WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, now streaming on HBO Max.
The films of the DC Extended Universe stand in stark contrast to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in terms of their dark tonal quality. Both the DC shows and films often embrace this darkness, and this is perhaps best embodied in Titans’ iconic line, “F–k Batman.” However, Zack Snyder’s Justice League has a “F–k Batman” moment of its very own, and in a lot of ways, it stands as a perfect distillation of the film overall.
The line comes early on in the film when Wonder Woman implores Cyborg to join her and Batman. Still agonized by his collapsed relationship with his father and his recent transformation into a cybernetic entity, Cyborg lashes out, just like Robin did against his former mentor in Titans. The movie gets full use out of its R-rating as Cyborg says “F–k the world” to Wonder Woman.
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It would be easy to dismiss the line as part and parcel of the Snyder Cut’s dark tone. Batman himself also drops the F-bomb later in the film, and there is plenty of blood and violence to make this stand out from its past film, as well as other, lighter comic adaptations. This, along with the characters’ brooding lamentations, create an aesthetic all its own, but Cyborg’s line services the character in a way that perfectly illustrates where he is at in that stage of the film.
Whereas the theatrical version of the film pared down Cyborg’s role to the point where he barely had an arc, the Snyder Cut makes him the heart of the film in many aspects thanks to his new character arc. When first introduced, Cyborg is a hopeful football player with a bright future, but his father’s absence in his life deeply upsets him. Things get worse, as he suffers almost critical injuries in a car crash that kills his mom.
This leads to his transformation as Cyborg, which is his lowest point. While he adjusts to his new body, this is around the time Wonder Woman and him meet, so lashing out against the world perfectly illustrates the depths of the darkness he feels.
He is immensely angry, and it’s from that rock bottom that he begins to rebuild himself and embrace his status as a hero. The plot literally puts all life in existence under threat, and it is the multiverse itself which needs Cyborg to save the world and accept his hero identity. While the film still has aspects that feel edgy for the sake of being edgy, the Cyborg line stands out as a well-balanced character moment, and it’s one that further proves that Cyborg is one of the best parts of Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Ever since Titans’ “F–k Batman” appeared in trailers, it set the tone for the show even before anyone saw an episode, and it seems that DC’s latest live-action installment tops it. While Batman cursing may seem bold, Cyborg ups the ante because his line reflects his character at that point in the movie, and it shows how far he’s come in the end.
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 is now streaming on HBO Max.
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