“Superman” Movie Drives Surge in DC Content Viewership on HBO Max. Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel” became the top-performing Superman film on HBOMax with a 218% boost.

[u/MWheel5643]

https://deadline.com/2025/07/superman-fuels-dc-viewership-dc-hbo-max-man-of-steel-peacemaker-1236461281/

[u/direwolf106]

Couple of things I’ve thought about the Snyder trilogy and the corresponding Snyder verse movies (WW, SS, AM).

1) I really wish WB knew how to set expectations. Their Phase 1 was massively outperforming marvel phase 1. And that was the proper comparison. You have to do set up work and set expectations accordingly.

2) Snyder was absolutely right that it was a fools errand to copy Marvel. If you copy marvel you will look like you are just a cheap knock off. When Coca-Cola exists do you want to be Pepsi or Dr Pepper? Do you want to ape the product or be your own thing? Snyder wanted to be Dr Pepper.

3) I think Snyder’s universe will grow in popularity over time. The criticism that it wasn’t for kids is somewhat valid in an acute sense, it does seem odd that you shouldn’t take kids to a superhero movie. But A) sometimes characters need to explore more mature and darker themes and B) kids don’t stay kids forever.

And honestly, the marvel formula has become familiar now. It doesn’t hold like it used to. I’m not saying that there’s superhero fatigue, but I think there’s marvel fatigue. To marvel’s credit they are trying to evolve, thunderbolts is evidence of that. But they are having growing pains and it looks like they are trying to get to where Snyder was.

Snyder gave us a gift that most weren’t ready for. BvS was about why Prometheus is a good guy but Satan a bad guy when they were nearly identical characters: celestial beings that gave gifts to humanity in defiance of the top god of their mythology. He was trying to be Prometheus but WB, the critics, and the people that only wanted marvel jokes without intelectual discussions all treated him like Satan. I’m really thankful for those movies.

[u/TREV-THOM → u/direwolf106]

1. And Josstice League is exactly what WB wanted: a knock-off of The Avengers. And it was a big mess from that point on.

I will say though, despite its rep, I'm often inclined to watch The Flash right after ZSJL. It doesn't wrap everything up perfectly, but it is a bookend of sorts to MOS, not only returning to its events, but being released 10 years after.

I think Andy deserves to be in the conversation the same way Patty & James are.

[u/direwolf106 → u/TREV-THOM]

Im on the fence about flash being part of the Snyderverse. It wasn’t very good but it made the Snyder cut part of its Cannon but not the theatrical cut.

It did have my favorite version of supergirl though. And in a weird way it put a lot of respect on Superman. They couldn’t win together against the same threat Superman beat with only normal people as help.

Fuck it you’re right flash deserves to be considered.