The moderators of the SnyderCut subreddit have removed a post encouraging fans to review bomb the upcoming Superman film and issued a statement clarifying their stance to the community.
On Monday, DC Studios co-head James Gunn responded to the now-deleted post, which had urged supporters to "stand up and fight for SnyderVerse on July 11."
The original post encouraged tactics like spreading spoilers, leaving negative reviews, and reserving theater tickets without completing purchases. "Gunn fired the first shot and killed the Snyderverse – here's our chance to fight back," the message concluded.
When a Threads user alerted Gunn to the post, he downplayed its potential influence. "Lol I think we'll survive," he replied. "The eight people listening to that guy (safe to assume it's a guy) won't change anything."
The r/SnyderCut mods later explained they removed the post within two hours of publication due to minimal engagement. However, screenshots had already circulated on social media, eventually reaching Gunn.
In a locked thread, the moderation team distanced themselves from the post: "Our staff neither approved nor endorses this content. While we support fans' right to skip films they dislike, we oppose dishonest tactics aimed at influencing others' viewing choices."
This isn't the first controversy involving Zack Snyder's dedicated fanbase. Their efforts contributed to Warner Bros.' 2021 release of the Snyder Cut of Justice League. More recently, Suicide Squad (2016) director David Ayer had to address backlash after supporting Gunn's Superman and its trailer.
Ayer, whose divisive DCEU film was part of Snyder's abandoned shared universe, initially asked fans not to campaign for his "Ayer Cut" during Superman's trailer launch. The ensuing online drama led him to announce a temporary withdrawal from public discussions.
Gunn recently addressed Snyder fans hoping for his DCU's failure in a Rolling Stone interview: "I don’t mind. Some opposition actually helps – you don’t want 100% positivity. One of our lead actors gets bothered by online negativity, but I remind them most reactions are overwhelmingly positive."
He added, "Controversy is inevitable. People even debated whether sunlight should hurt Superman."
In the same interview, Gunn explained his decision to drop subtitles for this year's Superman and next year's Supergirl.
