut’s climax is as conclusive as it could possibly be, but it does also include a post-credits scene, albeit not one setting up the future, but instead featuring Henry Cavill and Ezra Miller as Superman and The Flash. After having stopped Steppenwolf, Barry and Clark meet together and are suited up to determine an important question: who is faster, the Scarlet Speedster or the Man of Steel?

As the two heroes get ready to have a friendly race, it serves as a nod to when Barry and Clark went up against each other in Superman #199, released in August 1967. Regardless if it was enjoyable or not, the race is never seen in Zack Snyder’s Justice League for a few reasons. For starters, this post-credits scene was completely something Whedon added into the reshoots after Snyder’s departure. Snyder was always clear that anything Whedon shot would not be included in his 4-hour version. Not only has Snyder still not seen Whedon’s Justice League, but the filmmaker has been vocal about not wanting anything to do with that movie, even going as far as wanting to “wipe that version out of existence.”

Even if Snyder had shot that scene himself, however, a race between Superman and The Flash wouldn’t have meshed well with the Snyder Cut due to its tone and actual ending. It would have been bizarre to include that moment after Bruce had seen another Knightmare vision as part of the Epilogue, and there’s little room for it anyway.

Towards the end of his vision, Bruce – along with Barry and the remaining warriors – are discovered by Superman, who has now succumbed to Darkseid through the Anti-Life Equation. There is no version of Zack Snyder’s Justice League where that friendly race would have worked at all. Even if it’s a fun comic book moment, it would be illogical to have it in this story when the Justice League is just beginning with Darkseid still looming out there as a coming threat. It would actually be more rewarding if Snyder got to make that moment happen in a Zack Snyder’s Justice League sequel where he could decide the context and execution that would fit into his concept.

About The Author

Andy Behbakht
(1041 Articles Published)

Andy is a senior writer at Screen Rant as he has covered the world of entertainment journalism since 2010, including superhero/comic book media. In addition to his work as a reporter, Andy co-hosts The Flash Podcast while running and producing the entire DC TV Podcasts network. He is also the founder/editor-in-chief of The Marvel Report since Fall 2015. Andy has previously written for sites such as FanSided, KSiteTV, TV Fanatic, It’s Just Movies, Heroic Hollywood, TV Overmind, and more.

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