Rick and Morty showrunner Scott Marder praises Zack Snyder's Justice League. 2021 saw the arrival of the most begged-for alternate cut in movie history when Snyder’s version of the DCEU team-up film finally saw the light of day thanks to HBO Max (after a large amount of money was spent to finish the movie to Snyder's specifications).
The Joss Whedon-finished cut of Justice League of course flopped with many fans when it was released in 2017 (though it still was arguably a modest box office success, grossing $657 million worldwide). The majority of DC fanatics slammed Whedon’s cut for lightening Snyder’s dark vision of the DC universe, literally in terms of cinematography, but also by injecting unnecessary Avengers-style humor. When The Snyder Cut arrived, delivering a more fleshed-out and visually bleak version of Justice League, many fans naturally felt vindicated in their belief that Whedon and Warner Bros. had betrayed Snyder’s vision while doing a grave injustice to the DC superhero team.
There may still be a debate in some circles about which version of Justice League is actually better, and if there is, count Rick and Morty showrunner Marder on the side that thinks Snyder’s cut is superior. While speaking recently to Monsters & Critics, Marder had a chance to address Snyder himself saying he wants to direct a Rick and Morty movie and perhaps greased the wheels toward this happening by praising the Snyder Cut. He said, “This is going to be controversial. I...the Snyder Cut is long as hell, but I liked it better than the original, you know? Seeing what he was going for more, it was better.” He added, “It’s a tad bit long. Wish there was another cut that brought it back to movie length. But I liked a lot of stuff in it. The tone felt better.”
Marder’s remarks indeed echo many of the sentiments expressed by fans of the Snyder Cut. If there’s one big criticism of the film, it’s that the four-hour length may be a bit much (the film was handily broken into chapters when it came out on HBO Max, giving viewers natural places to take a break). But the tone of the Snyder Cut feels more locked in, at least in the estimation of its devotees, and is definitely more in line with Snyder’s previous DC films.
It’s interesting though that Marder would consider his praise of the Snyder Cut “controversial” in light of how many positive assessments the movie has actually received. In fact, it might be more controversial to praise Whedon’s Justice League at this point than to get behind Snyder’s. In the mind of the Rick and Morty showrunner, the question seems settled as to which version of Justice League is better. And the question appears to be largely settled in the minds of comic book movie fans overall as well.
Source: Monsters & Critics/YouTube
