Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – 5 reasons this will be the best superhero movie ever

When I was 10, if you’d told me that it would take till 2016 for Batman and Superman to meet on the big screen, I wouldn’t have believed you. Why it took two of the most iconic heroes so long to get a movie of their own is anyone’s guess, particularly since unknown heroes like —Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and Ant-Man—have had multiple outings.

But DC is setting the world right by bringing together the two biggest heroes to dominate comic books. The recently released second trailer—following a teaser where Superman is seen taking Batman’s mask off—has a lot of amazing moments and hints at a movie that will finally restore Superman and Batman at the top of the hierarchy of comic book movies. 

Here are our biggest takeaways from the trailer:

Snyder’s Batman is going to be pretty badass

Over the years, we’ve had different types of  Batmans, from Adam West to Christopher Nolan (to George Clooney’s hideous, nipple-wearing Bat avatar), and a lot of ink (and pixels) has been wasted deriding the announcement that Ben 'Daredevil' Affleck will be playing Batman. From what we’ve seen so far, Ben Affleck’s Batman seems to be darker than the Christian Bale version.

The opening exchange in the trailer is amazing, where Clark Kent accuses Batman of being ‘intolerant’, Bruce does a 'VK Singh' and says that it’s a bit rich coming from the reporter of The Daily Planet who write fluff pieces about their hero every time he saves a kitten from a tree. Despite the criticism, Ben Affleck seems to have mastered the mannerism of Bruce Wayne, the grin is well-placed, as is the Joker allusion: “Maybe it’s that Gotham city and me have a bad history with freaks dressed as clowns.”

A more realistic Superman

When Superman was first created, he was actually imagined as an evil Nietzschean Ubermensch (Overman or Superman), who would have the power to destroy the world if he wanted to. Frankly, that just doesn't seem realistic. If you're a god among mortals, you'd be a wee bit arrogant.

While the movies have strayed far from that image of Superman, making him a super-powered boy scout, this Zack Snyder version seems intent on displaying him as a benevolent dictator, a man who knows he is more powerful than anyone else and is willing to do what’s required for the betterment of mankind. This arrogance makes Zack Snyder's version of Superman extremely alluring. 

A truly iconic villain

One of the biggest complaints many have about the superhero films is the lack of charismatic villains. Apart from Loki in The Avengers; Joker and Bane in Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy; and Kilgrave and Wilson Fisk in the Netflix Marvel shows, there haven't been any villains to write home about.  DC seems to have decided to fix that by introducing the brilliant Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor.

The trailer already has shades of irreverent, asshole boy genius, a role close to what Eisenberg has already portrayed in The Social Network. From what we’ve seen in the trailers so far, Eisenberg seems more than capable of filling the shoes of illustrious Luthors like Kevin Spacey and Gene Hackman. The rumours had suggested that Luthor would be providing Batman with a kryptonite-tipped spear, but the new trailer definitely confirms that he will create Doomsday from General Zod’s dead body.

For the uninitiated, Doomsday is an iconic comic villain who has the distinct honour of killing Superman in the comics (The Death of Superman arc). Luthor unleashing Doomsday on the world is an extension of his boy-genius-without-a-conscience act.

The arrival of a proper female superhero

It’s sad that we’ve had so many, many superhero movies in the last decade and yet we don’t have a decent superhero movie with a female lead. The only two female superhero movies were Catwoman and Elektra, and the less said about them, the better. While we’ve had an amazing TV series in Marvel’s Jessica Jones, we’re still waiting for an iconic female superhero on the big screen.

The Dawn of Justice trailer finally gives us a good glimpse at Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, who seems extremely powerful. Her arrival surprises both Superman and Batman when she stops Doomsday’s heat vision like it was child’s play.

The Wonder Woman movie is still some time away, set for a 2017 release, but it’s good to see studios making amends for treating female superheroes so shabbily.

Darkseid is coming 

And finally, one blink-and-you-will–miss-it scene showed ‘Nightmare Batman’ fighting the Superman militia and there are some flying creatures in the background. Now it’s still not sure why Superman has an army or why Batman is fighting them, but the theory is that that it’s a dream sequence. Dream or real, the creatures in the frame are called Parademons who are the foot soldiers of Darkseid, one of the Justice League’s most evil nemeses.

While a fan theory suggests that these shots are of Bruce Wayne dreaming, another theory believes that this is the future where Superman has somehow been controlled by Darkseid and is helping him conquer the world. Either way, it’s pretty clear that like Thanos in the Marvel Universe, Darkseid is coming and that means like it’s going to be one hell of a party.

All said and done, it seems like Batman v/s Superman: Dawn of Justice, will return DC to its rightful place in the superhero world.