James Gunn, co-chief of DC Studios, and filmmaker Zack Snyder voiced animated versions of themselves in the 6 July episode of Adult Swim’s “Rick and Morty.” The instalment, “Ricker Than Fiction,” shows the directors meeting in a Warner Bros. commissary and trading barbs over their contrasting approaches to Superman. Snyder quips, “He’s the Man of Steel, not the Man of Conversation—do more shots of him punching,” while Gunn fires back before apologising for questioning Snyder’s brawny on-screen persona. Executive producer Scott Marder told Variety that both directors are long-time fans of the series and “were good sports,” offering no resistance to jokes about their work. Gunn recorded his lines the morning after wrapping principal photography on his own Superman reboot, due in theatres on 11 July, and Snyder immediately asked to return for future cameos. The appearance lands days before Gunn’s film reaches cinemas and follows years of online sparring between the directors’ respective fan bases. By lampooning their creative rivalry within the cartoon’s metaverse, the episode dispatches a meta commentary on Hollywood franchise fatigue and the fervour surrounding new iterations of iconic characters.