Hollywood has always been a breeding ground for competition, but as franchises grow more powerful and their fans more passionate, much of that enmity feels manufactured by outsiders looking in. Fans, for example, seem convinced that Marvel and DC are locked in a contentious rivalry, despite statements from Marvel boss Kevin Feige and DC creative co-chair James Gunn to the contrary. Yes, Gunn was ousted from Marvel in 2018, only to be tapped as the steward of a massive DC reboot, but at the end of the day, business is business.
Many fans have also assumed that Gunn’s appointment was somehow a slight to Zack Snyder, whose own take on the DC Universe ended in failure. Contrary to popular belief, though, there’s never been any bad blood between Gunn and Snyder, and it’s an episode of Rick and Morty, of all things, that should put years of speculation to rest.
The eighth season of Rick and Morty feels like a return to form. The Adult Swim series has regained its footing after a few tumultuous seasons, finding a good balance between bonkers sci-fi plots and cultural commentary. That’s probably best depicted in its most recent episode, which features two ambitious cameos from the top of the DC food chain.
In “Ricker Than Fiction,” Rick and Morty travel to the Warner Bros. studio lot to fix their favorite movie franchise. James Gunn just so happens to be the director, and when he refuses to concede to their demands, the pair use something called the “Movie-lizer” to take matters into their own hands.
Rick and Morty get sucked into the world of Maximum Velocitree to rewrite the film’s ending, while Gunn runs into a familiar face: Zack Snyder. The directors chat about their dueling takes on Superman, with Snyder telling Gunn, “Just saw your new cut of Superman, and word of advice, he’s the Man of Steel, not the Man of Conversation. Do more shots of him punching!” Snyder also assures Gunn that Rick, passionate as he is about Maximum Velocitree, “doesn’t represent real fans.” Though he’s the smartest man in the universe, he can’t do what directors like Gunn and Snyder can. (“Probably,” Snyder hedges.)
Of course, Rick proves the filmmakers wrong. He and Morty create a perfect ending, while Gunn meets his demise via WB’s head honcho. It’s a surprising role for Gunn, but one that Rick and Morty producer and writer Scott Marder says he enthusiastically consented to.
“We were like, if we’re going to do a movie and we’re going to skewer Hollywood, we feel like we have to include our bosses,” Marder told Variety (Warner Bros. distributes Rick and Morty). “James Gunn just seemed like such a good choice... Not only did he respond instantly with a yes, but I think he ran it up the chain at Warner Bros. that same day.”
Gunn and Snyder recorded on the same day, and took a photo together for social media. “They both came in and were really good sports,” Marder said. “There was no pushback or bristling. If anything, they laughed at anything we threw at them. There were probably, frankly, even more digs and more silly things we could have used. All they did was laugh it off.”
If these directors can play nice, Snyderheads and DC diehards don’t have much of an excuse to argue.
