Lots of DC Fans Are Saying The Same Thing About Netflix’s Warner Bros Deal

Netflix has acquired Warner Bros. for $72 billion, reshaping the entertainment industry landscape. With the deal, Netflix now owns everything in WB’s film and TV library, including HBO, HBO Max, and DC Studios. The DC Universe franchise is now once again looking like it has some unexpected new questions hanging over it, as Netflix could have very different designs and goals for DC’s library of characters and franchises.

One possibility that has jumped out at fans early on is what DC’s landing at Netflix could mean for the “Snyderverse,” i.e., the era of interconnected DC movies that was created by director Zack Snyder in the 2010s. With James Gunn’s Superman officially launching a new DCU film franchise, it finally looked like the era of Snyder’s DC saga was officially dead and buried. But is that still the case?

Could Zack Snyder Return to DC Under Netflix?

Zack Snyder left a long working partnership with Warner Bros to set up shop at Netflix. It started in 2006 when Snyder directed the successful 300 comic adaptation, and continued through the highly divisive Watchmen graphic novel adaptation in 2009, and the Legends of the Guardians book animated movie adaptation in 2010. Snyder stumbled with his own original film, Sucker Punch, but Warner Bros. still handed him the keys to the Superman reboot Man of Steel.

From there, the path of Zack Snyder’s infamous career is well known: he and Warner Bros. had friction over the Man of Steel (2013) sequel Batman v Superman (2016) before Snyder was pulled from the Justice League movie. Warner Bros. would then bring him back to make the “proper” Justice League movie Snyder fans wanted (Zack Snyder’s Justice League) in 2021.

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After that, Snyder left Warner Bros. and went to Netflix, where he’s been given a veritable blank check to create, to middling results. Snyder’s horror universe, Army of the Dead, got one prequel spinoff (Army of Thieves) and has stalled; his sci-fi epic Rebel Moon has also failed to become the kind of multimedia franchise that was hoped for. Snyder actually needs a successful franchise win again, and Netflix could easily look to profit off the sustained passion for the Snyderverse with new content.

It took little time for the “RestoreTheSnyderVerse” movement to get up and going in response to the Netflix and Warner Bros. merger announcement, while others are going with the more sobering idea that “Netflix cancelled most if not all Snyder projects.” But others are just hoping that the silver lining of major corporate monopolies is that there are no longer reasons for the different camps to be at each other’s throats: they’re all crabs in the same barrel now.

“Netflix just let Zack Snyder finish the Snyder Verse on Netflix and allow James Gunn to continue the DCU with theatrical releases,” writes TenebrousVex. “Then we can all be one happy family.”

Does that ring true to you? Will DC Studios and Zack Snyder, all working for Netflix, be the great unifying change that brings DC fans together again? Join our discussion on the ComicBook Forum!