Zack Snyder’s ambitious Norse mythology saga has faced its final Ragnarök. Netflix has officially cancelled Twilight of the Gods after just one season, signaling a definitive shift in the streamer’s strategy away from “blank check” auteur projects and leaving the Snyderverse future in limbo.
A Sudden End to the Valhalla Dream
The ax has fallen on Valhalla. Twilight of the Gods, Zack Snyder’s R-rated animated foray into the brutal world of Norse legends, will not be returning for a second season. Confirmed by industry insiders and bolstered by disappointing viewership metrics, this cancellation is more than just a single show ending—it is a bellwether for the deteriorating relationship between Snyder’s production company, The Stone Quarry, and Netflix.
Premiering in September 2024, the series aimed to disrupt the adult animation landscape, positioning itself alongside hits like Blue Eye Samurai and Castlevania. However, despite a star-studded voice cast—including Sylvia Hoeks, Pilou Asbæk, and Rahul Kohli—and a respectable 76% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the numbers didn’t add up.
In the ruthless economics of 2025’s “Streaming Correction,” critical appreciation isn’t enough. The series failed to crack the Global Top 10 with the staying power required to justify the high production costs of premium 2D animation (courtesy of Xilam Animation). The cancellation leaves fans with a permanent cliffhanger: Loki revealed as the master puppeteer, and the great war of Ragnarök teased but never to be animated.
The “Snyder Fatigue” and Hollywood’s New Reality
This move must be viewed through the lens of Hollywood’s current austerity. When Snyder signed his overall deal with Netflix, it was the era of the “Streaming Wars,” where subscriber growth trumped profitability. Today, retention and completion rates are king.
The cancellation of Twilight of the Gods follows a pattern of retreating from the Snyder brand:
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Army of the Dead: Once planned as a massive franchise with sequels and spinoffs (like Lost Vegas), the universe has been quietly shelved.
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Rebel Moon: The sci-fi epic received a lukewarm reception and sharp audience drop-off between Part One and Part Two, putting future installments in jeopardy.
Netflix is signaling a pivot. The platform is moving away from polarizing “auteur-driven” blockbusters that demand massive budgets but serve niche audiences. In a market dominated by viral hits like Wednesday or Squid Game, Snyder’s specific brand of slow-motion stylistic excess and dark, deconstructive storytelling is finding less shelf space.
Why Did It Fail to Connect?
Industry analysts point to several factors that doomed the series in the US and UK markets:
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Oversaturated Market: Adult animation is fiercely competitive. Twilight of the Gods had to fight for attention against established titans like Rick and Morty, Invincible (Amazon), and Netflix’s own Arcane.
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Tonally Jarring: Western critics often cited the show’s “edgelord” tendency—excessive sexual violence and gore that felt performative rather than narrative-driven—as a barrier for mainstream audiences.
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Visual Style: While artistic, the stylized 2D look was a hard sell for audiences expecting the hyper-realism of Love, Death & Robots or the polished CGI of modern gaming adaptations.
What Was Lost: A Mythological Deconstruction
Despite its flaws, Twilight of the Gods offered a unique, Revisionist Western take on Norse myth. Showrunner Jay Oliva and Snyder stripped Thor of his Marvel-esque heroism, presenting him as a terrifying, capricious tyrant—a depiction far closer to the original Eddas.
The story of Sigrid, a half-giant bride on a suicide mission of vengeance against the God of Thunder, offered a raw emotional core that resonated with hardcore fans. The cancellation leaves significant narrative arcs unresolved, specifically regarding the unique, controversial inclusion of Jesus Christ in the show’s pantheon and the ultimate fate of the mortal resistance.
What’s Next for Zack Snyder?
With the Netflix bridge seemingly burning, Snyder finds himself at a crossroads. Rumors of a return to Warner Bros. under the new DC regime remain wishful thinking from online fanbases. The director’s future may lie in smaller, more contained budgets or different mediums like graphic novels to finish his stories.
For now, Twilight of the Gods serves as a cautionary tale: in the algorithm era, not even the gods are immortal.
