Zack Snyder defends “Batman v. Superman” and his die-hard fans: 'We were kicking the zeitgeist in the nuts'
Zack Snyder defends “Batman v. Superman” and his die-hard fans: 'We were kicking the zeitgeist in the nuts'
Wesley StenzelSat, February 28, 2026 at 8:17 PM UTC
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Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill in 2016's 'Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice'Credit: Clay Enos/Warner BrosKey points -
Zack Snyder is glad Batman v. Superman didn't have "all the edges shaved off it by the focus groups."
The filmmaker also told critics who call his fan base "toxic" to "go f--- yourself."
He added that it's possible that he could return to the DC Universe one day: "I would never say that there's no way."
It's been nearly a decade since Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice polarized moviegoers, but director Zack Snyder remains as proud of it as ever.
The filmmaker recently discussed the controversial crossover movie at length, standing by creative decisions that turned some audiences off of his vision for the DC universe.
“My 100 percent honest reaction to BvS and how it's received in the world is… Do you really want a movie that's [had] all the edges shaved off it by the focus groups?" Snyder said during a conversation with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "Do you really want a movie that has [had] decisions made in the boardroom, or tested ideas are being rendered for your enjoyment? Do you really want the Kmart version of your story? Is that what you really want?"
Zack Snyder in New York City on April 3, 2024Credit: John Nacion/Getty
Dawn of Justice — as well as Snyder's other DC movies, Man of Steel and Justice League — received criticism for unconventional renderings of beloved superheroes, including a Batman (Ben Affleck) who shows no remorse after murdering his enemies and a Superman (Henry Cavill) with a darker edge than comic books have typically given him.
Snyder indicated that the film's unusual handling of its iconic characters, plus its somber mood and grim violence, caused a headache as it was being rated.
"We were trying for the PG-13 [rating] for the movie, [but] the MPAA kept kicking the movie back to us, saying, 'It's still an R, it's still an R,'" the filmmaker recalled. "I'm like, 'What are you talking about? We're taking everything out!' And I remember someone saying we got a report from the MPAA saying like, 'We just don't like the idea of Batman fighting Superman. So that kind of makes it an R.'"
Snyder recalled the ratings board objecting to several details in the pivotal battle between the two heroes, noting that they considered it "rude" when the characters slammed into radiators and sinks during their skirmish.
"We should've realized then that we were kind of kicking the zeitgeist in the nuts a little bit," he said. "That we were going to anger people, because not only do they not want their heroes deconstructed, they don't want their heroes battling each other on a road to deconstructing the 'why' of their existence. That is another sacrilege."
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Although Snyder had a vision for sequels to Justice League that never came to fruition, he said he always intended for his iteration of the DC Universe to conclude. "This was a mythological universe that we saw had an ending," he said. "It was like a flower. It was gonna bloom and be glorious and then die. And then we would have been done with it."
Henry Cavill in 'Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice'Credit: Clay Enos/Warner Bros
However, Snyder later likened his DC mythos to a different plant that exists independently of James Gunn's rebooted cinematic universe. "That three-movie trilogy is a weed that just won't die," he said. "It grows on its own and has its own life and is not concerned, I don't think, with James' Superman, which is amazing."
Snyder also said he cannot completely rule out returning to DC, as he already overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles to realize his vision for Zack Snyder’s Justice League — his retooled 2021 director's cut that required additional photography and a massive VFX overhaul.
"I would never say that there's no way," he said. "I would never, because I was on the ride that created Justice League. And if you were in my shoes, there were numerous times, dark times, when I would say there is no chance that there will ever be my version of Justice League… cost, politics, everything stood against it. And yet, it exists."
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Snyder noted that the Snyder Cut materialized only because of fervent fan outcry, also reiterating his appreciation for his supporters raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention after his daughter Autumn died by suicide in 2017.
"The fans should never forget that they did that," he said. "We raised a ton of money for suicide prevention, and they really did a lot of good. And I think that they catch a lot of flak for being toxic or whatever, but they literally saved human lives. So you can go f--- yourself if that's what you think."
on Entertainment Weekly
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