DCEU director Zack Snyder confirms which of his five comic book movie adaptations is his favorite. Zack Snyder launched his canceled five-movie DCEU plan in 2013 with the Superman solo movie Man of Steel, which he followed up with the ambitious 2016 crossover Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Zack Snyder had to step away from 2017’s Justice League, but he completed his vision for the team-up movie in 2021 in the form of the highly acclaimed Zack Snyder’s Justice League, also known as the Snyder Cut. Before his work in the DCEU, Zack Snyder’s filmography already included two comic book films: 2006’s 300 and 2009’s Watchmen.

Speaking to Comicbook.com, Zack Snyder revealed that the comic book movie he feels the proudest of is Watchmen. Snyder explains that he sees Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League as adaptations of “ideas” based on famous comic book characters, whereas Watchmen feels like a more direct adaptation of the comic book medium. For Snyder, Watchmen is “the cleanest, and kind of most satisfying” comic book adaptation he has made. Read Snyder’s full comments below:

“Well, weirdly, I kind of look at it in two ways. Like one I think, of course, Man of Steel, BvS, Justice League, is its own thing…. I don’t know necessarily, whether it’s a comic book movie in the classic sense, for me. But I can understand how people would say that because those are comic book characters and whatever, but, that’s just based on ideas that I had about comic book characters,” Snyder said.

“I would have to say Watchmen, probably for me, just like the process of adaptation from comic book to movie design, all the things as we went from comic books to movie,” Snyder said. “I think Watchmen is like the cleanest, and kind of most satisfying, transition to adapted material.”

What It Means That Watchmen Is The Comic Book Movie Zack Snyder Is Proudest Of

Zack Snyder Values The Comic Book Medium’s Visual Aspects

Zack Snyder emphasizes the process of adapting the comic book format instead of just the characters and the events. Whereas characters like Superman and Batman have countless different stories across many continuities, Alan Moore’s Watchmen is easily distinguishable as a specific storyline starring characters with very well-defined characterizations. Snyder then approaches the word “adaptation” quite literally — not only as an interpretation of the comics, but as a live-action reproduction of the comic book panels.

Our Take On Watchmen Being The Comic Book Movie Zack Snyder Is Proudest Of

Zack Snyder Tends To Prioritize Visuals Over Story In His Comic Book Adaptations

Zack Snyder’s comments support the idea that he is a very visual director. Snyder’s films are often praised for their breathtaking cinematography, camera work, action scenes, costume design, and editing. On the other hand, Snyder’s DCEU movies have been criticized for changing characters’ personalities and motivations. For instance, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice introduced the most comic-accurate live-action Batman fight scene so far, but Batman’s disregard for his no-kill rule didn’t sit well with most fans.

Zack Snyder’s Watchmen stays true to the complex, morally ambiguous nature of its anti-heroes, and it brings the comic book panels to life with an unprecedented audiovisual style that’s also faithful to the comics. Snyder also heightens the action scenes and adds his distinctive slow-motion in various sequences. But since there are fewer comic book and live-action iterations of Watchmen than there are of DC Comics characters, it’s much easier to associate Zack Snyder‘s adaptation to the source material.