Is This Justice League: Snyder Cut Scene a Savage Avengers: Age of Ultron Callout?

Shortly after Zack Snyder’s Justice League came to HBO Max earlier this month, a number of Snyder’s fans — many of whom are predisposed to disliking Marvel’s The Avengers director Joss Whedon — noticed what might be a reference to — or an attack on — Whedon’s second Marvel movie. While Snyder is known for using slow motion, and in fact uses it in about 10% of the movie, there’s a very noticeable moment of freeze-frame in Zack Snyder’s Justice League that seems to echo one from Avengers: Age of Ultron. In the latter, the scene happens at the start of the movie, as the Avengers are fighting a group of Hydra agents.

Some fans have thought the shot, which was showy and stylized in a movie shot in an otherwise by-the-numbers fashion, was a cool moment that showed off the team, a la the fan-favorite rotating shot of the Avengers during the first film’s climactic battle. Others thought it felt silly and out of place, with some pointing out that the characters stopped in midair to pose while they were fighting not a galaxy-conquering menace, but a bunch of dudes in camo.

In the Snyder Cut, the shot is of the team (minus Superman) as they rush into battle against Steppenwolf and the Parademons in Russia in the final act. While there is a brief freeze, and the team is posed somewhat similar to how the Avengers were in Age of Ultron, it isn’t clear whether this was a callback at all, or just a show Snyder decided to use. It certainly feels more of a piece with the rest of Justice League since Snyder uses stylish and showy shots a lot more than Whedon does. It’s also plausible (though probably not likely) that it was a nod to Whedon, given that when Snyder started shooting the movie, the Avengers films were all the rage and nobody knew that the pair would end up on opposite sides of a feud over Justice League.

If it is an intentional nod, either derisive or not, it wouldn’t be the first wink at Marvel in the film. During the scene where a shirtless Superman takes down the League and then flies off with Lois Lane, The Flash finds himself knocked to the ground in front of a memorial wall honoring those who died during Zod’s invasion in Man of Steel. Among the fallen is Ben Parker, the name of Spider-Man’s late uncle.

In Zack Snyder’s Justice League, determined to ensure Superman’s (Henry Cavill) ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) aligns forces with Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions. The task proves more difficult than Bruce imagined, as each of the recruits must face the demons of their own pasts to transcend that which has held them back, allowing them to come together, finally forming an unprecedented league of heroes. Now united, Batman (Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and The Flash (Ezra Miller) may be too late to save the planet from Steppenwolf, DeSaad and Darkseid and their dreadful intentions.

After three years of waiting, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is now available to watch. You will be able to find the film on HBO Max, the WarnerMedia streaming platform that greenlit Snyder’s director’s cut and ponied up $70 million for post-production and reshoots.