The Greek Mythology Reference You Missed In Zack Snyder's Justice League

You don't have to be the world's greatest detective to realize Zack Snyder loves to drench his DC movies in religious symbolism and references. Before Snyder tried to compare Jared Leto's Joker to Jesus by dressing him in a white robe and crown of thorns, the director used a similar tactic with Superman in Man of Steel (via Entertainment Weekly). These are far from the first times religious imagery has blessed — or cursed, depending on the story — DC media (e.g., JLA: Act of God). But, it's a recurring theme in Snyder's films, including the original theatrical release of Justice League.

To be fair, it's difficult to distance DC media from religious references thanks to Wonder Woman. She's the daughter of Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, and Zeus, king of the Greek gods. Moreover, Wonder Woman's lasso was crafted from Aphrodite's girdle and her bracelets were forged by the smithing god Hephaestus. She's basically a sentient reliquary of Greek myths, but Snyder hid one more reference in Justice League, one that you might have missed because it sped by faster than the Flash.

Justice League opens the way many DC films start: with criminals in a bank. Except instead of Batman handling these street-level thugs, Wonder Woman is nearby to mete out some justice. But before she starts saving lives, she has to pose for the camera on top of a Lady Justice statue. What does the giant brass personification of the American justice system have to do with Greek mythology? Well, for starters, the scene doesn't take place in the United States, so the statue doesn't portray Lady Justice. Instead, it represents her inspiration.

According to the Supreme Court website, the earliest depiction of Lady Justice dates back to Ancient Greece. Back then, she was known as Themis, the goddess of wisdom and good counsel (via the Encyclopedia Britannica), and she didn't wear a blindfold. However, Themis wasn't a goddess in the same sense as Hera, Athena, or other Greek goddesses. Instead, Themis was one of the titans, the forebears of the Greek gods. But like other benevolent titans such as Prometheus, Themis was basically given honorary god status and was worshipped.

Interestingly, the statue in Justice League doesn't wear the blindfold that is commonly associated with modern depictions of Lady Justice. Perhaps that was Zack Snyder's way of distinguishing the statue as Themis.