Moderators of the SnyderCut subreddit removed a post urging fans to negatively review the upcoming Superman film, followed by issuing a public statement to their community.
On Monday, DC Universe head James Gunn addressed the controversial post, which had rallied supporters to "stand up for SnyderVerse on July 11."
The original poster encouraged users to "spread spoilers widely," "leave negative reviews on rating platforms," and "hold theater tickets without finalizing purchases."
"Gunn started this battle by dismantling the Snyderverse, and now we have our opportunity to retaliate," the inflammatory post concluded.
When alerted to the post via Threads, Gunn downplayed its potential influence on Superman's box office performance.
"Lol, we'll be fine," he responded. "The handful of followers taking orders from this person – who I'd wager is male – won't sway anything significant."
The r/SnyderCut moderation team later clarified they removed the submission within two hours of posting, noting minimal engagement before deletion. However, screenshots had already circulated across social media, eventually reaching Gunn's Threads feed.
In a locked thread, moderators formally dissociated from the post's content:
"Our team neither authorized nor supports this message. As an open forum, submissions don't require pre-approval. A post's presence here doesn't imply endorsement. We remove policy-violating content post-publication, and this clearly crossed multiple lines, demanding immediate removal."
"The post wasn't debatable – it was unanimously unacceptable. While we respect personal boycott decisions, we condemn deceptive tactics to influence others' viewing choices."
This incident isn't the Snyder fandom's first controversy. Their campaigns influenced Warner Bros.' 2021 Snyder Cut release, and Suicide Squad (2016) director David Ayer recently faced backlash for supporting Gunn's Superman trailer.
Ayer, whose critically panned Suicide Squad belonged to Snyder's discontinued DCEU, initially pleaded on X/Twitter for fans to postpone their #AyerCut campaign during Superman's trailer launch. Overwhelmed by subsequent online vitriol, he announced withdrawing from discussions.
Gunn addressed persistent SnyderVerse opposition in a Rolling Stone interview, acknowledging some fans' desire for DCU's failure:
"I welcome it," he stated. "Total unanimity lacks credibility. One lead actor – top five in our cast – obsessively reads online criticism. I reminded him our trailer scored 97-98% positivity. Detractors actually help by preventing artificial perfection."
"Minor opposition keeps things honest. There's always manufactured outrage – remember when sunlight supposedly harmed Superman? That became a 'major controversy.'"
Gunn also disclosed his decision to omit subtitles for July's Superman and next year's Supergirl during the same interview.
