Batman v Superman (Trailer Reaction & Analysis) [Potential Spoilers]

A lot of people have been wondering why these two heroes have to clash. People just don’t get why Batman would have to fight Superman, they’re on the same side aren’t they!? No they are not, at least not yet. Hence the title ‘Dawn of Justice’. The Justice League hasn’t been formed yet. And historically these two heroes have always differed in their methods. The Dark Knight being a little more unforgiving and cruel in how he handles things compared to Superman’s clean-cut, boy scout ways. Batman’s entire persona is molded around instilling fear into his enemies. Superman is a symbol of hope. They’re different as can be.

The Battle of Metropolis

From the trailer we see that Bruce Wayne was not only present, but was also affected by the ‘Black Zero’ event; the battle of Metropolis between Superman and Zod. Wayne Financial tower is destroyed and Bruce Wayne knew people that were in that building. Just who was in the tower is anyone’s guess, but from the looks of it, it was someone close to him. Bruce Wayne was powerless to stop the destruction caused by the Kryptonians.

False God

DC has made a point of making sure their ‘universe’ feels unique, grounded, and actions are not without consequences. People lost family and friends during that battle between the kryptonians. The world has no choice but to hold Superman accountable. The anti-superman sentiment has been one of the running themes of the first two trailers. Human beings historically are often divided when it comes to controversial issues. Some people view Superman as a savior, others a menace; a harbinger of death. Here is where Lex Luthor comes in. It will be Lex Luthor who uses the man of Steel’s public perception against him. How else do you hurt a god raised by humanity? You turn everyone against him.

Lex Luthor and the creation of Doomsday

Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor is given the spotlight and shows us just how instrumental he will be in orchestrating the conflict between the two heroes, and also fueling the public’s unease against Superman. He’s seen manipulating a scared and frightened female senator played by Holly Hunter. The same senator leading the senate hearing on Superman. One of the most curious scenes of the trailer has Lex standing over a kneeling Superman who somehow looks to be subdued and at the mercy of Luthor. Could this be the work of kryptonite? We do see Lex passionately gazing at some kryptonite in the following scene. Not only will Lex get his hands on Superman’s weakness, but it looks like he will also have the corpse of general Zod too. Rumor has it Lex will create the villain Doomsday while experimenting on Zod’s corpse.

Luthor’s bodyguard Mercy Graves overseeing the delivery of Zod’s corpse.

The Batman

“That’s how it starts…the fever, the rage. The feeling of powerlessness. That turns good men…cruel.” 

From that line, we know what to expect from this version of the Batman. We will witness a cruel and unforgiving vigilante; a seasoned vet that has seen the worst the world has to offer and adjusted accordingly. This will be the “darkest” version of Batman ever put on screen.

Batman has been semi-retired for a while now. The arrival of the kryptonians is what actually makes him don his cape and cowl once again. There are hints that the Batman is carrying a lot of emotional baggage from previous years. Including a showdown with the Joker that might have left his sidekick Robin dead. We see Bruce staring at a Robin costume clearly vandalized by the Joker.That is probably why Jared Leto’s Joker has metal teeth now. Batman probably came close to breaking his one rule that night. That is all speculation of course. Now with the emergence of Superman, he can’t let the alien go unchecked. The death of those in Wayne Tower impacted him greatly and made this personal. He’s becoming even more cruel than usual. He literally wants to destroy Kal-El. Alfred comes to an abandoned Wayne Manor and into the batcave to try and talk some sense to Bruce who is now obsessing with vengeance. He is beyond reason. Superman started the war, and he’s going to finish it.

Wonder Woman

The trailer also gives us our first glimpse at the beautiful Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. When she was initially cast, I had my doubts. But the little we saw of her character was enough for me. The moment i saw her in action blew me away.

Summary

I’m excited that we’re finally getting the Justice League on the big screen. I like the direction DC is going in and I think they will really take us to some interesting parts of their universe. Just look at the Suicide Squad, I never would have imagined that it would look so good. Most of those characters are very obscure and the story is quite dark. But DC chose that as the movie to follow ‘BvS: Dawn of Justice’. My trust is with Warner Bros. and DC. This expanding DC Extended Universe as it’s now formally known, is something to get excited about.