How Twitter Bots Drove The Release Of 'The Snyder Cut'
Dawn Of The Snyderverse
Between 2018 and 2020, one hashtag dominated the internet: #releasethesnydercut. Millions of fans were disappointed with the original theatrical release of The Justice League. They took to Twitter and called for Zack Snyder’s version even though he had left the production. No one was even 100% sure if the movie existed.
As Snyder’s dispute with Warner Bros followed the tragic death of his daughter, the situation did not play well with fans. Furthermore, they respond positively to the changes made by his replacement Joss Whedon. Celebrities such as Jason Mamoa, Ben Affleck, and Gal Gadot voiced their support for the campaign. Lines of t-shirts and other merchandise appeared. The topic was debated endlessly in podcasts and on YouTube. In May 2020 Warner Bros relented and the movie came out the following year.
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However, the campaign had a dark side. Anyone related to the original project in any shape or form (who had not saved themselves by tweeting #releasethesnydercut) became a target of harassment and online bullying. Geoff Johns and James Gunn received death threats from “fans.” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was the subject of a tasteless meme in which he was shown to be murdered by Nazis. “Fans” even attacked Adam Wingard for daring to release Godzilla vs. Kong so close to the drop of the Snyder cut on HBO Max.
The onslaught was so severe that Warner Bros Security Division had to step in. What had been fuelling the vitriol? This was not the first time a franchise had changed directors under dubious circumstances. Lucasfilm can barely make it through a movie without firing at least one . So why this movie? Had Snyder’s story gripped fans beyond anything they had ever seen or were there greater forces at work?
According to reports by WarnerMedia, 13% of activity on #releasethesnyndercut was from fake accounts. Bots. In true DC fashion, Zack Snyder’s defense was being amplified by an army of machines. On Twitter, whoever shouts the loudest has the most power, and a cyber backup to the obsessed few ensured that the hashtag would always be trending. The bots also did their best to make sure that the movie placed well in the fan-voted Oscar categories even though it did not have enough pull to snag Snyder the top prize.
Justice
So who was responsible? Who hired the ad agency? Who paid for the bots? The landing page for the campaign can be traced back to an ad agency that appears not to have survived as long as the hype for the movie. Rolling Stone magazine claimed that 20 people that were involved with the original film believed that it was Zack Snyder himself that set the wheels in motion. Everyone else was just dancing to his tune.
Considering how hurt everyone attached to that movie was by Snyderverse, it is not surprising that they would point the finger in that direction. Snyder did have the most to gain from the success of the campaign, and some of his most ardent acolytes have already proven they would stop at nothing to get what they believe The Snyder Cut deserves. It is a mystery that may never be solved.
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Source(s): Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, The Wrap, LA Times, Screen Rant, Vox