Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Entry updated 31 May 2026. Tagged: Film.
US film (2016). Warner Brothers. Directed by Zack Snyder. Written by Chris Terrio and David S Goyer, based on characters created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and William Moulton Marston (uncredited). Cast includes Amy Adams, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Jesse Eisenberg, Laurence Fishburne, Gal Gadot, Holly Hunter, Jeremy Irons, and Diane Lane. 123 minutes. Colour.
Following his battle with the Kryptonian Supervillain General Zod that caused thousands of casualties and massive destruction in Metropolis (as depicted in Man of Steel [2013]), Superman (Cavill) has inspired widespread outrage and concern, and Batman (Affleck) is increasingly worried that he represents a threat to the world. Meanwhile, unscrupulous tycoon Lex Luthor (Eisenberg) is engaged in schemes to destroy Superman. Both Batman and Luthor are seeking to obtain a piece of kryptonite, the one substance that can kill Superman (see Elements); in the end, Batman takes the kryptonite away from Luthor and plans to use it to overcome Superman. When a bomb planted by Luthor kills members of a congressional committee investigating Superman, the Superhero is suspected to be behind it and flees. Eventually driven out of hiding when Luthor kidnaps his adoptive mother Martha Kent (Lane), Superman is then confronted by Batman, wielding the kryptonite he finally obtained and wearing a suit of armour; their battle recalls the conclusion of Frank Miller's Graphic Novel Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (graph 1985). Implausibly persuaded that Superman is actually good upon learning that his mother's name was Martha (also the name of Batman's mother), Batman then joins Superman and Wonder Woman (Gadot) in fighting against a Monster created by Luthor. Superman sacrifices himself to defeat the menace, but a final scene suggests that he will be resurrected, which is exactly what happens in the sequel Justice League (2017).
The film was successful enough to inspire an immediate sequel, foreshadowed by the very brief appearances of the other superheroes (Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash) who would join Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman to form the Justice League. Yet many fans were disheartened by the heterodox characterizations of the film's titular heroes: Batman is now depicted as a deranged psychopath, while Superman is a well-intentioned but ineffectual moron. Significantly, until the final battle against the monster, neither superhero does anything that is particularly heroic. Also, key supporting characters – Batman's butler Alfred (Irons), Superman's girlfriend Lois Lane (Adams) and newspaper boss Perry White (Fishburne) – are given little to do, another departure from previous portrayals of these superheroes; and Eisenberg's odd version of Luthor was disconcerting. Director Snyder has announced that he had little interest in adhering to tradition in reinventing these characters, and his contemptuous disrespect for them is sadly conspicuous. [GW]
links
previous versions of this entry