Zack Snyder's Justice League

Us united.

RELEASED 18 Mar 20214h 2m★ 8.1 TMDB

Determined to ensure Superman's ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne aligns forces with Diana Prince with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions.

WATCH NOTE

An alternate version of Justice League (2017), not a sequel. Choose one cut for a first viewing; watching both is optional. The 2021 streaming presentation runs 242 minutes and was released March 18. Mother Box Origins (2021) is a separate two-minute promotional companion directed by Adrian Yu with yU+co; its runtime and depiction coverage are excluded here. Willem Dafoe's Nuidis Vulko and Jeremy Irons's Alfred Pennyworth resolve the pending Vulko and Alfred labels. Hippolyta, Commissioner Gordon, Deathstroke, Martian Manhunter, Joker, Iris West, Mera, Darkseid, Ares and Ryan Choi have supported associations. Ryan Choi appears as a civilian, without establishing a costumed Atom; the historical Green Lantern is Yalan Gur, not Hal Jordan. Martha Kent's performer credit is verified, but her individual official DC profile match remains unresolved. Remaining supporting profile matches, complete on-screen credits and archival, incidental and silent/background appearance coverage remain under review.

Why it matters in DC

This version revisits the team's formation through Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince's effort to respond to Superman's sacrifice. Its place in a watch order is alongside the theatrical Justice League as an alternative telling, rather than after it as a sequel.

Watch these first

9 titles to watch before Zack Snyder's Justice League — 20h 13m in total.

Man of SteelStory prerequisite2h 23m★ 6.7
Man of Steel is recorded as a direct predecessor to Zack Snyder's Justice League in DC Extended Universe, establishing the version of this world carried into the later title.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeStory prerequisite2h 31m★ 6.0+1 before this
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is recorded as a direct predecessor to Zack Snyder's Justice League in DC Extended Universe, establishing the version of this world carried into the later title.
Wonder WomanStory prerequisite2h 21m★ 7.2
Wonder Woman is recorded as a direct predecessor to Zack Snyder's Justice League in DC Extended Universe, establishing the version of this world carried into the later title.
Suicide SquadRecommended2h 3m★ 5.9
Features The Flash and The Joker and Batman earlier in DC Extended Universe, providing character context before Zack Snyder's Justice League.
Justice LeagueRecommended2h★ 6.1+3 before this
Features Batman and Superman and Wonder Woman and The Flash and Aquaman and Cyborg and Lois Lane and Steppenwolf and James Gordon and Alfred Pennyworth and Hippolyta and Mera and Lex Luthor and Deathstroke and Ares earlier in DC Extended Universe, providing character context before Zack Snyder's Justice League.
AquamanRecommended2h 23m★ 6.9
Features Aquaman and Mera and Nuidis Vulko earlier in DC Extended Universe, providing character context before Zack Snyder's Justice League.
Shazam!Recommended2h 12m★ 7.0
Features Superman earlier in DC Extended Universe, providing character context before Zack Snyder's Justice League.
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)Recommended1h 49m★ 6.9
Features The Joker earlier in DC Extended Universe, providing character context before Zack Snyder's Justice League.
Wonder Woman 1984Recommended2h 31m★ 6.3+1 before this
Features Wonder Woman and Hippolyta earlier in DC Extended Universe, providing character context before Zack Snyder's Justice League.

Opens the planner with just these titles, so you can set your own pace.

How these titles are selected

Story prerequisites are curated. Likely prerequisites are inferred from sequel numbering or explicit synopsis references. Recommendations are earlier stories in the same continuity; background picks are separate adaptations. Series lists cover whole shows, not an episode-by-episode watch order.

Explore the full viewing guide

Where it fits in the DC universe

Zack Snyder's Justice League is title 7 of 16 in our DC Extended Universe viewing sequence. This is an alternative telling of the DCEU team's formation, following the Superman-related events of Batman v Superman. It belongs in the Justice League slot of a viewing order, not after the theatrical film as another mission. Later solo films can then be explored without counting the two versions as separate stages of team history.

Explore this viewing sequence