Justice League: How the Snyder Cut Improves The Look of Aquaman’s Costume

Among all the improvements that Zack Snyder’s Justice League will showcase, Aquaman’s Atlantean costume is one of the most subtle. Not only will Zack Snyder’s version of the movie improve the overall look of the movie, bringing it in-line with the director’s original vision, but it will also improve the look of each individual character.

Aquaman wasn’t as unlucky as his fellow Justice League members in the theatrical cut of the movie, such as Superman, who lost his planned black suit, but it still didn’t do his armor justice. Besides the visible differences between Zack Snyder’s original footage and Joss Whedon’s reshoots, the color grading of the whole film made the colors of Aquaman’s suit appear duller. His first armor is naturally darker than his traditional comics costume to begin with, so the low-contrast environment around him caused it to blend in and get lost for most of the Justice League theatrical cut.

As seen in the Zack Snyder’s Justice League trailer, Aquaman’s armor will have a subtle shine and more evident golden highlights. This might sound like a minimal detail, but the change is actually important for Arthur Curry Jr.’s character arc, as he starts his journey as an official superhero in Justice League before the events of James Wan’s Aquaman solo film, where he dons his majestic golden armor. Therefore, the golden accents in Zack Snyder’s Justice League serve as a hint at Aquaman’s classic costume and its significance to Atlantean royalty. Besides, the dark green and gold scales have to pop more to keep the armor from looking like a black jumpsuit.

These little details really accentuate the physique and imposing presence of the Justice League heroes, especially Jason Momoa, who’s known for his strong, rugged look.  Zack Snyder’s style is typically dark, but it also enhances certain colors to bring the vibrant style of comic books to life, as seen in his 2009 adaptation of Watchmen. A more balanced color grading in Zack Snyder’s Justice League shows the contrast between the apocalyptic events of Justice League‘s Knightmare future and the more lighthearted plots of the following solo installments, such as Wonder Woman 1984 and Aquaman.

Superman’s black suit is a symbol of Kal-El’s rebirth as much as the rebirth of Zack Snyder’s creative vision, but it won’t be the only one. Aside from Aquaman’s armor, Cyborg will use his faceplate and other more complex body modifications, the Parademons will be more varied, and Willem Dafoe’s Vulko will appear in new footage with a different hairstyle and the Atlantean armor, which he wears before passing it on to Aquaman. Yet, all of these additions only scratch the surface of what Zack Snyder’s Justice League will bring to the table.