DC Confirms the Snyderverse Really Is Dead This Time
The real world deals a crushing blow to those convinced that a four-hour movie about sad superheroes released to streaming would spark a series of blockbuster films.
For those who fought so long to support director Zack Snyder, the climax of Zack Snyder’s Justice League must have been imminently relatable. The hundreds who shared the hashtag “ReleaseTheSnyderCut,” who reported every rumor about a completed and buried version of the movie, who argued against anyone with different movie tastes, surely shared a sense of relief when Superman stopped Steppenwolf from killing Cyborg, a man with the power to fight on the internet.
Like the Justice League itself, this small band dawned when Warner Brothers debuted an embarrassing superhero movie with bright colors and good guys rescuing those in need. Thanks to their never-ending battle for their way, their interests, and nothing else, Snyder fans convinced WB to bankroll the creation of a proper superhero movie, one that begins with five uninterrupted minutes of Superman’s death agony and ends with the good guys chopping off the head of their retreating enemy.
Supporters were certain that Zack Snyder’s Justice League would be a second dawn of justice, the morning of a new day, filled with movies about heroes in the black of night, their desaturated costumes illuminated only by the burn from Superman’s heat-vision or the flare from Batman’s many, many guns. But unfortunately for Snyder fans, reality disagreed.
A video from One Take News shows a fan asking DC Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee about the company’s plans to continue the Snyderverse. Leaning over his drawing board as he sketches the Joker for the audience, Lee begins by urging attendees to focus on the positive. “You know what’s amazing is that we spent two years in lockdown and here we are back at a convention celebrating the art form, feeling good,” Lee responded, trailing off with a chuckle. “You know … I work on the projects that are in development right now,” he told the crowd. “I think the Snyder Cut was Zack’s vision realized, and it was a really satisfying story told, but there’s no plans for additional work on that material.”
Lee’s statement comes the same week as a Rolling Stone report in which various insiders point to Snyder, hired marketing teams, and an unusually large number of Twitter bots involved in the “Release the Snyder Cut” movement, which presented itself as a grassroots fan uprising. It also comes after DC projects partially or completely disconnected from the Snyderverse gain greater attention, such as this year’s The Batman, the forthcoming Black Adam, and the recently announced Joker 2.
Despite showing no interest in more Snyderverse movies, Lee remains proud of the work he did on Zack Snyder’s Justice League. “I was happy to help contribute to the pitch to the other stuff,” he assured the audience. “And it was kinda fun to actually see that stuff get out there, ’cause I did that years ago,” Lee went on, explaining that he thought his concept art had been destroyed.
According to the video, all in attendance listened respectfully as Lee spoke and responded with civility, no matter how disappointed they may have been with his answer. Will this unexpected decency and proportionate response continue as the Snyder Army leaves the real world and returns to the internet, where they are strongest? It would be a nice change of pace.
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Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!