Zack Snyder claims “brainwashed” DC fans can’t appreciate Man of Steel ending

Zack Snyder recently claimed DC fans were “brainwashed” and that’s why they didn’t like the violent ending found in Man of Steel.

When it comes to the world of superheroes and how they’re portrayed in movies, director Zack Snyder has always been a bit of a wildcard.

Snyder famously released two of the most contentious DC films — Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice — along with his own personal cut of the Justice League film.

DC viewers have been divided on the end of Man of Steel in particular as it saw Superman snap the neck of General Zod, the movie’s villain, killing him instantly.

As Superman, Batman, and most DC heroes aren’t known for killing, it rubbed some movie-goers the wrong way and Snyder seems to have an idea on why some people couldn’t get on board with the idea.

When Empire Magazine asked the director if he was surprised by the backlash Man of Steel received, Snyder responded, “The only reason I’m not surprised is that some people got brainwashed by a bunch of material that’s not consistent with true canon. And that’s fine. They’re on their own journey.”

This isn’t the first time Sndyer has defended his decision to make some of DC’s biggest names break the “no kill” commandment as he told Variety, “People are always like, ‘Batman can’t kill.’ So Batman can’t kill is canon. And I’m like, ‘Okay, well, the first thing I want to do when you say that is I want to see what happens. And they go, ‘Well, don’t put him in a situation where he has to kill someone.’ I’m like, ‘Well, that’s just like you’re protecting your God in a weird way, right? You’re making your God irrelevant.’”

Batman’s killing in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was a particular sore spot for some viewers as not killing anyone is one of Batman’s most famous character traits, but Snyder is always trying to push the envelope on how people perceive superheroes.