Director Zack Snyder has gone on record to say that the finished cut of Justice League wasn’t even close to what he imagined when he signed on to the film. It’s no secret that Avengers director Joss Whedon rewrote, retooled, and reshot a large majority of the movie after Snyder stepped down for personal reasons, and fans have been begging Warner Bros. for a look at his original take since its paltry opening weekend.
As demand for the release of the mythical Snyder Cut of the movie grows online, the director continues to fan the flame by releasing images of completely new and excised scenes on social media, the latest of which hints at a major character death.
The black and white still frame, posted to Snyder’s Vero account with the caption “You would also cry,” finds Ray Fisher’s Cyborg watching on in horror as his father, Dr. Silas Stone, is seemingly obliterated before his very eyes.
Rumors swirled during production that the elder Stone wouldn’t make it out of the film alive, his death rippling into Cyborg’s own solo movie. However, after the negative critical and fan reaction to the dreary Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros. specifically brought Whedon on board to lighten up the tone of Justice League. A scene where a college-aged accident victim has to watch his father die in front of him is the very definition of bleak, so it’s no wonder it was reworked into a happier conclusion.
Moving forward, it’s unlikely that we’ll see any more of Ray Fisher’s Cyborg in the DCEU, as his solo feature has been canceled and the actor’s contract expires at the end of the month. This might not be a huge loss, as somehow the half-man/half-machine was one of the least memorable parts of a completely forgettable film, but it’s unfortunate that the character was so widely snubbed in the first place. While killing off his father may have been dark, it also could’ve given Cyborg a larger presence in the movie.
At the moment, it’s uncertain if we’ll ever get to see the Synder Cut of Justice League, but as long as Zack Snyder keeps posting these images online, fans will surely keep clamoring.