Is Zack Snyder saying DC superheroes are important whereas Marvel characters are just a romp?

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

So, this could get messy. Zack Snyder has firmly planted himself on the DC side of the eternal Marvel vs. DC fan battle. Obviously as the man behind MAN OF STEEL and potentially JUSTICE LEAGUE, Snyder has to state his case for why DC is more relevant than the other guys.

Here is a quote from Snyder on why Superman is the archetype that all superheroes have imitated.

“It’s Superman. If you get it right he’s kinda transcendent. the Superman shield is the second most recognisable symbol on planet Earth other than the Christian cross.”

“If you get it right, that’s the question you’ll be asking everyone else. That should be the question you’re asking Iron Man and Thor. How is it that you feel you can be making a superhero movie in a world where Superman and Batman exist?”

There has never been a doubt that Superman has always represented a God-like figure in literature.  There has been tons of analysis of the man from Krypton, especially the Richard Donner SUPERMAN films, and how they follow a Biblical storylne similar to Jesus.  Speaking of Biblical, check out why Snyder thinks that makes DC "better" than Marvel:

“They truly are purer archetypes…They’re literally Biblical. If you get the DC characters right, they can be important, they can be about us. It’s not just a romp. That’s the fun, for me, of working on this movie. We got that it was important. We weren’t apologising for Superman, which I feel has happened in the past. It’s Superman, for God’s sake. He’s a thing to be celebrated.”

For myself, I always gravitated more towards Marvel comics because they took place in the real world in cities like New York and Los Angeles while DC felt a little more fictional with Metropolis and Gotham City.  DC also feels a lot more intricate than Marvel.  I have always been able to jump in to any Marvel comic with no problem for continuity but DC has seemed a bit more difficult to access.  But, I could be trying with the wrong titles.

Whatever the case may be, Marvel has the cinematic stronghold right now.  DC will never have a problem selling audiences on Batman or Superman, with MAN OF STEEL poised to be huge this summer.  But, secondary heroes from DC will have a much more uphill road to climb, no matter what.  DC fans exist in huge numbers and are surely anticipating getting their heroes up on the screen.  But, is Snyder making a convincing argument?

MAN OF STEEL opens everywhere on June 14, 2013.