Zack Snyder is currently one of the most prominent directors in Hollywood, garnering both praise and criticism. While he has demonstrated skills in directing a specific type of film, his work has also faced its share of criticism and it’s not hard to see why. However, it appears that almost two decades before Snyder’s Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, Batman and Superman clashed in the DCAU because Bruce Timm got very lucky.
Zack Snyder has faced criticism, with some labeling him a ‘hack’ for his film portrayal and perceived fixation on unnecessary themes and biblical imagery. This was pretty much evident in the DCEU film Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. That said, his version of Justice League released a few years ago proved to be a huge success.
Bruce Timm Was Very Lucky To Have Batman and Superman Clash in the DCAU
Superman: The Animated Series was created for television by executive producers Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett, known for their work on Batman: The Animated Series. Building on the success of their previous collaboration, Timm and Burnett brought Superman’s iconic stories to life in the animated series, showcasing his heroic efforts to defend Metropolis.
As both Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series shared the same continuity, Timm and Burnett’s work on the latter ultimately led to the development of the expansive DC Animated Universe.
While speaking to CBR, Bruce Timm explained the idea of bringing together Batman and Superman for the first time in World’s Finest, which aired back in 1997. The idea stemmed from the availability of Batman rights during the second season of Superman. With the rights becoming available again after being tied up with Fox Kids, Kids’ WB suggested creating more Batman episodes, which was enthusiastically received.
”It was really more about the fact that right in the middle of our second season of Superman, the rights to Batman became available again because they had been tied up with Fox Kids. Once they became available again, Kids’ WB immediately said we should make more Batman episodes, which we thought was great. Somebody had the bright idea to launch the new series by teaming him up with Superman and we all thought that sounded great and loved to do that. We might have gone a little overboard with their animosity to each other but it was a lot of fun… To the point where Batman is romancing Lois right from underneath Superman, but we already knew Kevin Conroy and Dana Delaney had great chemistry so figured why not play that card. It was all serendipity. It all kind of just happened.”
The decision to launch the new series by teaming Batman up with Superman was met with excitement from the team, and they embraced the opportunity. While the animosity between the two characters may have been exaggerated, it added to the fun dynamic of the crossover. Additionally, the decision to have Batman romance Lois Lane was influenced by the chemistry between the voice actors Kevin Conroy and Dana Delaney. Overall, Timm described the creation of World’s Finest as a serendipitous and enjoyable experience for the team.
Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice was released in 2016 while the World’s Finest episode dropped back in 1997, which was all possible the rights to Batman suddenly became available during the middle of the second season of Superman: The Animated Series. Therefore, Timm was truly lucky in the end.
Zack Snyder’s List of Films In His Career Is Certainly An Interesting One
Zack Snyder made his directorial debut with the 2004 film Dawn of The Dead, which was a remake of the 1978 classic of the same name. He then followed it up with the highly successful 300, which is what actually made him a household name and made it clear he was here to stay in Hollywood.
His take on Watchmen in 2009 also remains a divisive yet important part of his filmography for a wide variety of reasons. That being said, it was from his 2013 film Man of Steel that fans were acquainted with how Zack Snyder is – for better or worse.
Snyder’s reputation took a hit largely because of Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, but had a redemption arc thanks to his own version of Justice League in 2021, a four-hour epic that was far superior to the 2017 version. It was the Director’s Cut edition and fans still continue to hope Snyder will return to DC one day.
