Five Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Plot Clues

Steve Lam

Since the announcement of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (back then it was initially titled as “Batman vs. Superman”) at San Diego Comic-Con International 2013, fans have been speculating on the story and plot. The only hint given at the announcement was Harry Lennix — the actor who played Lt. Gen. Swanwick in Man of Steel (2013) — reading an excerpt from The Dark Knight Returns (1986). Fans then knew the movie would be centered around a rivalry between Superman and Batman. Soon, director Zack Snyder confirmed that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice would be based on the aforementioned Frank Miller masterpiece.

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As development continued, other characters were added — Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg, Lex Luthor, and Alfred Pennyworth. Fans were now wondering how close Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice would be to The Dark Knight Returns. Multiple plot theories started to infiltrate the Internet. Some believable, and some a bit too far-fetched — even for a comics-based property. At San Diego Comic-Con International 2014, attendees were offered a special sneak peek at a Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice scene featuring both Batman and Superman. In it, we see a rain-drenched cityscape where Batman has glowing eyes — just like his armored suit in The Dark Knight Returns — facing off with a floating Superman, powering up his heat-vision. The fans went wild, celebrating the fact that this was the seminal comic book being brought to life.

However, with the official release of the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer on Friday, multiple clues offered a different perspective. Don’t get me wrong, this is still an older, grizzled Batman facing off with Superman in a sort of a dystopian world. But the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is moreso “inspired by” versus “based on.” Analyzing the trailer closely, we can actually glean multiple clues as to how the story may play out. Taking into account the great storytelling skills of Academy Award-winning screenwriter Chris Terrio, the plot will most likely be smart and relevant to our current world.

So let’s analyze the multiple clues revealed to us in the official trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Next: The characters are telling us the conflict

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

Clue #2: Lex Luthor Tricks the World and Superman

Before the first minute is up in the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer, we see a statue of Superman vandalized with the words “False God” in red paint. Why the sudden turn on the Man of Steel? This could be the doing of Lex Luthor and his elaborate plan.

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Lex Luthor has always been known as a man who worked behind the scenes. It could be that when Superman first shows up, Luthor embraces him in order to get close. The statue of Superman may have even be erected by Luthor himself. Who else would have the resources to do that? The worship of Superman as a type of god could’ve easily been fueled by Luthor. He could have agents spreading the word of the new savior. Multiple cults start to rise up. And from the few shots shown in the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer, Superman doesn’t seem to be all that thrilled with being seen as a god.

Soon, Luthor creates an army for Superman which explains the soldiers who have the House of El crest adorned on their sleeves. As Luthor becomes more and more chummy with Superman, the attention will be taken away from Luthor. This allows Luthor to roam free of Superman’s suspicions.

When Superman doesn’t look the other way, Luthor implements his contingency plan of tearing down the Man of Steel. The campaign against Superman may show him as a cult leader who came to our planet so that he can rule. As Superman becomes an enemy of the world, Batman may step in to investigate. Remember, Batman is older in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, so he’s much more knowledgeable and more experienced with people like Luthor.

Next: The Dark Knight Detective will be at his finest

Clue #3: Batman Shows His Detective Skills

In the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer, Batman, in his armor and holding a sledgehammer, is seen standing in a graffiti-ridden condemned building. What could Batman be doing at here?

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Remember, Batman is said to be sort of retired when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice starts. His name is sort of a legend in Gotham City, and no one has really seen him. At least that’s what Zack Snyder has said multiple times in interviews. He most likely comes out of retirement because Luthor’s plans are, in a way, threatening Gotham City.

Another theory would be Superman coming to Gotham City in response to what Luthor has planned. Because Batman is skeptical of both of them, he needs to launch an investigation into seeing which person he should align himself with.

Batman’s investigation into Superman may reveal Krytponite and his secret identity as Clark Kent. If this is true, these plot points won’t be unique to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, as they’ve been visited multiple times in the comics and in animation. So it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out in live-action if it does happen.

Nevertheless, I have a feeling that Batman’s detective skills will very much be on full display in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice which should please hardcore fans.

Next: Lex Luthor has his sights set on Batman

Clue #4: Batman May Know Too Much

At one point in the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer, we see either a jet or a drone firing at two armed people on the ground. Further inspection of the clip reveals that the rear design of the aerial vehicle resembles the rear design of the Batmobile a bit too much. Is this the Batwing in action? If so, did Batman just kill two people?

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Killing, even if they’re criminals, has always been against Batman’s philosophy and what he stands for. There’s a sneaking suspicion that Batman may have gotten too close to some sensitive information, prompting someone to want to frame the Dark Knight. And I’ll give you three guesses as to who that person is. Of course, Lex Luthor.

In past interviews, director Zack Snyder has mentioned that Lex Luthor’s characterization in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will be set up as some type of software genius, akin to the Silicon Valley entrepreneurs we have currently. Could Luthor have hacked the Batwing and piloted it automatically? If the Batmobile is part of this scene, then that means Batman may be trying to stop his own weapon from going awry.

Batman’s investigation into Luthor may be what brings Batman into the public eye. Luthor may know that one of Batman’s strengths is to remain in the shadows. Therefore, one way to attack him would be to publicize him.

Next: The true meaning of the 'v' in the title

Clue #5: Batman Tests Superman

The end scene of the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer is what every fan has been waiting for: the face-off between the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel. However, I think this face-off is a test by Batman to see where Superman stands in regards to killing.

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A combination of scenes hint that Batman is probably giving Superman a trial run. Sort of a series of experiments, if you will. One of them is Batman perched high up on a tower with a sniper rifle. A lot of fans will say that due to the inspiration from The Dark Knight Returns, the sniper rifle is actually Batman’s grappling hook. Because the comic was written in 1986, the concept of the projectile grappling hook wasn’t invented yet. It was developed in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989). However, it would be rather silly to think that with his hi-tech arsenal, Batman would be using something so large and bulky. The sniper rifle is most likely just an homage to The Dark Knight Returns, but has another purpose — to draw out Superman.

Think of this scenario: Batman pretends to snipe a few politicians who are against Superman. He wants to test Superman’s morality. As the investigation gets deeper and deeper, Batman now wants to meet Superman face-to-face, hence the armored Bat-suit.

If you really think about it, when Zack Snyder and company initially announced the title for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, most people criticized it — that the period-lacking “v” resembles the “versus” of two opposing parties in British law. Looking at it this way, the first name is usually the grieving party — the one that has the problem. But, what if this is like a case? Batman is the prosecution coming after Superman. He’s collecting evidence and information so that he can make a judgement in the court of public opinion.

In the end, it could just be Snyder thinking how cool it would be to have the “versus” stylized and simplified. Or it could have that deeper meaning.

These are my best guesses, based on the evidence, of the major plot points in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Whatever the story turns out to be, I’m sure seeing the two DC icons on the silver screen together for the first time will be an epic experience.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has a United States release date of March 25, 2016. It will be directed by Zack Snyder, written by Chris Terrio from a story by David Goyer and Zack Snyder, and will star Henry Cavill as Clark Kent / Superman, Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Tao Okamoto as Mercy Graves, Holly Hunter as a United States Senator, Ray Fisher as Victor Stone / Cyborg, and Callan Mulvey, Scoot McNairy, and Jena Malone in unspecified roles.

Next: Five Reasons Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will succeed

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Steve Lam

Aside from the usual "Da-Da" and "Ma-Ma," Steve's other first words were "Superman," "Batman," and "Spider-Man" (or "Spy-Man" because he couldn't quite pronounce the "der"). With a lifelong comic book and cinema obsession, Steve is also a screenwriter looking to sell one of his stories to Hollywood.