The Snyderverse Full Circle event revealed further information on the working relationship between Justice League director Zack Snyder and Geoff Johns. The panel reacted strongly to the mention of the critically acclaimed comic book writer and former DC Entertainment Co-President during a fan question that took an unexpected turn.Ray Fisher accused Johns of contributing to “racist conversations” during Justice League re-shoots after Snyder left due to studio pressure and personal tragedy. This unforeseen tragedy was then exploited by previous Warner Bros. executive Toby Emmerich when expressing that the studio would honor Snyder's vision. Insider claims state that Johns was responsible for replacing Snyder with Joss Whedon and Ben Affleck eventually stepping down from directing his Batman film. Thankfully, Zack Snyder's Justice League rectified issues in the theatrical cut four years later. However, the extent of Johns' meddling with various DC productions, presumably including Suicide Squad, has been kept tightly under wraps until now.During the Q&A of Batman v Superman at the Full Circle event, a fan asked if - because Snyder directed both Watchmen and Zack Snyder's Justice League - a crossover story like Doomsday Clock was ever in the director’s vision of events to come and what the director thought of the graphic novel. Someone in the panel, presumed to be Effects Supervisor John Des Jordan, can be heard saying, “please no,” before confirming with the fan that Doomsday Clock was the comic written by Geoff Johns. At this time, Snyder replied, “probably not,” while Jordan and Stunt Coordinator Damon Caro humorously dropped their mics before walking off-stage. The crowd can be heard cheering as Jordan throws up a middle finger. Snyder remained composed while visibly entertained by the theatrics and repeats, “like I said, probably not,” as Jordan and Caro can be seen returning to their chairs and shaking their heads.
This incident seems to support claims that Johns may have sabotaged the Snyderverse early on due to his desire to control the trajectory of the DCEU, similar to Kevin Feige's role at Marvel Studios, only in this case, it backfired. Despite WB insiders regretting releasing Zack Snyder's Justice League, insider claims suggest that Johns was not well-liked at WB. When a DC fan on Twitter pointed their finger at Diane Nelson, former DC Entertainment President, expressing that she had a hand in "helping her buddy Geoff destroy his work [Snyder] from the inside," Nelson validated those claims by responding with "he's no buddy of mine."
The truth of what happened is still unclear. However, the strong reaction from Snyder and members of the production, as well as Ben Affleck's Justice League experience, is telling of various claims and rumors that pin the blame on Johns as a major contributor to what went wrong behind the scenes. Thus far, Johns has not responded to any of these allegations, likely because he does not want to ruffle any more feathers.
Zack Snyder's Justice League is available to stream on HBO Max.
Source: Full Circle stream/Vero True Social