Marvel Phase 4 Director Criticizes Zack Snyder's DC Movies

One MCU director apparently didn't care for Zack Snyder's movies in the DCEU.

Zack Snyder directed four films within the DCEU - Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, 2017's Justice League, and Zack Snyder's Justice League.

While Snyder is technically credited for 2017's Justice League, Joss Whedon handled reshoots and Warner Bros. cut the movie into the final product. It was not Snyder's vision for the film at all, hence why he put out his four-hour cut of the movie called Zack Snyder's Justice League.

Snyder also produced many other movies within the DCEU, and while his films weren't for everyone, they definitely had their niche fanbase. However, seeing as how the DCEU will end with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Snyder's overall plan for the franchise never panned out.

Moon Knight Director Criticized Zack Snyder's DC Movies

In an interview with Arabic Marvel (via. The Cosmic Circus), Moon Knight director Mohamed Diab was asked about James Gunn's upcoming DCU.

Diab began his answer by praising Gunn, calling him a "great artist who will do" great work."

However, Diab went on to admit that he "frankly didn't like the last period" of the DCEU, talking specifically about the Zack Snyder era of the franchise. The director also said that Zack Snyder's Justice League was "significantly better," but that overall, Snyder's films "didn't appeal to him:"

"I know that some people don’t like James Gunn, but I see him as a great artist who will do great work. Frankly, I didn’t like the past period. The last film, [Zack Snyder's] Justice League, was significantly better than the first version, but in the end, Snyder’s work in all the movies he made didn’t appeal to me."

Diab then talked more about Gunn, specifically how he "liked Gunn's films much more." The Moon Knight director even called Gunn "a much greater artist" than Snyder and predicted that Gunn "will do excellent work for DC:"

"I liked James Gunn’s films much more. I think he’s a much greater artist and a very clever writer, and he will do excellent work for DC. I hope people won’t just criticize him because if he loses the DC audience, he’s done. But he is an artist, and he will create wonderful things."

The Moon Knight director was also asked about his favorite superhero outside of the Marvel umbrella. He definitively named Batman as his favorite, saying that he was "a fan" of the character.

Diab then talked about recent adaptations of the Caped Crusader such as Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and Matt Reeves' The Batman, where he praised aspects of each:

"I’m a fan of Batman. I’d like to give Batman a different take, a Noir style. A movie with drama. Christopher Nolan made us all see that it’s a dramatic movie about someone with tragedy. The new perspective in 'The Batman' is very nice. Whether it’s Batman or someone else, the idea of a person with a real human story, not just a flying superhero."

Mohamed Diab Isn't a Fan of Other DC Films

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so there's nothing wrong with Mohamed Diab publicly explaining that he was not a fan of Zack Snyder's movies.

After all, Snyder's filmmaking style is arguably unique in comparison to other directors, and he seems to be a fairly polarizing figure in the film industry in general.

However, Snyder's work is not the only DC content that Diab has publicly talked about not being a fan of.

After Wonder Woman 1984 was released, Diab called it a "disgrace" to Egypt, saying that it didn't accurately represent his country or its people.

Diab also criticized Black Adam for similar reasons, saying that it was set "in a fictional Middle Eastern country as an excuse to cast non-Egyptians" instead of basing it in the real country and using it as an opportunity to represent his people.

Being Egyptian himself, Diab's criticisms and comments about those two films and their disrespect toward his home country and people are understandable.

Fans were able to see just how much Egyptian representation meant to Diab when he directed Moon Knight, and perhaps other filmmakers could take some notes from him if they are setting a project in that country or casting Egyptian actors.

Moon Knight is streaming on Disney+, and Zack Snyder's DCEU films are streaming on Max.