Iron Man kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008 and since then they have dominated the shared universe form of storytelling. In 2011 DC wanted to kick off their shared universe with Green Lantern, it bombed and the suits at WB scrambled to start over.
That’s when Zack Snyder was brought in to direct Man of Steel. In an interview with the New York Times, Zack says he knew while making the film that WB wanted to duplicate Marvel’s success but he says that DC should never have tried to do that and he was the only one telling WB
It’s obvious I take these characters and their mythology really seriously. I want them to be fully realized as characters, existing in that world. I don’t think that it’s cool to have fun at their expense. And there was a vision that we had, a complete universe, fully fleshed out, that we really wanted to take all the way.
I knew it before “BvS,” when we made “Man of Steel.” Marvel is doing something else. They’re doing, at the highest level, this popular action-comedy with a heart. And they have that nailed. An effort to duplicate that is insanity because they’re so good at it. What DC had was mythology at an epic level, and we were going to take them on this amazing journey. Frankly, I was the only one saying that.
Zack also says that when it came to directing films and still to this day when he directs that trying to copy Marvel isn’t the way to go.
No, not at all. I don’t know how to hit a ball any different than I hit it. A director has one skill — your point of view. That’s all you have. If you’re trying to imitate another way of making a movie, then you’re on a slippery slope.
We agree with Zack and have said it numerous times before that copying Marvel was one of the biggest mistakes WB/DC made.
While Zack says he is not done making comic book films, his time with the DCU is most likely at an end with the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Snyder says he is grateful to HBO Max for releasing his vision
I appreciate that, I really do. This movie wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for HBO Max; I’m eternally grateful for them. And the viewing experience is still at a hugely high quality.
Things could always change though after the SnyderCut is released. Fans want the SnyderVerse restored and a successful showing for Zack Snyder’s Justice League could prompt WarnerMedia and HBO Max to rethink things. The question is, Would Zack want to come back? Maybe we could get Justice League part 2 and 3. I for one would love to see that.
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DC Fanboy! Superman is the greatest comic book character of all time. Favorite movies are Man of Steel, Goonies, Back To the Future
