Batman's a proactive character. Wouldn't he take the fight to his foe? He knows Luthor is keeping an eye on so-called "metahumans" too, so you'd think he would at least be a little suspicious. I realize this is just an extension of my very first point, but that really, really bugged me. Lois being a damsel in distress made me roll my eyes, but at least Superman dropping everything to rescue her kind of makes sense within the movie's own twisted logic. They love each other — or so they say.
But then it turns out Luthor is just using Lois being in danger to lure Superman out into the open, before revealing he's kidnapped Superman's mother as well.
Setting aside Batman v Superman 's lousy treatment of its women characters, both women don't need to be captured for this story to make sense. Similarly, the movie doesn't need both the African massacre and the explosion in the US Capitol for Superman to feel bad about the chaos he's brought to the world. Most of Batman v Superman 's story is pointless busywork.
The Capitol bombing sequence is a mess on a number of levels — considering it involves Luthor threatening a sitting US senator with a jar full of urine, for one — but it all falls apart once you realize that Superman could almost certainly hear the bomb inside of Wallace's wheelchair. Thanks to Vox contributor Genevieve Valentine for pointing this out. Nobody likes it when journalists complain about fictional depictions of journalism, but this is a particularly egregious one.
Perry White has no interest in a story about Batman? He's got Clark covering football, but also attending society parties?
Maybe the Planet doesn't have beats anymore, but no real-world journalist operates like that. I could go on, but I sense this particular topic will be of interest mainly to me. The answer to this question is, "Because the story needs that to happen.
But why does his death have to happen on a thematic level? What about it inspires Bruce and Diana to start the Justice League? And why bother with it at all, given that it will clearly immediately be reversed in the Justice League movie still ostensibly coming in ?
Death has become a brief way station on the hero's journey in too many modern Hollywood franchises. Just once, death and resurrection should carry some damn weight. They don't have any weight in Batman v Superman. At all. No matter what you do, or how hard you work to save people, something might go wrong So even though it's good to help people, maybe you shouldn't.
If anyone was surprised that Snyder wants to adapt The Fountainhead for an upcoming project, hopefully they won't be after this baffling bit of characterization.
Also, maybe don't throw a deadly spear into a giant pool of water, then decide you want it back a few minutes later. Maybe wait until after the giant battle with a deformed alien monster to decide what to do with it. Batman falls asleep — or maybe travels to the future?! Once he does, he imagines a world in which Superman has taken over, seemingly alongside Darkseid , the main big, cosmic bad of the DC Comics universe. Then the Flash visits him to deliver a message about being right and needing to find Lois Lane.
And that's it. I realize the easy explanation for the dream sequence is, "It's setting up future movies," or, "It shows us Batman's paranoia about Superman! But it also seems like an attempt to get us to worry that Superman might turn evil at some point, and, sigh. No matter how you slice it, Batman v Superman doesn't work as a standalone movie. But in this sequence — which could be lifted out of the film without changing anything — it doesn't work as a potential franchise starter, either.
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By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: 19 things that don't make sense in this nonsensical movie. And there's absolutely no indication that Snyder, the self-professed "comic book guy" who created this thing, actually understands what Miller was going for in The Dark Knight Returns beyond the dark and grim feel of the book.
When Batman and Superman fight, it's more than just two iconic heroes battling one another. They stand for values, a history, and philosophies that extend beyond the two of them as individuals. And "comic book people" — the audience that Snyder insists he's trying to please — will be the first to tell you this. Batman v Superman may have set records at the box office , but it's a major creative failure — and the primary reason why is that Snyder, despite his alleged comic book roots, couldn't get this simple part of the iconic rivalry right.
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower through understanding. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all.
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today to help us keep our work free for all. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.
By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. Spoiler alert: this post discusses Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 's plot at length. Related Batman v Superman is a crime against comic book fans.
Next Up In Culture. Delivered Fridays. Thanks for signing up! Check your inbox for a welcome email. Email required. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. He fights crime and eccentric human villains, like the Joker and the Riddler.
Superman fights insane , otherworldly creatures and stuff. Yes, he defeats General Zod, but thousands of lives are lost in the process. To Batman, Superman is a questionable figure whose mere presence also might accidentally attract some dangerous aliens to earth. And yes, it's a heavy-handed metaphor for the topical issue of illegal immigration. OK, so Batman is already mad at Superman because of all of the aforementioned stuff, but there's more to it. Batman gets all fired up about killing Superman — cue the sexy training montage — but Superman has no beef with Batman, other than he keeps branding people with his Bat symbol.
Superman goes over to Gotham to talk to Batman like an adult, but Batman is all ready for him in his giant, metal anti-Superman suit.
This is when the fight that's been so heavily teased occurs. It's less epic than it is silly; Superman spends half his time easily thwarting all of Batman's "clever" traps, and half his time trying to explain to Batman that he doesn't want to fight him, he just needs his help. It's really embarrassing for Batman. Batman eventually weakens Superman with some krypton gas, but right before he kills him, Superman asks him to save Martha.
Fun fact: Martha is also the name of Batman's slain mother, and this connection is enough for Batman to stop murdering Superman and instead they become BFFs.
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