Despite the online fandom war, it seems that James Gunn and Zack Snyder are on friendly terms, and this proves it

While a lot of fans are excited for James Gunn's Superman, there is a specific faction of the online DC fandom that has decided to drag it down. The said faction claims to be fans of Zack Snyder and his now-defunct DCEU. Thus, the online DC fandom is split right in the middle, where some claim to hate Gunn's DC work and some claim to hate Snyder's, pitting the two directors against each other.

However, despite the online toxicity, it is imperative to note that in real life, both of these directors share a warm rapport that goes all the way back to 2004. 21 years ago, James Gunn wrote Zack's directorial debut, Dawn of the Dead, which was released in 2004. But it must be noted that the movie, in its final form, differs a bit from Gunn's signature humorous tone to match Snyder's seriousness.

Since then, the two directors have shared nothing but a warm relationship with each other. This was confirmed in a Fandango interview this month, where James Gunn revealed that he consulted Zack Snyder for a specific aspect of the Superman costume: the red trunks.

James Gunn's Zack Snyder Comments explained:

On June 11, 2025, James, along with the cast and crew of Superman, sat down for an interview with Fandango, in which the director revealed that he consulted the previous director who worked on the character, Zack Snyder. Before the production of Superman began, James Gunn was having a hard time mulling over the design of the Man of Steel's costume.

Gunn was specifically having trouble with whether he should add the iconic red trunks to the costume or not. This is when he sought Snyder's advice:

“One of the biggest questions was, ‘Were we gonna have trunks, or were we gonna not have trunks?’ I talked to Zack Snyder, who was like, ‘I tried a billion different versions with the trunks, and at the end of the day, I tried it, but I just couldn’t get there.’ And I was feeling exactly the same way. … Theoretically, I liked the idea of trunks because it’s the Superman I grew up with.”

James Gunn had previously spoken about the costume not having the red trunks, much like Henry Cavill's Superman costume in the DCEU, back at the DC Studios press event in February. However, Gunn said that it was David Corenswet who convinced the director to retain the trunks, saying that they made Superman look friendly:

“We were trying on all these different versions, and we screened tested with trunks and no trunks. And one of the things David said is that Superman wants kids to not be afraid of him. He’s an alien. He’s got these incredible powers. He shoots beams out of his eyes. … He’s incredibly powerful and could be considered scary. He wants people to like him. He wants to be a symbol of hope and positivity. So he dresses like a professional wrestler. He dresses in a way that makes people unafraid of him, that shows that hope and shows that positivity. And that really clicked in for me.”

Then, Gunn further added that his attempts to make Superman:

“Look serious is silly because he is a superhero. He’s the first one, brightly colored and that’s who he is.”

Apart from consulting the Man of Steel director, there is also his iconic photograph with Zack Snyder from February 2025. Gunn addressed this photograph in the same studio press event.

James Gunn's photograph proves that both of them are still thick as thieves:

On February 21, 2025, James Gunn broke the internet by posting a photograph with Snyder, where the former had nothing but praise for the Man of Steel filmmaker. While the internet was rife with nothing but a possible DC collaboration, it turns out that it was just a chat. Gunn revealed the reason why he clicked the photo with Snyder:

“We knew that people have this view that somehow we have been pitted against each other. It’s odd to have someone who you’re friendly with in real life be the guy that is positioned as your Lex Luthor, or I’m his Lex Luthor. It’s just such a weird dynamic that’s been created between factions online.”

Thus, it looks like the two directors have nothing but mutual respect, and it is just the internet that has pitted them against each other.