Zack Snyder has harsh words for Batman critics, but he also has a point
Director Zack Snyder had some harsh words for Batman fans during a recent Q&A that took place after a screening of his 2009 movie Watchmen. The conversation turned to the topic of realism, something Snyder puts a premium on as a filmmaker. In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, he gave us a version of Batman, played by Ben Affleck, who’s not above killing people for the sake of justice, running over criminals and attacking them with deadly weapons. That’s different, than, say, Christopher Nolan’s take on Batman, who only arguably killed Ra’s Al Ghul at the end of Batman Begins when he refused to save him from dying in a train accident.
Now, Batman’s been around for a very long time and has gone through many incarnations — he’s killed people in the comics and onscreen, but there are other versions where he keeps his hands clean. Fans of the latter Batman have criticized Snyder’s take on the character, and he has something to say about it:
"Someone says to me, ‘Batman killed a guy.’ I’m like, ‘F**k, really? Wake the f**k up,’ I guess that’s what I’m saying. Once you’ve lost your virginity to this f**king movie and then you come and say to me something about like ‘My superhero wouldn’t do that,’ I’m like, ‘Are you serious?’ I’m like down the f**king road on that. It’s a cool point of view to be like ‘My heroes are still innocent. My heroes didn’t f**king lie to America. My heroes didn’t embezzle money from their corporations. My heroes didn’t commit any atrocities.’ That’s cool. But you’re living in a f**king dream world."
Snyder’s rebuttal sparked plenty of reactions from creators and fans, ranging from outrage to amusement to agreement. While Snyder could have worded his argument a bit more tactfully, I think he’s got a point. It’s understandable that fans want to view their heroes as individuals to look up to, and that they want their children to have role models in modern media. But there’s also value in creating more grounded heroes who sometimes make poor decisions or act in ways that don’t align with their ideals.
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And while fans might have a point about Superman not needing to kill anyone to save the world, that mentality doesn’t necessarily extend to Batman. After all, the two characters are totally different breeds of superhero. While Superman is a hero who generally abides by the rules and is embraced by the public, Batman is, at his core, a vigilante. And vigilantes aren’t exactly known for sticking to the law.
DCEU characters like Batman and the Green Arrow—and Marvel characters like Daredevil—go outside the bounds of the ordinary justice system to save the day. It’s why these characters are often chased down by law enforcement, even when they’re trying to take down the same villains as the police.
With vigilante heroes, the moral code becomes murkier; it’s up to the fans to decide whether the means justify the ends. At the end of the day, it comes down to whether the film paints the hero’s actions as morally acceptable. While Snyder believes in allowing Batman to make bad decisions, it’s not like he’s condoning the character’s behavior. He’s simply letting it speak for itself.
Of course, fans are free to ask if Snyder’s Batman could have achieved his objectives without lethal force. That’s a discussion worth having, but writing Snyder’s Batman off just because his methods aren’t the same as previous interpretations of the character doesn’t carry that conversation forward. It restricts writers and directors from exploring different — and potentially very interesting — sides of the superhero.
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