Zack Snyder And The Unfair Treatment He Has Received

The DC Extended Universe is a growing Universe of DC’s best heroes and the one name often attached to these films is that of the director, Zack Snyder. Snyder has been making big films ever since his remake of Dawn of the Dead in 2004. He quickly transitioned into comic book films with his hugely successful take on the Frank Miller comic, 300. It was a surprise hit for him, which led him to eventually do Watchmen and his career continued from there on. He has been given the reigns on directing the first couple of Warner Bros.‘ DCEU films as well as be a big part of the creation of this shared universe. It is a massive task and he is handling it, but the films haven’t been the most-well received up until Wonder Woman. The quality of these films being hugely divided, which has led to people who hate him beyond just the films. Some of these fans have gone way too far in their hatred of his work and he is certainly one of the most overly criticized filmmakers making superhero films at this time which is completely unfair.

Snyder’s films are naturally divisive. They either trigger strong positive or negative reactions from people. He certainly has a dedicated and loyal fan-base who will defend him to the bitter end, but the amount of hatred this man receives is on another level. Whether it be biased perception of their feelings on DC as a whole or if they hate the way that he has adapted these characters some fans take it way too far. This isn’t new. It’s been happening for longer than any of us were probably alive, but a call for more balance treatment isn’t without warrant for his sake.

Zack Snyder earned my respect when he adapted 300, but also when he worked tirelessly to adapt Watchmen as faithfully as he could. It’s the closest we would get to a live action version that remembers to highlight what made the graphic novel so special in the first place. Snyder’s visuals matched with a solid script is a force to be reckoned with. This is only my perspective and while I don’t feel like the Snyder’s DCEU films have reached that level yet I have seen exaggerated hatred across the fan community. He is often wrongly targeted as someone who is out of touch with how to make a DC film. Every word that he has said has been overly criticized. While it is definitely right to criticize films they often paint him and his films as the enemy. It is a ridiculous reaction to someone creating art and doing what he is supposed to be doing. This in part stems back to an older editorial I wrote concerning the fan war between DC and Marvel fans. This battle still rages on and they feel they must take a side for whatever reasons. Right now Snyder is targeted as an enemy. To them anything is fair game.

The absolute worst thing has happened to him. He stepped away from Justice League to deal with his personal tragedy. As someone who comes from a family who have had multiple suicides I know and understand the pain and how it can affect those around the person who ends up taking his or her own life. It’s an extremely painful thing to go through and no father should have to go through it. With this said the majority of people when hearing the news felt sadness for him. They paid their respects and I saw some people who have once talked negatively about his films show some human decency and pay their respects, but soon enough as much as there was sympathy I also witnessed a complete lack of empathy.

Many people rejoiced at the prospect of Joss Whedon taking over citing it as a necessary shift for the company. While it’s definitely an interesting prospect that Whedon has taken control he is still finishing Snyder’s vision and in this time of grief it is inappropriate to show your excitement. The worst by far though is that people were making fun of Snyder’s daughter referencing the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why and literally laughing about it, which is something that disgusts myself and should probably disgust those with a conscience.

This level of fandom goes against what many of the heroes that these supposed fans are so fond of. Superheroes inspire kindness, hope, and to always do the right thing for other people. The actions that some superhero fans show highlight an evil side to them that goes against the foundation of what they should be standing for. Zack Snyder is not a perfect filmmaker, but he is a person. A person who deserves to be left alone to make the films that he will make without harassment of his own personal life.

When it comes to entertainment criticism in itself is a good thing. It promotes positive change and it’s a part of human nature to pick out things we don’t personally like, but when it comes to someone’s life certain lines should not be crossed. When it comes to the point of causing harassment that is not healthy nor is it moral. With this in mind I think it is time to take a step back from lobbying hatred on Zack Snyder and leave him be to make the films he wants to make and live his own life. He does not deserve to be the biggest person to attack when it comes to superhero films. He deserves a little bit of the kindness that superheroes are supposed to stand for.

So what do you think of this subject? Do you know of any stories you have seen that have felt unfair towards a person because of the art they made. Please feel free to share in the comments.