There seems to be something about superhero movies that inspire alternate cuts. One of the biggest stories of the year in film is the announcement that the fans won and Zack Snyder’s version of Justice League will indeed see the light of day. However, this seems to be a trend for the genre.
Snyder is not the first director to get the opportunity to recut his movie (although he has been making a habit of it). Several superhero films from the DC and Marvel world have other versions floating around out there. Some have been made available to fans and some have not. Some have been improvements, and some have not. But it is an interesting look at how much these films can change in the editing room.
Superman II (1980)
Richard Donner’s first Superman film is still revered as one of the most beloved superhero films of all time. Some fans might not be aware that Donner was actually shooting Superman and Superman II back-to-back until the sequel was taken out of his control by the producers.
Much of the cast was upset by the mistreatment of Donner and Gene Hackman refused to participate in reshoots for his role as Lex Luthor. Years later, Margot Kidder revealed that Donner had shot a significant portion of the film before being fired and the footage still existed. After a fan campaign, the studio released the footage for what became known as Superman II: The Donner Cut.
Justice League (2017)
DC’s most iconic heroes were set to team up for the epic Justice League movie fans had been waiting for. Before production had wrapped on the film, director Zack Snyder left the project and was replaced by Joss Whedon who reshot a reportedly lighter version of the film.
After fans were disappointed with the lackluster theatrical cut, there soon began a very vocal campaign for Snyder’s version to be released. Earlier this year, the studio caved to fan demand and revealed Justice League: The Snyder Cut would be released in early 2021. The film is said to be a much more epic film that introduced Darkseid as the big bad.
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
After Sam Raimi delivered two hugely popular and acclaimed Spider-Man films, Spider-Man 3 was a disappointing end to the trilogy for many fans. With too many villains, ridiculous plot contrivances, and a goofy tone, it all felt wrong.
While Raimi never returned to the film, an Editor’s Cut was eventually released which many felt was a big improvement. It cut out some of the ridiculous moments, added some emotional scenes, and helped sell a darker tone which felt more appropriate.
Deadpool 2 (2018)
Many fans thought a hero like Deadpool would never make it to the big screen. But his R-rated, fourth-wall-breaking solo film proved to be a big hit in 2016 and the sequel in 2018 was another big winner.
However, the studio seemed to realize the R-rating was preventing them from cashing in one the youngest superhero films and so Once Upon a Deadpool was made. The film was a recut of Deadpool 2 to make it more appropriate for younger audiences. Unsurprisingly, it was largely criticized as a needless and obvious cash-grab.
The Wolverine (2013)
Before Logan brought the character of Wolverine to a brutal and emotional end, James Mangold attempted to bring some of the fierceness of the character to the big screen in The Wolverine. The film found Logan traveling to Japan and getting caught up in a gang war.
The theatrical cut of the film was a more intense version of the character than fans had seen up until that point, but many felt it didn’t go far enough. Mangold soon confirmed an R-rated version existed. While this cut didn’t fix the film’s story issues, it was a more brutal adventure.
Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016)
As it turns out, Zack Snyder is a big fan of director’s cuts. His lead up to Justice League teased the long-awaited face-off of Batman and Superman following the events of Man of Steel. The film was panned upon its release for being a messy, dark film that focused too much on setting up future films.
Following the negative reaction to the film, Snyder quickly began releasing deleted scenes and imagines that teased a more expansive story, including the introduction of Steppenwolf.
The Incredible Hulk
The MCU has earned a lot of acclaim for their collection of movies, but one noticeable misstep early in the experiment was The Incredible Hulk. The film starred Edward Norton as Bruce Banner in the film that was meant to kick off his involvement in the MCU.
While no director’s cut has been released, Norton confirmed he envisioned a darker take similar to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. The film was said to dive deeper into Banner’s torture mind including the infamous suicide attempt deleted scene.
Suicide Squad (2016)
Following the poor reaction to Batman V Superman, Suicide Squad was seen as a film that could potentially inject some fun into the DECU. However, the film about supervillains teaming up to save the world was panned and seen as another misstep for the shared DC universe.
Reports suggested the company that edited the memorable trailers for the film was brought in to edit a less dark approach than what David Ayer envisioned, which also included eliminating much of Jared Leto’s Joker from the film. Since the Snyder Cut announcement, Ayer seems to be attempting to get a similar movement going for him version.
Watchmen (2009)
For Snyder’s first DC comics adaptation, he took on one of the most acclaimed graphic novels of all time. Watchmen had long been in development before Snyder came onboard. The theatrical release of Watchmen was met with a mixed response with many suggesting Snyder was faithful to the comic in style, but not in substance.
The director’s cut reinstated aspects of the comics that had been cut out and most people saw it as a vast improvement. However, others felt it confirmed Snyder was not the right filmmaker to handle the story’s satire.
Daredevil (2003)
Before he donned the famous cape and cowl of Batman, Ben Affleck tried his hand at another iconic superhero in Daredevil. The film was a modest hit but fans felt it took a character with a dark and interesting history in the comics and tried to make him Spider-Man.
The much longer director’s cut seemed to recognize the need for a darker take on the character. While the film is still flawed, this version took time with the story and the characters to make it a much more compelling film rather than a throwaway superhero story.
