Zack Snyder recently discussed the ending of his director's cut of "Justice League" at a Q&A at SnyderCon, in particular the scene with Jared Leto's Joker during the Knightmare sequence. The Q&A took place after a screening of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice".
During the scene, which features a post-apocalyptic world, the Joker confronts Batman, telling him, "You need me." Snyder explains what could be happening, saying, "Our theory is that he's the one who knows where the Kryptonite, what shards of Kryptonite exist. He has that information. And so he's being carried…he has basically made a deal with Batman. Don't kill me, and I'll show you, I'll get you a tool to fight Superman. And so [Batman's] kind of stuck with him, in that way. If he kills him, or gets rid of him, then he's screwed himself."
Also brought up in the Q&A was the death of Batman's sidekick, Robin.
"At that point, [Batman's] real vulnerability was Robin. What's obvious is that The Joker understood that. And all I'll say is that-I think I've talked about this a little bit. Clearly, he blew him up. Or it looks like he burned/scorched him." He added, "I think beyond that, I really don't want to say the actual circumstances because I feel like it's a spoiler for maybe a thing that may never be spoiled. We should wait to see, don't you think? A little bit," said Snyder.
The Snyder Cut, which was released on HBO Max in March 2021, had a runtime of four hours, making it a much longer film than the original theatrical release. However, Snyder used this additional time to expand on the storyline, adding more depth and complexity to the characters and their relationships. The film also explored the themes of loss, grief, and redemption, which were central to Snyder's vision for the film.
One of the most significant changes in the Snyder Cut was the expanded role of Cyborg, played by Ray Fisher. In the theatrical release, Cyborg's character was given limited screen time and was not fully developed. However, in the Snyder Cut, his backstory and motivations were explored in much greater detail, making him one of the central characters of the film.
Another notable addition to the Snyder Cut was the character of Martian Manhunter, played by Harry Lennix. The character had appeared in previous DC Comics adaptations but had never been included in a live-action film before. His inclusion in the Snyder Cut hinted at the possibility of future appearances in the DC Extended Universe.
The Snyder Cut also included the aforementioned extended epilogue that featured the return of Jared Leto's Joker, who had not appeared in the original theatrical release. The scene was set in a post-apocalyptic future and teased the possibility of a future storyline featuring the characters of Batman and Joker.
