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Zack Snyder Needs You To Forget The SnyderVerse
Zack Snyder has long since put the DCU behind him, and it is time audiences follow suit and forget about the return of the SnyderVerse. Since the release of Man of Steel in 2013, Snyder has been synonymous with the films of the DCEU. However, with James Gunn and Peter Safran moving towards a complete DCU reboot, the decade-long legacy of Snyder with DC will be erased.
However, Zack Snyder effectively left the so-called "SnyderVerse" behind in 2017 after the tragic suicide of his daughter Autumn. He only briefly returned in 2021 to release Zack Snyder's Justice League as fan service for those upset with Joss Whedon's cut of the film. Despite campaigns from fans to get the SnyderVerse back on track, Synder has since put those days behind him.
Why The SnyderVerse Is Hurting Zack Snyder
At the time, attaching himself to a big blockbuster project like Man of Steel was the right choice for Zack Snyder. His previous film Sucker Punch was not that well received, and this was the opportunity to rebrand himself. It can probably be argued that Man of Steel wasn't originally meant to set up an expanded DC universe. It wasn't until the development of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that the road to a Justice League film began to be paved. Zack Snyder started as a filmmaker-for-hire on Man of Steel and became the de-facto architect of a DC extended universe to compete with Marvel.
The development of the DCEU, which included working as a producer on the Wonder Woman, Suicide Squad and Aquaman films, ended up overtaking Zack Snyder's career. Before working with DC, Zack Snyder had only made five films, only two of which were not based on existing properties: 2010's Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole and 2011's Sucker Punch. With him unable to do projects around the DCEU films, the filmmaker became associated with this cinematic universe, hence the development by fans of the descriptor "SnyderVerse." The term has more to do with the cult-like fandom of Snyder's DC films than anything to do with the filmmaker himself.
Snyder Has Comic Book Adaptations Outside The DCU
It can be easy to forget that Zack Snyder's first major comic book adaptation had nothing to do with DC. Following his debut feature remaking Dawn of the Dead, Zack Snyder made 300 in 2006, based on Frank Miller's graphic novel published by Dark Horse Comics. The film was coming off the heels of Robert Rodriguez's successful 2005 adaptation of Miller's Sin City, and 300 helped Snyder secure his subsequent big comic adaption with his 2009 film Watchmen.
Technically, Watchmen is based on a DC property, but it's a standalone story written by the legendary Alan Moore. Moore infamously dislikes all adaptations of his comics, which previously included From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and V for Vendetta. However, Zack Snyder's Watchmen was arguably the most successful Alan Moore adaptation and, with the comics' association with DC, likely paved the way for Snyder to get the directing job on Man of Steel, which many forget was initially developed by producer and story writer Christopher Nolan as a way to bring to the realism of his Dark Knight Trilogy to the Superman universe.
Snyder Has Already Left The SnyderVerse Behind
After Zack Snyder's Justice League was released on HBO Max in March 2021, Snyder's focus immediately switched to Army of the Dead, released in May 2021, as Synder's first original film in a decade. Army of the Dead was Synder's proper comeback following his daughter's suicide, with principal photography occurring in the summer of 2019. Hence, work on Zack Snyder's Justice League was more of a side-project for Zack Snyder while Army of the Dead was in post-production. Zack Snyder has now fully put his work with DC behind him, as his following projects include the science fiction film Rebel Moon and the upcoming Netflix series Twilight of the Gods.
In hindsight, it was inappropriate of fans to demand that Zack Snyder #ReleaseTheSnyderCut of Justice League while he was still grieving the suicide of his daughter. When he finally delivered, those same fans now wanted to #ResoreTheSnyderVerse. Well, Zack Snyder has now demonstrated that his involvement with the DCU is a thing of the past, and it is time for his legions of fans to move on.
