Zack Snyder Says ‘Go F— Yourselves’ If You Think His Fans Are ‘Toxic’ and Defends ‘Batman v Superman’ 10 Years Later: ‘Do You Really Want a Movie Where the Decisions Have Been Made in a Boardroom?’

Zack Snyder joined the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast to mark the 10th anniversary of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” his highly-divisive comic book movie that opened to negative reviews on March 25, 2016 but went on to gross a mighty $874 million worldwide. The tentpole was Snyder’s sequel to the already-polarizing “Man of Steel,” which sent comic book fans into a tizzy for depicting Superman killing Zod, and “BvS” only divided fans further with Batman killing criminals, the two heroes bonding over their moms both being named Martha and more.

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“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 10 years later. “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?”

“Batman v Superman” was the second movie in Snyder’s DC Universe, dubbed the ‘SnyderVerse’ online by his legion of fans. “Justice League” came next with its own polarizations after Snyder left the production due to a family tragedy and the studio brought in Joss Whedon to rewrite scenes and conduct reshoots. This led to a social media movement of Snyder fans calling Warner Bros to release the “Snyder Cut” of “Justice League,” which the studio permitted. “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” debuted on HBO Max in 2021.

“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.'”

“You realize then that we were kicking the zeitgeist in the nuts and that we were going to anger people,” Snyder continued. “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.”

The Snyder Verse ended before Snyder got to make two more “Justice League” movies, although he admitted on the podcast that he’s “absolutely talked about” bringing those two movies to life somehow in other mediums like a comic book or animation. Snyder added: “We live in a world where all that is possible.”

“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 fuck yourselves if that’s what you think.”

The DC Universe has since been revived at Warner Bros. under the leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran. Gunn directed a new “Superman” movie that was greeted with a mostly positive critical and fan reception upon release last year.

“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.”

Watch Snyder’s full interview on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast in the video below.