Zack Snyder Fires Back at ‘Toxic’ Fan Claims and Defends BATMAN V SUPERMAN - "Go F— Yourselves"
It’s been ten years since Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice crashed into theaters and split the fandom right down the middle. Love it or hate it, the movie made noise, pulled in $874 million worldwide, and helped shape what fans now call the SnyderVerse.
Now, a decade later, Zack Snyder is looking back on the chaos, the criticism, and the fans who stood by him, and he isn’t holding anything back.
Snyder jumped on the Happy Sad Confused podcast to revisit the legacy of Batman v Superman, which hit theaters on March 25, 2016 to a wave of negative reviews despite its massive box office haul.
The film followed Man of Steel, which had already stirred up debate over Superman snapping Zod’s neck. Then Batman v Superman took things even further with a lethal Batman, a controversial Martha moment, and a dark, myth-heavy tone that clashed with what many expected from DC’s most iconic heroes.
Looking back, Snyder made it clear he has zero interest in sanding down his creative choices just to please focus groups.
“My 100% 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 in defense of the movie.
“Do you really want a movie where the decisions have been made in a boardroom, or tested ideas have been rendered for your enjoyment? Do you really want the Kmart version of your story? Is that what you really want?”
That pretty much sums up the Snyder approach. He wasn’t chasing safe. He was swinging for something mythic and operatic, even if that meant ruffling feathers.
Batman v Superman marked the second chapter in Snyder’s DC saga, which later grew into what fans dubbed the SnyderVerse. That arc continued with Justice League, which, a you know. went through a turbulent production after Snyder stepped away due to a family tragedy.
The studio brought in Joss Whedon for rewrites and reshoots, resulting in a theatrical cut that didn’t reflect Snyder’s original vision. What followed was one of the wildest fan campaigns in modern blockbuster history, ultimately leading to the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Snyder still looks back at that trilogy with pride.
“I love the mythological journey we went on in these three movies,” Snyder said. “The intensity of where we ended up with Justice League and how it evovled and where it came from. That whole insanity.
“When we were trying for the PG-13 rating on BvS, the MPAA kept kicking the movie back to us saying, ‘It’s still an R.’ I remember someone saying we got a report from the MPA saying, ‘We just don’t like the idea of Batman fighting Superman.
“That kind of makes it an R. He really hits him hard with that sink. That’s rude. That feels like an R.’ I’m just like, ‘Okay… let’s just pretend it’s not Batman vs. Superman for one second.'”
Snyder knew exactly what kind of reaction that deconstruction would bring. He continued:
“You realize then that we were kicking the zeitgeist in the nuts and that we were going to anger people. 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’s another sacrilege.”
And then there are the fans. The SnyderVerse movement became one of the most persistent online fan campaigns ever.
Supporters pushed hard for the release of the Snyder Cut, organized social media trends, funded billboards, and even raised money for suicide prevention charities along the way. Of course, the movement also drew criticism, with some labeling parts of the fanbase as toxic.
Snyder had a very direct response to that narrative.
“I would never say there is no way,” Snyder said when asked about his fans’ continued pleas for the SnyderVerse to continue. “I was on the ride that created ‘Justice League,’ and if you were in my shoes there were numerous times, dark times, when there was no chance that there will ever be my version of it.
“It will never exist. It can’t… cost, politics, everything stood against. And yet it exists. The fans should never forget they did that. They also raised a ton of money for suicide prevention.
“They did a lot of good. They catch a lot of flak for being toxic or whatever, but they literally saved human lives. You can go f*ck yourselves if that’s what you think.”
That’s about as blunt as it gets.
While the SnyderVerse effectively ended before he could make two more Justice League films, Snyder revealed he has “absolutely talked about” continuing that story in other formats like comics or animation. As he put it, “We live in a world where all that is possible.”
Meanwhile, DC Studios has entered a new era under James Gunn and Peter Safran, with Gunn directing a new Superman film that earned a largely positive reception. Snyder holds no grudges.
“James is cool. I wish them all the best. It is what it is,” Snyder said. “That three movie trilogy is a weed that just won’t die. It grows on its own. It has its own life. It’s not concerned with James’ Superman, which is amazing and all the best to them. I can’t wait to see the next movie. It’s awesome. To me, it’s not the same thing. It’s a different thing.”
Ten years later, Batman v Superman still sparks debates. Whether you see it as a misunderstood epic or a misfire that tried to do too much, it hasn’t faded away. If anything, its staying power proves Snyder was right about one thing. The movie definitely didn’t have its edges shaved off.