‘Rick and Morty’ laughs at Zack Snyder and James Gunn with the most absurd Superman debate

‘Rick and Morty’ returns to put its finger on the sore spot of modern cinema with its freshest satire. In his most recent episode, he laughs at several of the recurring problems plaguing today’s cinema, including the mismatch between the volume of voices and sound effects, or the tendency to constantly reintroduce characters so that clueless audiences don’t lose the narrative thread. In his crusade to fix one of his favorite movies, Rick Sanchez runs into James Gunn and Zack Snyder, who soon get into an argument over which version of Superman is better: Henry Cavill’s or David Corenswet’s.

James Gunn and Zack Snyder are the guest stars of S8 E7 of ‘Rick and Morty’ and will bring a smile to the faces of DC fans

Episode 7 of season 8 of ‘Rick and Morty’ has been very special for its nod to recent superhero movies. With its usual acid tone, the popular animated series has introduced James Gunn, current co-CEO of DC Studios, as well as Zack Snyder, one of the top people responsible for the already completed DC Extended Universe. Under the pretext of fixing one of James Gunn’s -fictional- movies, Rick steals a script from him, which prompts the director to take a personal revenge.

In the Warner Bros. Studios lunchroom, Gunn bumps into Zack Snyder, and it’s in this brief but amusing scene that the “which Superman is better” discussion ensues. Snyder chides Gunn that the superhero is called ‘Man of Steel,’ not ‘Man of Conversation,’ a reference to what a fan of dialogue Gunn is. Zack goes on to advise the DC co-CEO with his “secret move”: adding action sequences with slow-motion beats, something very characteristic of his filmography that has also come under fire. This unsolicited advice has provoked an amused reaction from Gunn, who retorts with “It’s not a f***ing secret!”.

The most delirious thing is that both Zack Snyder and James Gunn -the flesh and blood ones- have voiced their animated versions of ‘Rick and Morty’. This implies that both accept with humor both the criticism towards their work and the characterization they have received within this episode. Although there is no “definitive” answer as to whether Henry Cavill’s Superman or David Corenswet’s Superman is “better”, this episode has managed to laugh at one of the most hackneyed debates within superhero fandom, especially concerning DC Comics productions.

‘Rick and Morty’ has once again proven that no universe -or multiverse- is sacred enough to be spared its satire. By caricaturing Gunn and Snyder mercilessly but lovingly - and with the express consent of both, of course - the series not only pokes fun at the eternal creative tug-of-war at DC, but also throws in a well-aimed dig at the fans themselves: if you’ve ever argued losing your temper on Twitter about which Superman is “better,” this episode is for you... and a little bit about you, too.

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