11 Mysteries Of Batman v Superman
If you’ve been paying attention to all the trailers, footage, interviews and of course, the unconfirmed rumors, you might think you know everything there is to know about Batman v Superman. The characters, the basic plot structure, the main villain(s) all seem to be out there for you to find (especially on Caped Crusades!). But cutting through what is rumor and what isn’t and what has and has not been confirmed, we find there is actually still plenty that we don’t know about this year’s biggest big screen comic book throwdown.
Next: 11. Jena Malone
#11. Jena Malone
Jena Malone remains one of the biggest mysteries of Batman v Superman. She’s arguably the biggest star in the credits who we’ve known is the movie for quite awhile now, but still don’t know who she plays. The mystery only deepened when it was announced that Malone was cut from the theatrical version of Batman v Superman, but was important enough to be included in the R-rated director’s cut that will be coming to home video later on. For the longest time she was suspected to be Carrie Kelley (the female Robin in Frank Miller’s Dark Knight series, which Batman v Superman borrows pretty heavily from) or Batgirl, but director Zack Snyder said she is definitely not either of those characters.
So who could Jena Malone be playing in Batman v Superman? There’s still a lot of possibilities here. She could still be Barbara Gordon, just not Batgirl as Batgirl is just one identity Gordon has held over the years. She was Oracle for quite awhile as well. There’s also a possibility she could be some other female DC hero strongly tied to Batman such as Huntress, which actually might fit better for a darker story. Hell, she might possibly be someone like Zatanna. Ben Affleck is 12 years older than Malone, but in Hollywood terms they might as well be the same age, so being an old flame from Bruce Wayne’s youth seems possible. This mystery might hang around the longest as there is no way we are getting a definitive answer about this until after Batman v Superman opens in theaters.
Next: 10.Scoot McNairy
10. Scoot McNairy
Much like Jena Malone, it’s been known that Scoot McNairy is in Batman v Superman for a long time, and his role is still not confirmed. He’s been rumored to be everything from Jimmy Olsen in a wheelchair to Metallo to some random dude who becomes radicalized against Superman and turned into a human bomb (which might actually fit with the recent news that Lex Luthor somehow orchestrates a mass murder that pushes Batman and Superman closer to fighting each other). The strongest rumor has been McNairy as Jimmy Olsen in some form, which was thought to be confirmed when a foreign magazine listed him as such, but the same foreign magazine listed Jena Malone as Batgirl, so they aren’t really credible on this.
Who is Scoot McNairy most likely playing in Batman v Superman? I’ll put good money on Jimmy Olsen, he’s an important character to the Superman mythos and since we may never get another solo Superman film, this is his best chance to be in this DC movie universe. What I would really love though is for a major surprise and have him be Ted Kord, aka the Blue Beetle. Of course Blue Beetle hasn’t even been whispered, but there’s evidence he exists in the DC movie universe, which I’ll talk more about in the next entry.
Next: 9. Kord Industries
#9. Kord Industries/Queen Industries
Granted, there is a decent chance this won’t even be touched on, but this image straight out of an advertorial for Batman v Superman clearly shows that Kord Industries and Queen Industries both at least exist in Batman v Superman, at least giving credit to the idea that in this DC movie universe while Superman is relatively new, guys like Batman, Green Arrrow (who is CEO of Queen Industries Oliver Queen) and Blue Beetle (who is CEO of Kord Industries Ted Kord), might have been around for quite awhile already. Green Arrow was also key in helping Batman beat Superman in Dark Knight Returns, which as I have already mentioned, Batman v Superman draws a lot of inspiration from. Will we see either Blue Beetle or Green Arrow in Batman v Superman?
I think the most likely answer here is no, we will not. Batman v Superman is already a film jam packed with superheroes, and if there were going to be two more appearing, I don’t think it would be Beetle or Arrow. While both have been members of the Justice League, they aren’t founding members, and I think most people wouldn’t like them being in this film and not Martian Manhunter or Green Lantern (or Hawkgirl if you are a big fan of the animated series), since Batman v Superman is supposed to setup next year’s Justice League: Part One. There is the teeniest tiniest chance they might make a brief appearance in the director’s cut, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up.
