Zack Snyder Explains Why His Version Of Batman Kills & How Superheroes Aren't "Innocent": "Wake The F--- Up!"

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Filmmaker Zack Snyder has very specific ideas about what makes a good superhero film. Whether you are someone that thinks his superhero films are unnecessarily dark and bleak or someone who bows at the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut altar, there’s no denying that the filmmaker sees superheroes differently than many others. And over the weekend, at the Director’s Cut event, where Snyder showed off a few extended versions of his films, the filmmaker laid out his de facto manifesto on what separates his philosophy on superheroes from other people.

We don’t know exactly which question prompted this response, but a user on Twitter posted a video where Snyder goes on a bit of a rant when he talks about those people that feel Batman shouldn’t have killed a guy in “Batman v. Superman.”

READ MORE: Joss Whedon Calls Henry Cavill’s Superman The “Best” Since Reeve & Somehow Still Enraged Zack Snyder Die-Hards

“Someone says to me, ‘Batman killed a guy.’ I’m like, ‘fuck, really? Wake the fuck up,’” explained Snyder. “I guess that’s what I’m saying. Once you’ve lost your virginity to this fucking 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 fucking road on that.”

He continued, “It’s a cool point of view to be like, ‘My heroes are still innocent. My heroes didn’t fucking lie to America. My heroes didn’t embezzle money from their corporations. My heroes didn’t fucking commit any atrocities.’ That’s cool. But you’re living in a fucking dream world.”

I’ve made no effort to hide my issues with Snyder’s vision of superheroes. As a comic book reader myself, I vehemently disagree with everything he says above, but it does illustrate exactly the point of view that he approaches characters like Batman and Superman.

In trying to bring these characters to life, he feels like they have to reflect a time that exists now, which is much darker than the Golden Age, when they were introduced. However, the counter-argument for that is obviously, “Well, they exist in a dream world by definition and can be hopeful and heroic without sacrificing morals.” But that’s just a different interpretation, and is just as debatable.

READ MORE: Zack Snyder Reveals Details About The “Definitive” Cut Of ‘Justice… Oops, Sorry, ‘Sucker Punch’

That being said, Marvel Studios seems to be doing well with that interpretation, showcasing that a character like Captain America (which is the closest thing to Superman, philosophically, that Marvel has on screen) can exist in the modern world without sacrificing morals and becoming a darker version of himself. But I digress.

And since Snyder was at the Director’s Cut event, it was inevitable that someone would shout out “Release the Snyder Cut!” And in response to that happening, the filmmaker remained coy and joked that his “Justice League” is not so much a “cut” of the film as a different “version.” But he did little to say it was coming or to deny its existence outright. So, yeah, that issue is going to continue to rage on. Oh, joy!