Rumours are like tumbleweeds; they keep rolling along, picking up more and more news and speculation. A tumbleweed’s excessive dryness makes them prone to start fires. A rumour that Henry Cavill is joining the MCU was like such tumbleweed; it kept rolling along, but recently, it caught fire, and there is serious speculation that the Man of Steel actor has signed with Marvel to appear as Captain Britain most likely, or even as Doctor Doom in The Fantastic Four. Some online pundits even said that Kevin Feige should recruit Zack Snyder in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for a movie, too, while he’s at it.
Zack Snyder At Marvel And The DCU? Under Two Conditions
When James Gunn took over the reins at DC Studios, one of the first to congratulate him was Snyder. As the unofficial father and creative director of the DCEU, Snyder was keenly aware of the immense responsibility set before Gunn. Snyder was sympathetic and wished to pass the baton to Gunn.
Despite Snyder’s acrimonious split with Warner and his unceremonious exit as the brains behind the DCEU, he told The Hollywood Reporter he would be willing to return to work under Gunn if he could direct an adaptation of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. Surprisingly, the 300 director even admitted he would be game to have a go in the MCU, but only if he were given licence to helm something featuring Elektra and Daredevil, possibly Elektra Lives Again, as his prime desire.
Truth: Zack Snyder Would Never Make An MCU Movie
It’s fun to speculate what Zack Snyder could do in the MCU, especially as a taunt to Warner, who ditched the filmmaker. Cavill’s rumoured relationship with Marvel would also be sweet revenge against Warner, who many felt mistreated Cavill and Snyder.
Hence, either of these two individuals joining Marvel is like music to the ears of many of their fans. Yes, it’s fun to suggest Zack Snyder joins Marvel, and his openness to making an Elektra and Daredevil film sounds enticing, but in reality, this will never happen. Here’s why.
1. Marvel Would Never Give Zack Snyder Control
Zack Snyder had plenty of creative freedom at Warner, which is entirely unlike Marvel, which directs their directors with the TV shows and the movies. Marvel has a factory setting in place; they do not allow directors the creative freedom and artistic license they enjoy at Warner, and this alone is enough reason to seriously doubt that Snyder would even step through the front door at Marvel.
In the early days of the MCU, directors like Jon Favreau, who directed Iron Man, a godfather of the MCU, along with Robert Downey Jr, and Kenneth Brannagh, the maker of the first Thor, had way more freedom to follow their personal vision. Suppose you look critically at these early releases, like Iron Man, Captain America and Thor, and see how singular and different they are, with no cookie-cutter mould yet. In that case, you’re struck by how much has changed from those bygone years until now.
A rigid system took root at Marvel, which is not entirely wrong; it resulted in the studio becoming the most successful film studio in history. Unfortunately, success made Marvel lazy and unable to innovate. Snyder thrives on the freedom to express his creative vision, and it’s inconceivable to imagine Snyder would slavishly render his films according to such strict predetermined formulas.
Having a system is fine, but it needs to be tempered sometimes. Marvel reaped success because of the past gambles they took with their creativity. Films are expensive, and studios need the security of knowing what to expect from their directors to have the confidence to move forward with new movies, which can be disastrous for everyone if they flop. We recently saw that formulas are not infallible and cannot prevent a flop; case in point, The Marvels is a film suffocating in the straight-jacket of Marvel’s cookie-cutter formula.
A cancer at Marvel and one of the root causes for their recent failures on the silver screen and at Disney+ is the lack of experienced directors with strong creative vision. Marvel’s system turns off directors who exhibit flair and a unique outlook.
Directors like Zack Syder would need to be given creative freedom, and no one thinks Marvel is ready to do that. Marvel can only rely on a particular type of director, perhaps experienced in television, where there are strict guidelines or young indie filmmakers who are too inexperienced and unlearned to rock the boat. Hence, most MCU films and series are average or underwhelming of late. It would be in Marvel’s best interest to allow some creative freedom at the moment; only then would Snyder realistically make an MCU movie.
2. Snyder Films Are Too Dark
Snyder’s dark vision can be seen in Watchmen, Man of Steel and Batman v Superman. For instance, his characters and storylines are often grim and challenging for general film audiences, who enjoy the easy-to-understand and humourous Marvel films; nothing wrong with that. We don’t need deep themes every time, but we need to balance dark and light.
Snyder tackles deep and dense topics that deconstruct archetypes, as he did with Man of Steel and Batman v Superman. These films were serious explorations of the characters. They did not shy away from philosophically asking hard questions.
Batman’s aggressive crime-fighting approach, his struggle with his inner demons, and Superman’s revisioning as a killer in Man of Steel are too gloomy for many and employing this type of storytelling would radically alter the perception of the MCU and turn their more optimistic and light-heartedness toward characters and stories on its head. DC’s openness to darker material was perfect for Snyder, and it’s a shame they could not continue working together. Zack Snyder’s dark sensibilities could be overwhelming for Marvel, and rather than risk it, Marvel would be hesitant to tell such grim stories.
3. Snyder Has A Good Gig With Netflix Now
Netflix was the obvious home for Snyder after Warner. The streaming network is open to taking risks and eagerly promotes directors with a unique vision. The Rebel Moon films Snyder created for Netflix are brimming with creative vision and exude everything fans love or hate about the filmmaker.
Going with Netflix was the perfect choice for Snyder as it allowed the director to lick his wounds after the Warner debacle. Unlike most traditional film studios, which are more hesitant, Netflix is willing to spend lavishly on its films while being open to fresh ideas. Zack Snyder should embrace and strengthen his relationship with Netflix, who, unlike Marvel, would never allow him the freedom he is currently enjoying with his movies.
4. Zack Snyder’s Style Doesn’t Match The MCU Movies
Snyder has one of the most distinct visual styles of any director. He crafts a visual matrix that makes each of his films stand out. Often, this style is as radical as his stories are dark. Marvel has, over time, settled on warmer camera filters and a lighter visual tone that is strikingly different from the DCEU when Snyder was in control.
This homogenous style used by Marvel across their films would be a mismatch with Snyder. Only if Marvel makes each film different from the rest from here on forward could Snyder’s unique style be successfully incorporated into the MCU. Without such a move, it’s too contrasting to have the current palette and style of Marvel alongside Snyder’s.
5. Joining The MCU Would Be A Betrayal To His Fans
Ultimately, if Zack Snyder joined the MCU and made a Marvel movie, it would be a betrayal to Snyder’s undyingly loyal fanbase. His fans adore him because of his unwavering artistic vision, even in the face of detractors who believe the director is style over substance. Snyder’s fans appreciate his tenacity to see his ideas through. Joining Marvel would mean abandoning this ethos and submitting to the ‘Borg’, becoming uniform in vision and offering paint-by-numbers filmmaking.
Zack Snyder’s lengthy stay at DC also made his name irrevocably tied to Marvel’s rival, and jumping on the Marvel bandwagon would irritate die-hard DC fans who have never been big fans of Marvel’s style of filmmaking and storytelling. So, despite all the rumours and wishful thinking, it seems highly unlikely that Snyder would ever join the MCU. Henry Cavill is another story; let’s see if Cavill can assimilate and enjoy more success at Marvel than he did in the DCEU.
Do you think Zack Snyder would ever join the MCU or create a Marvel movie?
