Zack Snyder's DC Universe Is Officially Dead

It’s official: Zack Snyder’s DC Universe is officially dead, and Superman killed it. This is before Superman releases worldwide on Friday, July 11, where David Corenswet will debut in the titular role. He has his work cut out, because not only is Superman one of the superhero genre’s most sacred figures, but Henry Cavill is a tough act to follow.

It was Cavill who launched Zack Snyder’s vision for DC’s first cinematic franchise, which was then dubbed the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Unfortunately, despite the praise lavished on Cavill, it was a relatively rocky start, with 2013’s Man of Steel earning mixed reviews upon release, although sentiments have sweetened with time.

Despite a handful of inarguable successes since then, the DCEU struggled to overcome a general air of negativity surrounding it. Now, over a decade later, all hopes rest on James Gunn to reinvigorate DC’s cinematic fortunes with the new DC Universe.

Why Zack Snyder’s DC Universe Ended

Zack Snyder Couldn’t Complete His Vision

Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel was as bold as it was divisive, opting to ground Superman in his grittiest setting yet. Man of Steel’s detractors took aim at what was interpreted as too stark a departure from the more hopeful source material, with the controversial decision to have him kill General Zod becoming a focal point of condemnation.

Zack Snyder’s DCEU Movies
DCEU Movie	Zack Snyder’s Role
Man of Steel (2013)	Director
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)	Director
Wonder Woman (2017)	Writer/Producer
Justice League (2017)	Director (Partial)
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)	Producer
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)	Director/Producer

Nevertheless, Snyder’s vision persisted with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Building on the box-office success of Man of Steel with a commendable $874 million worldwide gross, an avid fandom was secured with proponents championing the fresh take on the superhero genre. Unfortunately, this sentiment was not shared by most, with Batman v Superman becoming one of the DCEU’s worst-rated installments.

The critical failure of Batman v Superman spurred Warner Bros. to pivot from Snyder’s vision to a more lighthearted tone. Snyder consequently struggled to maintain his creative vision for Justice League before leaving the project due to a heartbreaking family tragedy. He relinquished creative oversight to Warner Bros. and post-production director Joss Whedon, who made swinging alterations to the original cut.

An image of Wonder Woman talking to Batman, who is sitting in a chair in Justice League

5 Things Zack Snyder Got Right In The DCEU (& 5 Things He Got Wrong)

Zack Snyder was integral to the DC Extended Universe for a while. While he got a lot right, he also got a few things wrong.

Snyder later revealed, as part of an interview in the book “Release the Snyder Cut,” written by Sean O’Connell, that he frankly lost the energy to fight for his vision. In the interview, via CinemaBlend, he stated:

I just was kind of done with it. I was in this place of [knowing] my family needs me more than this bull****, and I just need to honor them and do the best I can to heal that world. I had no energy to fight [the studio], and fight for [the movie]. Literally, zero energy for that. I really think that’s the main thing. I think there’s a different world where I stayed and kind of tried. And I’m sure I could have…because every movie is a fight, right? I was used to that. But I just did not have the [energy]. There was no fight in me. I had been beaten by what was going on in my life and I just didn’t want to, I didn’t care to…that was kind of where I was.

The DCEU would then struggle to maintain a creative vision as oversight was bequeathed to multiple figures, including Geoff Johns and Jon Berg, and Walter Hamada. While the DCEU subsequently embraced a brighter tone overall, its lack of cohesiveness contributed to no movie grossing more than Justice League‘s $661 million, aside from Aquaman’s almost anomalous $1 billion.

James Gunn And Peter Safran’s DC Universe Reboot Explained

Following a downward trajectory and an underwhelming performance by Black Adam, it was then announced in a somewhat messy few weeks in late 2022 that the DCEU would be rebooted, with James Gunn and Peter Safran being appointed co-CEOs of DC Studios and the overall cinematic vision.

Nevertheless, Superman’s arrival heralds an incontrovertible truth – that Zack Snyder’s vision for DC’s cinematic franchise is a thing of the past.

Their new vision for the franchise was revealed in early 2023, with the DCEU’s remaining movies consequently suffering at the box office as fans saw little reason to keep abreast of the now-defunct continuity. That vision painted a picture of a more lighthearted and comic-faithful franchise akin to James Gunn’s prior work with the MCU and The Suicide Squad.

2023’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Blue Beetle became the DCEU’s lowest-grossing movies.

The DCU reboot wasn’t to be all-encompassing, however. While flagship roles like Superman and Batman were to be handed to new actors, some of the DCEU’s influence would still carry over. Nearly every character and actor in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, for instance (and the events of that movie, for that matter), would carry over into the DCU’s continuity.

Nevertheless, Superman‘s arrival heralds an incontrovertible truth – that Zack Snyder’s vision for DC’s cinematic franchise is a thing of the past. As positive reviews for Superman flood in, they paint an all-new picture of what can be expected from the DCU, and, for better or worse, it’s safe to say that it barely resembles its predecessor.