We finally know what creates the battle between the Man of Steel (Henry Cavill) and the Dark Night (Ben Affleck) after seeing the epic Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer released at Comic-Con this weekend.
This was our first look at Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) in action, Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) scheming, why the DC heroes go to war.
Here are our biggest moments and burning questions:
Man of Steel finale sets the stage. The controversial ending in which most of Metropolis was destroyed by the fight between Zod and Kal El is critical to the story in the follow up. Bruce Wayne was there and ran into the rubble to save lives after Wayne Tower was destroyed. (It makes you wonder about geography in the DC movie universe – is Gotham City that close to Metropolis?
Superman is a “messiah” to some who worship him and use the S symbol to call on him to help. To others, he’s an alien demon and the government ultimately decides to hold him responsible for the events in the Man of Steel finale.
Joker steals the headline? Bruce reflects on a headline “Wayne Tower Devastated” on a newspaper front page with “You Let Your Family DIE” written across in red. Could this be the Joker taunting Batman…which means the villain knows Batman’s true identity?
Kal (as Clark Kent) on the trail of the Batman? “This Bat-vigilante is a one man reign of terror” says Clark. Apparently Superman does not approved of the Dark Knight’s tactics and considers him a threat too.
Kryptonite! This is the first confirmed appearance of Kryptonite in the DC movie universe and Lex Luthor has it. This is the green remains of Kal El’s homeworld that is deadly to him. Luthor is in possession of Zod’s remains. How did Luthor get it? Does he know what it can do to Superman? Will Batman seize the deadly substance that can turn the ride in his battle with the Man of Steel?
Luthor and the Goverment? Is the U.S. Senator (Holly Hunter) in charge of the hearing against Superman a secret ally of Luthor? Is a secret faction of the government working with the billionaire against Superman? This could set the stage for Task Force X (aka Suicide Squad) the introduction of government operatives Amanda Waller and Steve Trevor who are meta-human experts and A.R.G.U.S. which will be featured in Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Justice League movies.
Lex Luthor angers Superman! Luthor is stroking the hair of a kneeling Superman when the hero looks up with rage on his face. Did Luthor exhume and desecrate the corpse of Zod or threaten Lois?
Robin Dead? Bruce Wayne looks upon a statue of Robin with “Ha! Ha! Jokes on you BATMAN” spray painted across it. Is this a reference to Jason Todd? Todd was the second Robin who was killed by the Joker but later resurrected as a vigilante known as The Red Hood. The narration under this shot is Bruce saying, “20 years in Gotham….how many good guys are left? How many stay that way?”
“He has the power to wipe out the entire human race. And we have to destroy him.” declares Batman was he unwraps the Bat signal. Is this the Dark Knight calling out the Man of Steel to come to him for a fight?
Superman’s Army? We see another shot of military men bowing to the Man of Steel and later an armored Batman fighting a squadron of armed fighters with the S symbol on their uniform. Who is this army?
Desert Warrior? We see Batman more in his armor and variations of armor than his Batsuit than in any movie so far. Why is the Dark Knight in military gear for desert warfare? Could the film introduce Qurac into the DC movie universe? Qurac is a fictional nation in the Persian Gulf that acts a rogue terrorist state in the comics. The country has a metahuman strike force known as Onslaught which were frequent enemies of Suicide Squad in the comics.
Wonder Woman Wows! We see Gal Gadot as both Diana Prince moving in Bruce Wayne’s social circles (as a covert government agent?) and in battle as Wonder Woman. Is the Amazon in the Superman vs Batman battle or fighting another unrevealed enemy? If Diana has to choose, will she side with the Man of Steel or Dark Knight? The Amazon Warrior is armed with her sword and shield but there’s a powerful hand clap by Diana that sends shock waves – just how powerful is this movie Wonder Woman?
Dive in the Ocean? It looks like a woman diving into the depths. This could be a reference to Diana reaching out to Aquaman for aid in the coming battle?
SuperMEN? What does Luthor mean when he says “The Red Capes are coming, The Red Capes are coming” alluding to more than one Superman or a future with more meta-humans aka Justice League?
How will they make peace? Alfred (Jeremy Irons) says he’s not the enemy. How will Batman and Superman end the fight? Will they learn of Luthor of another villain’s manipulations? Is there a bigger threat (Doomsday, Darkseid) that makes the rivals end hostilities in time for Justice League, Part One?
Watch the trailer again:
“Black vs. Blue. God vs. Man. Day vs. Night.”
What was your favorite moment? What big questions do you have?
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice arrives March, 2016
By Editor