While Martian Manhunter instead. When Warner Bros. and Joss Whedon took over the movie from Snyder after he had to step aside due to a family tragedy, there were a lot of significant changes made. Some characters were removed, while others were retooled through rewritten arcs or redesigns. Almost all of Snyder's original vision was removed from the theatrical cut and 2017's Justice League became a controversial entity. But with the restoration of Snyder's actual film, HBO Max got to show the world what he had always planned to do with these characters.
However, one element that didn't make it into Zack Snyder's Justice League was his initial plans for the inclusion of the Green Lantern Corps. While the Snyder Cut has two Green Lantern cameos, the filmmaker was actually going to have John Stewart and went as far as having filmed a scene with the iconic Emerald Knight. But back during principal photography, Warner Bros. forbade Snyder from using John or even the other popular Green Lantern Hal Jordan (that would have been played by Ryan Reynolds) which almost caused him to quit the project. But despite the creative differences, Snyder was able to instead use J'onn J'onzz a.k.a. the Martian Manhunter including for the scene with Batman at the end.
Despite the issues with Warner Bros. not letting Zack Snyder's Justice League have a Green Lantern in the film, it's actually a good thing that Martian Manhunter got to be in it instead. There's no doubt that Snyder could have portrayed John and Hal brilliantly in his Justice League story. But at the same time, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, there's something rewarding about seeing Harry Lennix getting to come full circle after his past two films. While Lennix initially played General Swanwick, Snyder adapted an idea that fans had speculated for years and instead revealed that the military figure was actually DC's most beloved Martian.
Even if this was never the initial plan for Lennix's DCEU arc, this adds a big layer to his entire character journey. Not only does he get a bigger role now within Snyder's Justice League universe, but it lets another iconic member of the team get the cinematic treatment. Additionally, J'onn's scene with Bruce Wayne at the end of Zack Snyder's Justice League, where he has decided to step up and do more for the world he lives, in highlights how the Justice League is now inspiring other heroes to come forward. Even his scene posing as Martha Kent while being concerned for Lois Lane's well-being continues the relationship between them from Man of Steel and Batman v Superman. As wonderful as it would have been to see Green Lantern, if it was only meant for one scene, it would have introduced a major player that wouldn't get a lot of exploration in an already packed film.
Unfortunately, this is soured by the fact there's no sign of a Green Lantern movie yet either. Despite working on a team-up film with Hal and John, Green Lantern series for HBO Max is quietly replacing the feature film as no movement has been made in a very long time. It thankfully worked out as Martian Manhunter definitely benefits Zack Snyder's Justice League, but it is even stranger now that the studio wouldn't let him use those characters when their own Green Lantern plans have yet to be executed.
