Why do batman and superman fight in the new movie
at first glance (and probably second and third), batman v. superman (2016) sounds like some kind of fan-service stunt. those who are not avid comic readers and don’t know that the concept is taken from frank miller’s famous comic (daredevil, sin city, 300) from 1986 the dark knight returns may wonder why two iconic superheroes, good guys no less, are apparently at odds with each other. what is the motivation here? Is it telling a true story with a plausible meaning, or is it just a silly premise like Freddy vs. jason (2003) servicing two separate fan bases with a mash-up? the answer: yes.
in the dark knight returns, miller envisioned batman as an aging hero, living out his days in gotham, sans robins, in a dilapidated version of wayne manor, unsettled by the progress of gotham city . . Despite all their years of fighting crime and providing solace to the citizens of Gotham, the madmen continue to cause trouble. At the same time, Superman is the featured lifesaver thanks to his effective immortality. the basis of history: conflicting ideologies. Batman doesn’t think having a deity in charge of peacekeeping is smart, while Superman sees Batman’s rebellious heroism as dangerous and braggart. fighting is how two heroes define “good” in different ways.
The Dark Knight Returns (2012)
screenrant summarizes the comic: “the dark knight returns revolves around 55-year-old bruce wayne hanging up his cape and cowl and retiring after From years of fighting crime as the masked vigilante Batman, however, the rising levels of violence and lawless behavior in Gotham City inspire Bruce to resurrect his caped-crusader alter ego and return to action, something that not only spurs It brings his most dangerous enemies back into the game, but eventually puts the Dark Knight at odds with the US government and its ‘ally’ (or ‘lackey’, seen through Bruce’s eyes). , superman.”
turns out batman v. superman builds on that premise but doesn’t do much to preserve the ideologies that made the original comic work. he also injects so much plot into his new story that the motivations are unclear. why batman (ben affleck) and superman (henry cavill) are fighting becomes less of a film adaptation of the source material and more of a sloppy avenue to introduce a new batman, a new wonder woman (gal gadot), and establish the suicide squad movie to be released in late 2016, with a justice league entry hitting theaters soon after. the movie’s subtitle, after all, is dawn of justice, which already makes it feel like the pair will work things out in the end. It seems that whatever this movie is about, the bottom line is that his antics will lead to the formation of the Justice League. (In fact, Zack Snyder more or less admitted that that’s one of the movie’s ulterior motives.)
zack snyder also confirmed that his film has moments of homage to the classic miller comic, but it is not a great adaptation. as vox explains, “the reason wayne wants to fight superman is that superman caused too much damage to the metropolis, and wayne believes a fight will make superman and the world more aware of his abilities . Or maybe it’s because Wayne is still saddened by the death of his parents and experiencing some kind of post-traumatic stress disorder. Or, wait, is it because Wayne thinks everyone is too into authoritarianism to see how crazy it is to trust Superman? maybe it’s because wayne is jealous of superman. or maybe he just can’t see past lex luthor’s (jesse eisenberg) gimmicks and an ongoing media narrative that superman is dangerous… this is where you wish snyder had stuck to miller’s simple plan: that these no two men just see justice the same way. None of Wayne’s reasons for the war are clear enough, but they are all there, limp and dying from lack of sunlight and oxygen. he’s going to make a great batman v superman movie about how we mythologize our heroes and why our trust in them depends on how human we think our enemy is, but what snyder created here isn’t.”
In man of steel(2013), superman saved the metropolis while simultaneously destroying most of it. Faced with the facts, Superman earns his name for being something beyond the human. Whether he’s a deity or an alien, his immense power that defies the laws of humanity worries some people, including Batman. As such, Batman acknowledges Superman’s good intentions as he understands the seriousness of his power, considering the possibility that he may become a threat that must be stopped.
Destruction in Man of Steel (2013)
“That son of a bitch brought us war two years ago,” Batman tells Alfred (Jeremy Irons). Jesus, Alfredo, count the dead. thousands of people. what next, billions? he has the power to wipe out the entire human race and if we believe that there is even a one percent chance that he is our enemy, then we have to take that as an absolute certainty and we have to destroy him.”
meanwhile, superman has similar feelings about batman. he sees vigilante crime fighting as something that must stop, and he’s the man to stop it.
Of course, there’s also Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), who moviegoers are probably tired of seeing as Superman’s recurring nemesis. Luthor may be crazy, but he also sees an opportunity for two great superheroes, one of whom stands as his archenemy, to battle it out. whoever wins, luthor wins, unless they realize their differences and team up with other superheroes, of course…
Also, pitting batman against superman seems technically inappropriate, as superman has superhuman strength, x-ray vision, superhuman hearing, can fly, and basically doesn’t age. batman in this movie is a rich older guy in a fancy suit with a bunch of fancy tools. Still, Snyder and the fight choreographer maintain that the fight is even and that the fight makes sense.
Unfortunately, as simple as the motivation for the film’s premise might have been, it’s part of a multi-layered story that critics say doesn’t fit. at least now you know more about where the idea for their fight was born and how it evolved (or was destroyed) for the movie 30 years later.
