Zack Snyder could have done anything he wanted in the DC Extended Universe after Man of Steel was released. With Warner Bros. turning to him for assistance in creating this world, the filmmaker could have jumped straight into a Superman sequel, the Justice League, or even a Batman movie for that matter. However, it turns out that he's quite relieved to just have the Caped Crusader as a co-star in next year's Dawn of Justice. "If it was a Batman movie it would be a much more difficult proposition because of how good Chris' movies are. We live in gratiitude to those movies. Chris set a tone for the DC Universe, and separated us from Marvel in a great way. We are the legacy pf those movies." The pressure is obviously on Ben Affleck and Geoff Johns to deliver now then.
As for the rivalry between Marvel and DC, it turns out that it doesn't really exist. Snyder says that's down to just how different they ultimately are. "Right from the beginning it is different tonally from where those movies are. You know, DC is an ancient world in a lot of ways." That's a point reiterated by producer Deborah Snyder, as she praised Marvel but emphasised the fact that these worlds are tonally very, very different. "I can see how people would want to make it this big, intnse rivalry. Listen, they are so great. I loved Guardians of the Galaxy...our films are a bit more serious. They deal with things that are a little darker. Things that place them in our world."