Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice



"See, what we call God depends upon our tribe, Clark Joe, 'cause God is tribal; God takes sides! No man in the sky intervened when I was a boy to deliver me from daddy's fist and abominations. I figured out way back if God is all-powerful, He cannot be all-good. And if He is all-good, then He cannot be all-powerful. And neither can you be."

- Lex Luthor

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is a 2016 superhero film set in the DC Extended Universe, directed by Zack Snyder. It featured Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth and Amy Adams as Lois Lane. The film made nearly a billion dollars at the box office but got mixed reviews. Many loved Affleck's performance as Batman but they didn't like the incoherent plot. The "Ultimate Edition" released on home video reinserted 30 minutes onto the film and gained a better reception. It was followed by Justice League and its director's cut Zack Snyder's Justice League.

Bruce Wayne is orphaned at an young age, his parents killed by a random crook. Deciding no one should endure the same pain he endured, he grows up to become Batman, a vigilante who protects his home city of Gotham of almost every kind of criminal. Decades later, and two years after Man of Steel, the appearance of the alien super-hero known as Superman divides opinions, as his colossal amount of power seeds distrusts on the American government even if he proves again and again that he is completely altruistic.

Wayne is equally distrustful of him for the same reason, specially since he was at Metropolis as Superman and fellow Kryptonian Zod tore the city apart in their battle for the fate of the planet. This makes him an easy prey for Lex Luthor, a billionaire with several hidden criminal enterprises that, to put it simply, wants Superman dead for also seeing him as a threat, but for less than altruistic reasons. Feeding Bruce's distrust on him, Lex hopes that eventually, man (Batman) will kill "god" (Superman).

And if man won't kill God, the Devil will do it.


 * Adaptational Villainy: As many fans noticed, this Batman seems perfectly willing, if not at least uncaring, about killing criminals, a great departure of how Batman has been written since the Silver Age.
 * Anti-Hero: Batman is already not the delicate kind of hero, but the movie really plays up his sheer brutality from his DCU counterpart.
 * Arc Words: Martha. On this universe, those are the last words that Thomas Wayne says as he lays dying. At the climax,.
 * Armor Is Useless: Completely averted. Batman don't would stand a chance of surviving a blow with Kryptonian lifeforms otherwise.
 * As Himself:
 * Jon Stewart mocks Superman for being too patriotic with his red and blue uniform and misunderstands him having an "S" on front as standing for "States".
 * Neil De Grasse Tyson makes an extended cameo reflecting on how Superman answers the question about mankind's loneliness in the universe.
 * Big Bad: Lex Luthor, who pits Batman against Superman constantly. Though Clark needs no incentive to dislike Bruce, since brutal vigilantism is definitely not his style.
 * Came Back Wrong:.
 * The Cameo: The additional Justice League members, The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg appear in files found by Bruce Wayne.
 * Darker and Edgier: It has the dark tone that Man of Steel was known for.
 * Fusion Dance:.
 * Gratuitous English: The Japanese title uses the word "Justice" in katakana, instead of Japanese "Seigi". Probably to make a distinction between the concept of "justice" and the Justice League.
 * Insufferable Genius: Lex is a genius in several fields simultaneously, and also overly proud of himself and prone to belittle others once the mask comes down as he does to Lois Lane when she calls him psychotic.
 * Leitmotif: Wonder Woman's theme plays as Batman realizes how old she is, as he sees a photo of her taken during WW1.
 * Marked to Die: Though likely not Bruce's intention, Batman branding certain criminals ends up being seen by prisoners as a signal to kill those who are branded.
 * Ms. Fanservice: Par of course for Diana, who wears a backless dress with a generous cleavage window in her introduction scene, and goes into battle wearing a miniskirt.
 * Mythology Gag: While the Batmobile was getting set up, a Riddler question mark can be seen by a pillar.
 * Noodle Incident:.
 * Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Of all kinds of criminals, it is noted that one of those whom Batman branded was a sex offender.
 * Recut: It had an "Ultimate Edition" with thirty minutes of footage reintegrated to the film.
 * Sequel Hook: By the end, Lex Luthor warns Batman of Steppenwolf's invasion.
 * Universal Translator: The Kryptonian spaceship seems to possess knowledge of English and passes knowledge on Lex despite Krypton being extinct for thousands of years.
 * Wham! Line: "Save Martha!"
 * Wham! Shot: You don't even need to know what Para-Demons are to know when those winged insectoids appear on the screen that something way worse than just Batman having a nightmare is happening.