All 7 Batman movie directors ranked from worst to best

6. Zack Snyder

Directed: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)

Zack Snyder was the man tasked with bringing most of the DC Extended Universe together in its early days and it all started with Man of Steel. However, he introduced us to the DCEU’s Dark Knight in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and brought him back again in Justice League (although we wouldn’t get to see his true vision of that film until Zack Snyder’s Justice League was released in 2021).

Snyder portrayed the superheroes of the DCEU as larger-than-life god-like figures. This provided his movies with a majestic aesthetic, with artistic visuals and ambitious plots. The fact that we saw Batman, a human vigilante, in the same unearthly way that we saw every super-powered individual around him says a lot about Snyder’s commitment to the vision and the journey he envisioned for the character. It’s all very out-of-this-world and, for the most part, it worked – especially in his cut of Justice League.

While Snyder’s films involving Batman were beautifully shot and committed to the story they were telling, fans did take issue with the portrayal of the Caped Crusader in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice because of his recklessly aggressive (and, for lack of a better term, murderous) approach, and it’s hard to argue with that. While the potential was there and Ben Affleck delivered in the role, the Batman of the DCEU never truly lived up to his comic book counterpart.

We will, however, give Snyder his due, because from the tributes to The Dark Knight Returns to the suit that his Batman wore (and let’s not forget that epic warehouse battle), you can tell he was a fan of the character. And you can never go too wrong when you’re making something with love.