Zack Snyder: ‘Batman v Superman’ Justifies Controversial ‘Man Of Steel’ Ending
Zack Snyder took a lot of heat for the ending to 2013’s Man of Steel in which Metropolis was laid to waste by Superman’s battle with Zod.
But in a new interview with Famous Monsters, Snyder reveals he not only stands by his ending to the film starring Henry Cavill, but that without it, there would be no Batman v Superman.
“I wanted a big consequence to Superman’s arrival on Earth. Certainly, Batman v Superman sort of cashes in all its chips on the ‘why’ of that destruction,” Snyder revealed, explaining that Batman v Superman set in motion the upcoming brawl. “The discovery of the story is that Batman fights Superman. Now move your superhero chess pieces so that can happen. And it can happen in a credible and interesting way.”
#WhoWillWin? #Batman #Superman pic.twitter.com/3z9e0jTZZI
— Batman v Superman (@BatmanvSuperman) January 24, 2016
Zack also shed more light on what it meant to him to direct both Man of Steel and Batman v Superman.
“It’s just incredibly satisfying and fun to dig into these two mythological characters and find a through line that allows them to come into conflict in a way that not only is philosophically satisfying, but also physically real.”
The “real” he was alluding too was actually the major complaint of the final act of Man of Steel, as detailed by Slash Film. The article suggests that moviegoers don’t necessarily experience any kind of real emotion despite the horrific consequences Snyder suggests took place.
“Man of Steel showed the consequences, but it didn’t convey the gravity of the situation. When all these people are dying, you should probably feel something. The third act of Man of Steel isn’t a disaster, but even as someone that enjoys the film quite a bit, its climax is hard to defend.”
Zack Snyder meanwhile is too busy on the promotional trail for Batman v Superman, which opens in theaters March 25th, to spend too much time thinking about the past. The director took to Twitter, as reported by Cinema Blend, to try and amp up excitement among the fan base by asking them to pick a side in this epic superhero clash.
#Batman #Superman #WhoWillWin? https://t.co/n1shHdZ8NN
— ZackSnyder (@ZackSnyder) January 24, 2016
“Son of Krypton versus Bat of Gotham. The time has come to take a side,” Zack asks in the video. He then follows up his plea by asking fans to participate in an unofficial, emoji-based poll through his Twitter account.
As fun as that may sound, it’s not as if Snyder has to rally the fan base of these two classic superhero characters in order to help drive movie ticket sales. The Batman-Superman battle has been on every DC comic fan’s wishlist since the two characters first famously squared off in Frank Miller’s epic, critically acclaimed graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns.
Set in a future where Superman works as a United States super weapon to help keep the peace across the globe, an aging Bruce Wayne takes up the cape and cowl after a period of retirement from crime fighting. This leads to an inevitable confrontation with Superman after his actions rile up too much attention.
Zack Snyder has openly revealed this battle between these two powerhouses served as inspiration for the new film which also stars Ben Affleck as the aforementioned, retired Bruce Wayne. In the comic book version, Batman manages to take down Superman in the epic clash, thanks to Kryptonite fueled weaponry he’s able to utilize to his advantage.
Whether or not Zack Snyder intends to go the same route remains to be seen. So far, the trailers have hinted that the man of steel may end winning the battle instead.
[Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]
