Jon Stewart Was Cut From Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

The delay in getting Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice into theaters (it eventually came out almost a year after it was originally going to) seems to have cost one major American media figure his cameo.

Jon Stewart, who in addition to having a name that sounds like he should be a Green Lantern was also the longtime host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, appears as one of the many media pundits discussing Superman’s impact on the world in the Ultimate Cut of the film — about a half an hour longer than the theatrical cut, and just released on streaming services like Vudu, iTunes, and Amazon.

It seems likely that the ten-month delay between the film’s original planned release date and its eventual release in March of this year led to Stewart being cut. After all, he had a high-profile exit from The Daily Show in August of last year. Having him hosting the show in Batman v Superman would have immediately dated the film.

The oddest thing about it is that Stewart makes reference to something that doesn’t happen — even in the extended cut of the film — that Superman is “no longer American.” It almost sounds as though this isn’t in reference to the events of Batman v Superman, but an unused monologue from around the time of Action Comics #900, when Man of Steel writer David S. Goyer famously wrote a controversial backup story that featured Superman calling himself a “citizen of the world” and renouncing his U.S. citizenship.

Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.

The Blu-ray and DVD will be in stores on July 11.