Next: 8. Dan Amboyer
#8. Dan Amboyer
Dan Amboyer is the third actor credited in Batman v Superman whose role is still a mystery. One that until recently, people thought they had figured out. Amboyer has been very secretive about his role in the film, where he is merely credited as “drone pilot”. But why be so secretive about such a seemingly minor role? Wait, Hal Jordan is a pilot, that means he’s definitely Green Lantern! And that theory seemed like a lock until it was revealed that we apparently might not see any Green Lanterns in the DC movie universe until Justice League Part 2 comes around, if not later (most likely meaning the Green Lantern Corps movie currently scheduled for 20/20). But then why all the secrecy about Amboyer’s role in the film?
Well, the simplest answer might be that while Amboyer isn’t a crucial character, the scene or scenes he’s involved in are huge spoilers for the film, so he can’t talk about it. There’s a small chance that we are being straight up lied to here, that while he may not be a Green Lantern yet, his character’s name is Hal Jordan or Kyle Rayner or Guy Gardner or Alan Scott or any of the other seemingly dozen or so white dudes who part of the Green Lantern Corps at some point in comics history. We’ll see if either of these theories pan out or Amboyer is just trolling people and is in the film for like 5 seconds in just under three weeks.
Next: 7. Wayne Manor
#7. Wayne Manor
What the hell happened to Wayne Manor? Ok, it’s currently a derelict, burned out husk of a once magnificient mansion. But how did it get that way, and why did Bruce Wayne choose to just leave it like that and move to some lakeside estate, rather than rebuild his home?
Obviously something very bad happened at Wayne Manor, and I highly doubt that we will not have that mystery answered in Batman v Superman. If anything it seems like it has been left standing as some sort of reminder. A reminder of a failure on Batman/Bruce Wayne’s part. Remember, this is an older Batman who has been through a lot and seen a lot of bad things happen and had very bad things happen to him. One of those might’ve been one of his enemies, possibly even the Joker, finding his hideout and burning it to the ground. Speaking of which….
Next: 6. The Joker
#6. The Joker
We know that Batman makes an appearance in Suicide Squad, but is the Joker in Batman v Superman? Rumors have abounded of the Clown Prince of Crime making an appearance in the film, most likely in a flashback sequence. But nothing has been confirmed. So what are the odds we see Joker pop up in Batman v Superman?
I’d say incredibly damn high. There’s just too much potential here. As much as it is sold in the trailers of being a fight between Batman and Superman, the fact of the matter is the Ben Affleck said he and Henry Cavill don’t even have all that many scenes together. So a lot of Batman v Superman is probably showing us how Batman got to this point in his life, and a lot of the evidence points to Joker being a huge part of that. Maybe he burned down Wayne Manor. Maybe he crippled Barbara Gordon. Maybe he killed Commissioner Gordon. He almost definitely did something really nasty to at least one Robin, so he almost certainly has to be in the film. Which leads into the next big mystery.
Next: 5. Robin
#5. Robin
Oh, so many, may possibilities here. The most obvious theory here is that Joker killed Robin in events prior to Batman v Superman, but which one? Dick Grayson? Jason Todd? Tim Drake? Damien? All of them? Or has there only ever been one Robin, but that is still the one Joker killed, and in an extremely brutal fashion, so the suit remains as a reminder of failure, much like Wayne Manor itself. We simply don’t really know. But I expect this will be answered in a flashback sequence involving The Joker in Batman v Superman.
But what happens in that sequence will have a lot of impact on the future of Batman. The most likely candidate for this type of thing is Jason Todd, because hey, that can set up Red Hood, who has been heavily rumored for awhile now to be something Warner Bros. really wants to develop. But does that mean there’s a Nightwing or Robin, whether he’s Batman’s sidekick or leader of the Teen Titans or whatever? One thing is for sure, Batman and Robin have such a rich history, it would be a shame if we never see Batman and Robin teaming up on the big screen in this new DC movie universe.
Next: 4. Lex Luthor's Endgame
#4. Lex Luthor’s Endgame
Oh sure, we know Lex Luthor is a bad dude. One who wants Batman and Superman to fight, and to kill each other. One who apparently creates Doomsday somehow, and unleashes him on our unwitting heroes. But doesn’t that seem a little simplistic for a guy as smart as Lex Luthor? He wouldn’t simply try to take Batman and Superman out just for the hell of it. He must have a grander scheme in mind, one that he can’t afford to have them around for, maybe something involving LexOS?
