Man Of Steel Director Zack Snyder Reviews James Gunn's Superman Movie

The hills of social media might be alive with the sound of outrage (and sock puppet accounts), but real life presents a different outlook. While there's an ongoing battle between those still mourning the death of the Snyderverse and those who have taken up a sword for James Gunn's new DC Universe, the beef doesn't extend to the filmmakers. On the contrary — "Man of Steel" director Zack Snyder is full of praise for Gunn's 2025 "Superman" movie.

Appearing on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast to discuss the 10-year anniversary of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," Snyder referred to Gunn's film as "amazing" and remarked about what makes the DC Studios co-CEO stand out as a filmmaker. "James is singular in his storytelling, in his ability to channel mythological pop culture into what I would consider just iconic and a very particular point of view that's both poignant and funny," he said. "I think he's the best at it that I can think of. He's a great steward of that world."

Snyder's analysis proves to be right on the money. Looper's "Superman" review mentioned how Gunn delivered the hero the world needs right now, while the film holds an 83% critical approval rating and a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. In other words, there are more fans of Gunn's "Superman" than there are detractors.

Zack Snyder and James Gunn have a shared history, as Gunn wrote the script for Snyder's feature directorial debut, 2004's "Dawn of the Dead." They have both ventured into the comic book movie world since then, so it's only natural they would be asked about each other's projects at some point. While 2025's "Superman" gives a very different take on the last son of Krypton in comparison to the highly divisive "Man of Steel," Gunn complimented Snyder's 2013 film. In 2016, in a now-deleted exchange with fans on X (via Heroic Hollywood), Gunn wrote, "I've seen and enjoyed MoS."

Despite the praise, Gunn decided to not continue with Henry Cavill's Superman in his version of the DC Universe. Instead, he decided to reboot the character with David Corenswet taking over the role. According to Gunn, Cavill was very gracious about the whole thing. "We sat down, we talked to him, he was an absolute gentleman, a great guy about it," Gunn said during his own appearance on "Happy Sad Confused." One does have to wonder, though: What would a Cavill-led Superman film have looked like under Gunn? It seems like fans will never know.