Man of Steel and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice may have told two stories that connected in a number of ways, but ever since then, the various entries in the DCEU have taken plenty of liberties with the mythology, so much so that the continuity has become increasingly muddled.
Patty Jenkins has avoided even trying to tie things together by positioning both of her Wonder Woman movies as prequels, while Shazam! is by far the most referential installment to have followed in the wake of the Justice League‘s theatrical release. And any mentions in Aquaman were fleeting at best as James Wan dove headfirst into his own expansive worldbuilding.
None of the franchise’s directors consider the original version of Justice League as official canon, and from the sounds of things, Zack Snyder isn’t exactly too fussed about his HBO Max exclusive slotting seamlessly into the timeline. The filmmaker admitted that his new spin on the story exists on the fringes of the DCEU, and it was most recently described as a cinematic cul-de-sac, indicating that it runs up one street but doesn’t end up going anywhere.
However, fans have already decided that the Snyder Cut is most definitely canon regardless of what the director has said, and you can check out some of what they’re saying below.
You want to #RestoreTheSnyderverse?
Watch the f#$% out of #ZackSnydersJusticeLeague next year!!!! pic.twitter.com/zcYBsfhtSN
— Chris Wong-Swenson⚡ (@pingpongflix) December 28, 2020
https://twitter.com/AdamofGotham/status/1343660009608065025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1343660009608065025%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Frestore-the-snyderverse-zack-snyders-justice-league-dceu-canon%2F
"Cul-de-sac"
Until it absolutely blows up the Internet, I don't think people understand how big this film can actually be or maybe they don't want it to be, I wouldn't get annoyed by that article I'd use it for motivation to make #ZackSnydersJusticeLeague even louder in March. pic.twitter.com/xLujYjtgMA
— MoviesThatMaher (@MoviesThatMaher) December 28, 2020
"Life is good, but it can be better"#ZackSnydersJusticeLeague #RestoreTheSnyderVerse pic.twitter.com/eBEgNPHn0C
— Chris Wong-Swenson⚡ (@pingpongflix) December 28, 2020
#ZackSnydersJusticeLeague Is canon. pic.twitter.com/8GFL5l0sb4
— Fran 🇪🇸 (@Dailter_Fran) December 28, 2020
#ZackSnydersJusticeLeague is canon.
Pass it on. pic.twitter.com/D7UYPfffUJ
— PiScEs27 AKA: Gandalf's Apprentice (@Josh2Gud4U) December 28, 2020
The fact that the DCEU has shot five movies since Justice League first hit theaters seems to make it clear that the Snyder Cut would require an awful lot more than four or five minutes of new footage to tie it directly into canon, and while it won’t kick off any new storylines for Batman, Wonder Woman or Superman, in the eyes of the fanbase, it’s already replaced Whedon’s infamous dud as part of the series.