WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, now streaming on HBO Max.
Some of the most pivotal “new” scenes in Zack Snyder’s Justice League add development to the team’s youngest heroes, the Flash and Cyborg. Many of these scenes and the other characters introduced in them were meant to be in the theatrical cut, but it was all left on the cutting room floor to lower that version’s runtime.
In Snyder’s version, not only is Barry Allen’s journey to becoming a hero more defined than ever in this Ultimate Edition but so is his supporting cast. Iris West is introduced in a dramatic scene where Barry saves her from a car crash, but it’s the vehicle in question that really references the Flash and the Justice League’s history.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view.
Gard’Ner Fox
Zack Snyder’s Justice Leauge adds a scene introducing Barry Allen before he meets his father, Henry. This establishes that he’s in Central City, and does so in a rather tongue-in-cheek way. A “reduced speed ahead” sign humorously stands behind the “Welcome to Central City” sign, foreshadowing the Flash becoming the city’s hero.
Driving past the sign is a semi-truck with a trailer for a company called Gard’Ner Fox, which is actually something of a double entendre. It could be read as “guarding her” Fox, referencing the fact that Barry Allen saves Iris from likely being killed when the truck has a wreck, but it also homages one of the most prolific and influential creators in the annals of DC Comics.
Gardner Francis Cooper Fox
Gardner Fox was a writer for DC Comics going back as far as the Golden Age, having worked on a majority of their stable of characters and books at that time. He got his start writing Detective Comics and introduced many staples of the Batman mythos, including Batman’s utility belt and his Batarang weapons.
His biggest connection to the Flash, however, involved his literally creating the character. This wasn’t the Barry Allen version, but the original Golden Age version of the Flash named Jay Garrick. He would also create several other Golden Age heroes, including Hawkman, Dr. Fate and Starman. Historical characters like Hawkman reflected Fox’s wide knowledge concerning a myriad of topics, which he would typically put into his work. In All-Star Comics #3, he would co-create the Justice Society of America, which united many of these heroes. This was not only the first superhero team at DC Comics but in comic books in general, cementing Fox’s iconic status in the medium forever.
Fox would also write for Timely Comics (which would become Marvel) and EC Comics in the Golden Age and was part of Julius Schwartz’s revamping of DC’s continuity during the beginning of the Silver Age, where characters like the Hawkman and the Flash were reimagined with modern, science-fiction origins. As it relates to Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Fox created the Justice League, an equivalent to the Golden Age’s Justice Society, and was involved with the revamp of the Atom, who also shows up in the film.
Even more important, however, was Fox’s script for the landmark 123rd issue of The Flash. This book had Fox’s Jay Garrick Flash meet Barry Allen when they crossed into each other’s worlds. This established the concept of the multiverse in DC Comics, which has remained a central premise within the Flash mythos ever since.
Fox would pass away in 1986, but his influence on DC Comics and its heroes is unmistakable. The Green Lantern Guy Gardner is named after him, and he’s been referenced in cartoons such as Justice League and Young Justice. Having a hand in creating the team and versions of its heroes, it’s only fitting that Snyder would reference him in the true version of the Justice League film.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League stars Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Ray Porter as Darkseid, Ciarán Hinds as Steppenwolf, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon. The film arrives on HBO Max March 18.