In other words, if Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had been a rousing success among critics, would Justice League’s tone still have been lighter or would it have been equally as dark and gloomy?
Screenwriter Chris Terrio said that he wanted Justice League to feel lighter simply to provide a little redemption for telling such a dark story with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but it’s also plausible that some last-minute changes were made to Justice League right before shooting began following the Batman v Superman backlash.
Whether you liked Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or not, the overall reception definitely wasn’t what Warner Bros was hoping for, so if this lighter tone move can help improve the movie’s chances of success while remaining faithful to the comics.
Still, I can’t help but wonder if this is a “hindsight is 20/20” situation.