Several of his friends attempted suicide in the past, with one who struggles with depression ghosting him till today.

This is why when Megat Danial Mohammad Iskandar, whom he met on Twitter in 2019, started a campaign to raise funds for Befrienders in conjunction with the release of Zack Snyder’s “Justice League” on March 18, Faiq didn’t think twice to sign up for the initiative.

Befrienders is an NGO that provides emotional support for those with suicidal thoughts.

“Seeing Megat raising funds (for suicide prevention) made me think I can do something to help. I may not have been able to help my friends before, but I can help raise awareness now. It’s the least I could do,” Faiq, a translator, told FMT.

Megat and Faiq’s desire to help raise awareness about suicide was inspired by a global movement by fans of Snyder, the director behind movies like “300”, “Watchmen” and “Man of Steel”.

Snyder was forced to step down as director of Justice League — which would have seen the likes of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Aquaman join forces on the silver screen — in 2017 after his 20-year-old daughter, Autumn, committed suicide.

The movie was subsequently reshot by Joss Whedon and, much to the chagrin of Snyder’s fans, the finished product strayed from the latter’s original vision.

This sparked a global movement, aptly called “Release the Snyder Cut”, which consisted of cinephiles who passionately lobbied for Snyder’s original film to be released.

Part of the campaign also involved raising money for the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention (AFSP), and, in December 2020, the director and his fanbase raised over US$500,000.

Megat, a self-professed aficionado of superhero movies, was among those who had played a part in raising funds for AFSP by purchasing five Snyder Cut-themed shirts and a hoodie. The proceeds went to the foundation.

He felt that since he had helped the movement raise funds for AFSP, it was time to give back to the local community by helping Befrienders.

The idea came to him last year, prior to the watch party for Megat’s favourite flick, “Man of Steel”. It was then that Snyder announced that his cut of the movie would finally be released.

But Megat was also motivated by a thank-you note from Snyder to the fund-raising movement. The director, in June last year, had tweeted, “The bottom line… you have saved lives. This powerful movement is amazing.”

“I was inspired by that. If the global movement could raise half a million (US dollars), I want to try to do it locally,” Megat said.

He managed to raise RM794, including donations that came from the UK and the US.

Encouraged by his first initiative and the announcement for Snyder Cut’s release date earlier this year, Megat is now working to raise funds for Befrienders yet again.

This time, they are looking to raise RM2,400, a sum which was inspired by the movie’s 240-minute run time.

They have collected a total of RM1,311 so far, which includes donations from the first campaign.

Megat, Faiq and another friend Chester Wong, the three of whom connected online and only met face-to-face for the first time when they were interviewed, are now working tirelessly to reach their goal. To them, this mission goes beyond raising funds.

Like Faiq, Wong too had known someone who had taken his life — an acquaintance from secondary school.

He remembered going to school one day and it was abuzz with talk of a student who took his life.

“I was shocked. I did not know him well, but I still felt it.

“I have friends who suffer from depression, so seeing them struggle hurts me. Having an NGO like Befrienders will help a lot,” the 29-year-old web designer said.

Now, the three hope that their fundraising efforts will also raise awareness about suicide, just as the Snyder Cut movement had done.

They want their passion for the movie and these iconic characters to translate into something beneficial.

“Many wrongly view the Snyder Cut movement as a bunch of trolls and toxic fans. But not many focus on what the movement has achieved, which is to raise awareness and save lives,” said Wong.

Those keen on donating to the Befrienders’ fundraising campaign, can do so by visiting this page.