At least I’m hoping that’s the case in Batman v Superman. Because frankly, Luthor is a guy all about control. If he could control Superman and Batman and use them to his advantage, he would, and he would far prefer that to actually eliminating them. Luthor simply pitting these two against each other and that being his entire plan seems incredibly unworthy of Luthor’s brilliant mind, so hopefully there’s a real reason behind it or otherwise that could turn out to be one of the most disappointing aspects of Batman v Superman.
Next: 3. The Justice League
#3. The Justice League
Batman v Superman has to not only do the job of really kickstarting this DC movie universe into high gear, but also set up 2017’s Justice League: Part One, so it has to get a lot accomplished in it’s two and a half hour running time, including introducing several members of the soon to be formed Justice League. But just how they are introduced is still pretty much a mystery.
The most we know about at this point are Wonder Woman and The Flash. Wonder Woman is a big part of Batman v Superman, and apparently has the most impressive action sequences in the film, but that still doesn’t really answer WHY she is in the movie. She is reportedly investigating Luthor secretly, but she’s also hundreds of years old and was pretty tired of the world of man and it’s petty problems, so what brings her back?
It was also recently revealed that The Flash appears in one of Batman’s nightmares, but how and why? Is it to warn Batman of something? Does Batman know the Flash prior to Batman v Superman?
And next to nothing is known about Cyborg & Aquaman’s involvement in Batman v Superman. They are acknowledged as having “cameos”, but that could be anything from a very brief appearance to one big scene. Aquaman was even rumored as an adversary at one point, but that is most likely not the case. Somehow, someway this needs to lead into Justice League next year though, so let’s hope they appear in a way that makes that feel like something that is naturally happening vs. some rushed team up.
Next: 2. The Final Act
#2. The Final Act
Thanks to one particular trailer, most people think they know the major plot beats of Batman v Superman. Batman and Superman don’t like each other, they fight, egged on by Luthor. But at some point they realize they aren’t enemies and stop fighting. Luthor then unleashes Doomsday to kill them both, but with seemingly random help from Wonder Woman, whom neither of them know, they save the day and everyone is happy. Right? Seems simple enough.
But multiple people involved with Batman v Superman have in fact stated that Doomsday, while probably the most intense fight in the film, is not the final act of Batman v Superman. That could imply a lot of things. The final act could be the formation of the Justice League, the appearance of someone like Braniac or Darkseid, prompting the need for said Justice League. It could also involve Lex Luthor trying some last desperate act to win, either in a helicopter or possibly in his very own power suit (both of these possibilities have been hinted at in toy sets based on Batman v Superman). Either way, don’t be surprised if there’s still a good chunk of running time left in Batman v Superman after the defeat of Doomsday.
Next: 1. Post Credits Teasers?
#1. Post Credits Teaser?
Though hardly the first films to do it, obviously the Marvel films are extremely big on teasers during credits, most of them setting up future films. Others have followed suit to the point that now you expect about 95% of movies to have some sort of post credits teaser, even if it’s a serious drama aiming for an Oscar. Man of Steel didn’t have a post credits sequence, but I don’t think DC was necessarily planning on it helping set up a bigger movie universe. Zack Snyder recently revealed that the credits for Batman v Superman run about 8-9 minutes. That certainly seems like enough time for at least one post-credits sequence, if not more.
What could that comprise of? Well, there could be a teaser for Suicide Squad, which is out in August. Could also be one for Wonder Woman, which is out next June. But more likely, it would be to further set up the first Justice League film. I definitely remember a rumor of the credits playing out over a montage of The Justice League forming and performing some heroic deeds, which would be pretty cool. It could also be Darkseid appearing for a few seconds, much like Thanos now has in a couple of Marvel films. Bottom line, I would be extremely surprised if there are no post-credits teasers for Batman v Superman.
So there you have it. If you have been following the news about Batman v Superman, you know a lot about it. Maybe too much. But there’s still a lot you don’t know, and much of it you probably won’t find out until Batman v Superman opens in theaters March 25th. And a couple of these mysteries even further down the line as they’ll be resolved in the Director’s Cut whenever Batman v Superman comes to home video. Let’s just hope all this mystery makes the movie awesome and not a nonsensical mess filled with plot holes that are never resolved.