How James Gunn And Zack Snyder Ended Up Making Fun Of Themselves On Rick And Morty

Getting real-life artists, politicians, and celebrities to voice themselves on animated comedies is a longstanding tradition (think Al Gore on "Futurama," Ryan Reynolds on "Family Guy," or basically any famous person you can think of on "The Simpsons"). "Rick and Morty" has had plenty of its own celebrity cameos, but those guest stars usually end up playing new characters, rather than fictionalized versions of themselves. But in the latest episode of "Rick and Morty" season 8, we get not one but two self-voiced cameos, from directors Zack Snyder and James Gunn.

If you're immersed at all in Comic Book Movie Discourse Internet (my condolences), you're already intimately familiar with the ways in which these two filmmakers have been positioned opposite each other by certain fans. Snyder's take on Superman with 2013's "Man of Steel" has been celebrated by a certain subset of his dedicated followers, but many fans of the character found it altogether too dark and violent for a hero often depicted as a purveyor of peace. With his own upcoming take on the character, simply titled "Superman," Gunn seems to be going in a more traditional direction loyal to the Kal-El's comic history — right down to the kaiju fights.

In "Rick and Morty" season 8, episode 7, "Ricker Than Fiction," Gunn features as a sort of villain character after "ruining" Rick and Morty's favorite film franchise. Snyder makes a smaller cameo in the Warner Bros. cafeteria, where he encourages Gunn to up the action and slow-mo factor on "Superman," all while holding a lunch tray full of creatine. According to series executive producer Scott Marder, who spoke with Variety about the episode, "They were good sports." Apparently, both directors are fans of the animated sci-fi comedy, so they were happy to be a part of it, even if it meant lampooning themselves a fair bit.

Despite what certain corners of the Reddit world might have you believe, James Gunn and Zack Snyder are friends in real life, and while their respective takes on the DC universe don't seem to be aligned, that's inevitable when different creatives take on the same subject. Making fun of each other on "Rick and Morty" was an idea they both jumped at the chance to embrace, according to Variety.

"If anything, they laughed at anything we threw at them," executive producer Scott Marder told the outlet. "There were probably, frankly, even more digs and more silly things we could have used. All they did was laugh it off."

Of course, the timing of this particular "Rick and Morty" episode is no coincidence. The series runs on Adult Swim, which is owned by Warner Bros. — the "villain" of this latest episode. It's a cheeky bit of free marketing to splice one of the studio's most popular shows with a storyline pointing to its biggest film release of the year.

James Gunn's "Superman" opens in theaters on July 11, 2025.