Zack Snyder thinks "it's fine to make fun of Martha", but says Batman v Superman criticism is coming from the wrong place: "Do you really want a movie that's had its edges shaved off by focus groups?"

Zack Snyder says it's "fine" for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice fans to "make fun" of the movie's emotional 'Martha' scene, since he stands by the way he crafted Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent's name-based brawl regardless.

"It is true in canon!", he yelled with a smile during a recent appearance on Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast. "It is true in canon that Batman and Superman's mothers are both named 'Martha'. That is a fact of the comic book world."

In the 2016 outing, Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor kidnaps Superman's adoptive mother Martha and tells the Kryptonian he must kill Batman in order to save her. Supes tries to explain this to Batman, but things go pear-shaped when the latter attacks him with power-dampening gas. As Batman prepares to deal the final blow, Superman pleads with him to "save Martha" – who, of course, shares a name with Batman's mom. Lois then clues a confused Batman in, and the Dark Knight rescues Mama Kent.

Over the years, some viewers have criticized the moment's clunky dialogue, while others have admitted that the coincidence – canon or not – sat awkwardly with them. Some, however, think it's "actually genius".

During the chat, the filmmaker added that he initially saw the Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Justice League trilogy as "a flower that was going to bloom and be glorious, and then die" – and that it inevitably moved away from being the "mythological universe that we saw had an ending". Even if he wound up loving the "intense" journey they went on anyway...

"My 100% honest reaction to BvS and how it's received in the world is... and I've said this quite a bit... 'Do you really want a movie that's had all the edges shaved off it by the focus groups?" Snyder went on. "Do you really want a movie where the decisions have been made in a boardroom, or tested ideas have been rendered for your enjoyment? Do you really want the Kmart version of your story?'"

For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows.