Movies & TV / News

Ray Fisher Reveals How Much of Cyborg’s Backstory Was Cut From Justice League

February 24, 2019 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
Justice League - Cyborg Ray Fisher

Ray Fisher was a guest at Wizard World Portland over the weekend and during his panel, he talked a lot about his experience playing Cyborg in Justice League. Fisher spoke during the panel about what he knows of the fabled “Snyder Cut” of the film, the film’s director switch during the late stages of production and more. You can see some highlights below along with video I had the chance to shoot from the opening of the panel:

On if he was always a comic book fan: “I was always a fan of the characters, but I didn’t have comic books growing up as a kid. My mom didn’t really buy them for us, but I felt pretty caught up on everything from all the animated shows. I grew up on all the ’90s animated superhero shows…so I felt pretty knowledgable about them just from that.”

On the rumors of a “Snyder Cut” of Justice League: “I’m familiar with the rumors…I’m familiar with some of the things that have been put out there as far as, you know, lost footage. I do remember distinctly filming that and some other things. But I think it’s pretty apparent to folks that there are a lot of things that didn’t make it into the movie. And some day, hopefully, we will be able to see what the fruits of those labors were. But I don’t really know anything beyond that.”

On how much of Cyborg’s backstory was filmed: “Well we shot — there was quite a bit, I think. We had shot a sequence that I had seen was released on the internet about Cyborg playing in a Gotham City University football game and his mother being there. You get to see a little snippet of the family life, and just what Victor’s going through mentally with the idea that his father is not as active a part of his life as he would like him to be. And you get some grounding context of where he’s coming from. You also get a sense as to Victor’s accident…the timeline of how he became Cyborg. Which I think was a throughline that people were sort of hungry for. Because he’s a character where, he’s not like Batman, he’s not like Wonder Woman, he’s not like Superman where we kind of know the origins already. He needs a little bit more love when it comes to the explanation to the audience. As far as that’s concerned, we had quite a bit of that stuff and just some routine interactions, that sort of thing.”

On the director switch from Zack Snyder to Joss Whedon during Justice League: “Well I think they’re two very different directors. I’m not one to publicly put anyone on blast, but what I think is, everybody involved at least from our side, the actor’s side, and the production side, I think it was sort of more a rallying effort to get behind it. And not only get it done for the people out there, but also maintain the integrity of the work that we could on that side. It was a wild process. It’s kind of like — it’s kind of hard to describe, actually. But it’s just like anything else in life, like being able to navigate different people, navigate different personalities. It’s just like any other job in that way, I think.”

On his funniest story from the Justice League set: “What cracks me up a lot is different ways that people would try to find comfortable ways to like, wear their costumes? So if you’re like, being shot from the waist up, they just wouldn’t wear any pants…they wouldn’t wear their ‘superpants.’ So it’s like, ‘Where am I being shot today? Oh, it’s just my legs? Then I’m not wearing any of the stuff up top, I’ll just move my feet around and do whatever.’ One in particular was Ben [Affleck] inside the Batmobile, and you only see him from the chest up. So underneath he’s got like basketball shorts on…and like sneakers, just like ‘Yep. I’m chillin’. I’ll put my pants on when I get there.'”

On if there’s been any movement on a Cyborg film: “I don’t think there’s any plans currently that I’m aware of. But you know, it’s one of those things where they could keep it from me until the very last minute. They may also be trying to feel out where they want to go with the universe. My thing is, I’m grateful that I was able to play Cyborg in this film. And if that’s all I’m blessed to do, then you know what? It’s okay with me.”

On what he would want in a Cyborg movie: “Well just in case the idea I have ever gets picked up I can’t tell you everything. But I would want it to involve a group of mercenaries known as the Phantom Limbs. And I think that would be a pretty cool way to introduce not just Cyborg having crazy cybernatic technology, but all of these other human beings. Because that’s kind of where we’re headed, right? We’ve got all our cell phones — some of which are pointed at me right now. I’m talking into a device used to amplify my voice. I think we’re coming to the point where we will soon inevitably merge with our technology. So I think it would be a cool way of asking, ‘How much is too much, and how soon is too soon?’ when it comes to the evolution of humanity and our technological animation.”

On his interest in Mark Millar’s Prodigy comic and possibly starring in that: “I’ve read it, yeah. I think it’s really good. I’m not sure what the plan is right now, where they see it going. But I’ve got my ear to the ground.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Wizard World Portland with a H/T to 411mania.com for the transcription.