Perhaps never in history has a director been debated, critiqued, and attacked to the vitriolic levels that Zack Snyder has been. And, whether you like his movies or don’t you must admit that when it comes to Zack Snyder the critiques often veer away from legitimate film criticism and instead shift to personal attacks towards him and his fans.
In an interview with Sean O’Connell of CinemaBlend (For his new book following the journey of the SnyderCut), Zack Snyder spoke on the various critics, bloggers, and others who seemed to stake their reputations on the non-existence of Zack Snyder’s Justice League:
“I just think that’s sour grapes. There’s really no other way to say it. We know the people who were the architects of that narrative, and it’s pretty obvious what their agenda is. Those are people that I’ve been held back from confronting, by wiser people in the room. because I’d love to get at some of these characters. Some direct conversation would be nice. Just to say, one, you don’t know shit about what you’re talking about . And we can break down everything they’ve ever [said]. I can make a list. there’s a few of these guys where I could just get a list of everything they’ve ever said, that they thought was right, and [I could tell them] every single thing they’ve said is wrong.”
These are strong statements from Zack, but you can understand his frustration. He has had to hear about these comments from so many people in his life and he can’t address them or he gives power to much of it. One thing that I’ve noticed during the SnyderCut movement is how often bloggers and critics seem to erase the over 60% of the fanbase who aren’t Cis white males. Which, obviously I myself am a Cis white man, but if you spend five minutes exploring the fandom you will find the vast amounts of international support that Zack has. You can find any number of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and multi-cultural Snyder fans. And you will see the time he makes for each and every one of them.
Furthermore, perhaps the greatest achievement made by the fanbase has been the dedication by us to raise over $500,000 for the AFSP in the name of Autumn Snyder, Zack’s daughter who tragically took her life in 2017. This is something that transcends any movie and this is what Snyder has taken particular frustration with:
“And so, in what world do you have any credibility anywhere, to anyone? I would love the opportunity to just say to the world, and to fandom in general, who these fakers are and what should be done to them, or with them. it’s just a bunch of BS. In regards to that toxic fandom, or it’s ‘a win for toxic fandom’, again, in what world does this ‘toxic fandom’ raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for suicide prevention? How is that a toxic fandom? They’ve probably achieved more than any other fan base, [and done more] good than any other group. So I don’t understand”
Whether you support Zack Snyder’s Justice League or not, it exists and it is coming. And along the three year journey that it took to get here the fans have taken it upon themselves to go way beyond the call of duty and launch fundraisers and livestreams all in the name of supporting the AFSP. To me, that is not a Toxic fanbase.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League will stream on HBO Max on March 18th. How excited are you to see Zack Snyder’s vision come to life on screen?
Born and raised in DFW Texas. 24 years old. Studied at Texas Wesleyan University. Positively love movies and love writing about them and everything that goes into them.
