Let’s start with one very important understanding. Even though Zack Snyder Fans have a really bad rep among fans in general (hell, humanity in general), not all of them are toxic bullies. Let’s not forget that Snyder Fans raised a considerable amount for suicide prevention after Zack Snyder’s daughter Autumn took her own life (it’s why he stepped away from 2017’s embattled Justice League movie).
But having stated that important disclaimer, SnyderFans have more than earned their reputation as one of the most toxic fandoms on the planet. In the years between the release of the Zack Snyder/Joss Whedon bomb in 2017 and the release of the SnyderCut last spring, many SnyderFans used unacceptable tactics to bully Warner Bros. into releasing Zack Snyder’s recut and polished version of Justice League.
(Yes, it feels weird defending Warner Bros when the studio brought a lot of this on themselves. Between their callous treatment of Snyder and his family following their tragedy to denying the existence of the Cut, Warner did just about everything wrong. How they handled this whole thing was a text book case of PR failure. On steroids).
They bombarded studio execs-including a lot who weren’t responsible for Warner’s behaviour or decisions-with online harassment and even death threats. They doxxed others and their campaign of intimidation was reminiscent of the Gamergate atrocity. And even after they got their way they remained incensed that Warner wasn’t going to pursue Snyder’s vision for the franchise any further. Since bullying got them their way the first time, they fell back on it a second time and began review bombing other Warner Bros. movies. Their temper tantrum didn’t work.
So while it would be unfair to paint all Zack Snyder fans with the same unflattering brush (some of them called out their brethren on the review bombing stupidity, which is more than you see from a lot of religious or political tribes these days), the truth is that the majority of SnyderFans are a mob of over entitled bullies (can’t wait for the hate mail on this one).
And while there’s a lot to be said for not giving in to bullying (something a lot of people accused Warner of doing when they wrote Snyder a blank cheque to finish his version of Justice League), there’a also something to be said for not poking the bear.
Especially when you don’t have to.
In case you hadn’t heard, Warner has some ambitious plans for its struggling DCEU movie franchise. While they’re going all in on the multiverse concept (see this March’s The Batman), they still plan on maintaining one branch of said universe as their prime movie-telling narrative. And they plan on resetting that universe with the up coming Flash movie (maybe this November, maybe not, who really knows at this point?).
There seem to be two prongs to that reset-sweep away everything that didn’t work and keep what did (Gal Godot’s Wonder Woman, Jason Mamoa’s Aquaman and Zachary Levi’s Shazam) while replacing previous heroes and ushering in a new “trinity” (one that includes Supergirl, Batgirl and the aforementioned Wonder Woman). And one of the things that will likely be erased in that grand rest will be the controversial Snyderverse.
If you thought SnyderFans were a lot to deal with before, you probably haven’t seen anything yet.
When it happens (possibly this year, possibly next, its anyone’s guess), SnyderFans will unleash a wave of toxic venom unseen in years. Perhaps ever. Enough to make Warner’s new corporate masters doubt-even regret-their new acquisition. Enough to stain their rebooted film franchise.
(Let’s also be very clear, replacing traditionally male heroes with their female counterparts will also whip plenty of toxic man-children into a frothing frenzy as well. And many will interpret it as an invitation to spew unbridled misogyny. Remember 2016’s Ghostbusters? Or Captain Marvel? And if you change the race or ethnicity of any characters or introduce ones who aren’t white? Forget about it.)
This isn’t to say movie studios or artists or content creators of any kind should cave to bullying. Nor should they let toxic fandoms dictate what they do and don’t produce. But there’s also no reason to walk down a dark alley in the middle of the night when there’s a perfectly lit street right there.
The thing is, Warner doesn’t have to erase the SnyderCut. It can grant it its own little slice in its multiverse. It certainly doesn’t have to produce any more stories that take place in it (Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck and Ray Fisher are all probably done with the DCEU for good) but they can let it live in it’s own little space. Warner certainly doesn’t have to go out of its way to make a point of saying it doesn’t exist anymore.
We are likely to see a lot of inexcusable behaviour from SnyderFans in the near future. We are likely going to see a response that will make us uncomfortable and even angry. But it’s a response that can be avoided. SnyderFans will take erasing the SnyderCut, something they demanded for years, as both a direct insult and a challenge. If Warner doesn’t know that by now, they haven’t been paying attention.
Provoking them a second time will probably go worse. And at the end of the day, some of the fallout will be on Warner’s hands for poking the bear, especially when they should know better.
