By Zack Snyder has an obscene amount of influence on the future of superhero cinema. Between Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman, and the eventual Justice League movie, he is pretty much single-handedly shaping what the DC filmic galaxy (“cinematic universe” appears to be taken) will look like. Whether he ends up helming more movies or not, everything from here on out will have his fingerprints.
So it’s very interesting to hear what he has to say about both his films and the competition’s. Unsurprisingly, he’s not super into Marvel’s latest forays, and is much more interested in what DC is doing. In an interview with The Daily Beast, he said a lot of interesting things about the ideas behind Batman v. Superman and Batman’s place in it, but I think more interesting is this, which he said in response to a question about Steven Spielberg’s belief that superhero movies will go away. Snyder agrees, but:
“I feel like Batman and Superman are transcendent of superhero movies in a way, because they’re Batman and Superman. They’re not just, like, the flavor of the week Ant-Man—not to be mean, but whatever it is.”
It’s not the anti-Ant-Man sentiment that I find interesting; it’s the implication that Batman and Superman get to stand outside of this. They are the two big guys who matter in the public consciousness. And you know what? He’s probably right. I mean, it’s Batman and Superman. They’re the heroes. But then why, pray tell, is Aquaman in this gosh damn movie? I mean, Wonder Woman is iconic, and I’m not going to complain about her getting more screentime, but Aquaman? Even if Snyder pulls off a perfect portrayal of that character, he’s Aquaman. Ant-Man is silly, but Aquaman is downright stupid.
But maybe I’m wrong. What do you think, about what he said and about what that implied? Do you like Aquaman? Why? How? That’s ridiculous.
[Via The Daily Beast]