It’s no secret that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is widely regarded as the beginning of the end of Snyder’s vision for his cinematic DC universe. However, it was actually his very first DCU movie, Man of Steel, that doomed the so-called Snyderverse. Controversial, maybe, but hear us out.
2013’s Man of Steel introduced the world to Henry Cavill’s Superman. Cavill fit the role perfectly, acting out Snyder’s mildly gritty and sci-fi-heavy approach to the Superman mythos. He then reprised the role in Batman v Superman, which introduced Ben Affleck’s Batman to proceedings. As the title implies, it saw the two heroes in direct opposition to one another before joining forces to overcome the machinations of Lex Luthor.
Man of Steel generally won over its audiences, whereas BvS did not. However, the sequel was actually languishing under the missteps of the original movie. It was subtle, but Man of Steel actually ruined BvS before it was even written.
How Man Of Steel Pre-Emptively Doomed The Snyderverse
Man of Steel was an attempt to reframe the story of Superman. In Snyder’s film, he’s an outsider, and he struggles to understand his place on Earth. It’s an angst-ridden examination of the character, and it makes for a much grittier film. This set the tone for Cavill’s Superman in a way that simply carried over to his subsequent appearances.
So why does BvS get all the blame? Well, it seems that Snyder’s version of Superman worked well enough in a self-contained narrative, but once contrasted against other DC heroes, his shortcomings become much clearer. He’s not the leader he should be, because he’s too doubtful, and he’s too doubtful but Snyder made him that was in Man of Steel.
We’re not saying that Batman v Superman didn’t have a hand in the Snyderverse’s demise, but rather that Man of Steel is the real culprit. By taking Superman in a slightly new direction, Man of Steel started the pivotal DC character down a path to nowhere. Despite Cavill’s valiant performance, it seems that his take on the Last Son of Krypton was doomed all along.