James Gunn and Zack Snyder Clash Over SUPERMAN in RICK AND MORTY - “Do More Shots of Him Punching”
The latest Rick and Morty episode, “Ricker Than Fiction,” throws Superman filmmakers James Gunn and Zack Snyder into animated chaos and lets them roast each other in the process. They actually voiced themselves in the episode and the creative jabs were just as pointed as you'd hope.
In the episode, Rick and Morty march into Warner Bros. to air their frustrations over Maximum Velocitree, their favorite movie franchise. Cue some well-timed corporate satire and a cafeteria run-in with Gunn and Snyder—animated versions.
That’s where the quote from Snyder drops, which lighting up social media:
“Just saw your new cut of Superman, and word of advice, he’s the ‘Man of Steel,’ not the ‘Man of Conversation.’ Do more shots of him punching!”
That's Snyder poking fun at Gunn’s take on Superman with a not-so-subtle nod to his own action-heavy style. He even gives Gunn an impromptu explainer on slow motion.
Both filmmakers recorded their lines together, that viral behind the scenes photo was taken after they recorded their lines, and according to Rick and Morty executive producer Scott Marder, they were all-in from the start. He told Variety:
“They were good sports. Both of those guys sort of implied that this is the show they watch when they have downtime. So they were thrilled to get to be a part of the world, and there was no pushback or bristling.”
If anything, Gunn and Snyder were ready to lean into the absurdity.
“There were probably, frankly, even more digs and more silly things we could have used. All they did was laugh it off.”
The idea to include them came naturally once the writers knew they’d be skewering Hollywood.
“We were like, if we’re going to do a movie and we’re going skewer Hollywood, we feel like we have to include our bosses. So we started thinking about Warner Bros. Who’d be a good face to be kind of the villain here? James Gunn just seemed like such a good choice.”
Gunn, even in the middle of Superman production, jumped at the opportunity.
“He not only did he respond instantly with a yes, but I think he ran it up the chain at Warner Bros. that same day,” Marder said. “We had people on our production side who were like, ‘How is it that James Gunn and Zaslav and all these people already know about this episode?’ We didn’t think it would actually move this quickly.”
Snyder brought that same energy. Marder added:
“I direct all the voices, so I directed both those guys. Snyder left, and he came back like a fan, saying, ‘I’ll do anything for the show. Throw me a tag. Throw me a thing.’”
The result is a short but fun scene where two of the biggest minds behind Superman get hilariously self-aware in the most Rick and Morty way possible.
Watch the clip below!
JAMES GUNN & ZACK SNYDER have appeared on RICK & MORTY pic.twitter.com/4RelvECdEJ
— DCU Updates (@DCU_Updates) July 7, 2025