Five Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Plot Clues

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Clue #1: The Voice-Overs Reveal the Problem

The initial voice-overs in the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer by multiple people are the most telling of what the theme will be in this film. As noted in a previous article, it may be about blind faith. I thought it was ingenious in the way Zack Snyder had the voices overlap at key words and phrases, producing an effect of double-meaning. When you look at the dialogue printed out, you really see what’s going on:

"UNKNOWN MALE VOICE #1: Is it really surprising that the most powerful man in the world should be a figure of controversy? UNKNOWN MALE VOICE #2: We as a population on this planet have been looking for a savior. UNKNOWN MALE VOICE #3: We’re talking about a being [Interrupted by someone saying saying “alien”] whose very existence– UNKNOWN FEMALE VOICE #1: They are not telling us the truth– UNKNOWN MALE VOICE #2: Challenges our own sense of priority [Interrupted by someone screaming “this is our planet!”] in the universe. UNKNOWN MALE VOICE #4: Human beings have a horrible track record of [Someone immediately says “tragedy”] following people with great power– HOLLY HUNTER CHARACTER: Power corrupts. And absolute power [Interrupted by someone saying “terror”] corrupts absolutely [someone immediately says “chaos”] UNKNOWN MALE VOICE #2: Maybe he’s just a guy trying to do the right thing– LEX LUTHOR: We know better now don’t we? [Someone immediately says “he’s outta control!”] Devils don’t come from Hell beneath us [A nervous voice immediately says “they brought their warrior”]. No, they come from the sky. HOLLY HUNTER CHARACTER: The world has been so caught up with what he can do that no one has asked what he should do. ANGRY MOB: GO HOME! GO HOME! GO HOME! GO HOME! ALFRED PENNYWORTH: That’s how it starts. The fever. The rage. The feeling of powerlessness … that turns good men … cruel."

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From the initial voice-over opening in the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer, we know that Superman’s revelation to the world has caused a split in public opinion: some love and even worship him, while others fear him. But the voices are telling us something more. The overlap in conflicting statements isn’t just showing two different sides. They could be talking about two different people. And the solving of which person, Superman or Lex Luthor, has ulterior motives may be a large chunk of the plot.

A voice talks about a “savior.” Superman, in the comics, has never self-ordained himself as one. However, Lex Luthor has. Holly Hunter’s character notes that “power corrupts.” We should take that to mean not only physical power, but influence and wealth — something Lex Luthor has plenty of. Another voice says “human beings have a horrible track record of …” and we can finish that sentence with either “tragedy” or “following people with great power.” By putting your faith in Lex Luthor, you get both.

Lex Luthor’s anger-filled statement “We know better now don’t we?” might be directed towards Superman, but we don’t know for what reason. When someone says, “He’s outta control!”, it may not be referring to Superman, but Lex Luthor. Luthor soon notes that Devils “come from the sky.” Could he be talking about himself? It could mean that the person at the top has the power to undo the world. Again, we can’t be literal here and think that when someone says “sky” it means a being who has the ability to defy gravity.

The final piece of voice-over is probably the most telling. Alfred’s voice is uninterrupted and clear. It’s also delivered slowly. Could Alfred be suggesting to Bruce that he needs to take a look at Lex Luthor more closely? The “feeling of powerlessness” is probably referring to Luthor. He’s probably the one who starts out seemingly good, but turns cruel.

The voice-over here is great at setting the tone and thematic elements of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The fact that the voices melt into each other show that this world may not be as black and white as initially thought.

Next: It's all a setup

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