Exhausted ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ director proven right about the toxic superhero discourse

It’s been a tough weekend for David F. Sandberg, with the filmmaker forced to sit idly by and watch as Shazam! Fury of the Gods circles the drain at the box office, where it’s already shaping up to be one of the biggest bombs in the history of the DCU.

If that wasn’t enough, the director has also been trying to deal with the inevitably toxic discourse that surrounds superhero cinema, having seen his words twisted and taken out of context more than once. In making a joking comment on Reddit that he got paid upfront regardless of how the sequel fares at the box office, he was forced to step in and deny that he didn’t care whether or not Fury of the Gods lost a fortune.

Then, he felt compelled to shoot down the speculation that Gal Gadot didn’t actually set foot on the set when a body double in full costume showcased in behind the scenes photos led people to believe the Wonder Woman star had been deepfaked into the movie. Just when you thought it was over, though, another innocent soundbite from Sandberg stating he needed a break from comic book capers after dedicating six years of his life to the medium has become the latest to weaponized for clickbait.

It’s not what you’d call a shocking development, especially when superhero fandoms are arguably the most militant bunch on social media, but if and when Sandberg retreats back to his safe haven of horror, you can guarantee he won’t be placed under anywhere near as much scrutiny.