Zack Snyder and the Professional Toxic Fanboy

Abstract

Chapter 6 interrogates Snyder’s aspirations to auteur status, arguing that they are in tension with his one-note style that always goes darker, grittier, and more violent, no matter what. Snyder’s self-aggrandizement and unwillingness to move beyond his comfort zone join his strong attachment to a toxic masculinity rooted in extreme violence and his routine misogyny to make him the archetypical toxic fanboy. Despite—or perhaps because of—these characteristics, Snyder has a powerfully invested following, which he engages and cultivates through social media, making him a highly polarizing figure who remains at the center of fannish discourse even years after leaving a franchise behind.