Story, villain problems continue to plague the DCEU

(Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Bai Superteas)

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was a much better effort for the DCEU, which was probably bolstered by the inclusion of a new Batman (Ben Affleck) and the first big-screen Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot). Casting has never really been an issue in the DCEU, and Batman v Superman was another home run – that includes Henry Cavill’s casting as Superman.

Because of the criticism that so much of Metropolis was destroyed in Man of Steel, Batman v Superman spends a lot of effort to make up for this mistake. The opening of the film is about Bruce Wayne/Batman’s reaction to that destruction, and that he squarely blames Superman for it.

It is a plot point that is understandable because the idea was to have Superman and Batman at odds. But this issue of mass destruction from Man of Steel carries into the third act of the film – when the three heroes face off with the newly created monster villain (Doomsday).

The film goes to great lengths to say the battle is taking place in an abandoned part of town. This feels more like a reaction to criticism to have the battle go down in this way. It also lowers the stakes from the previous film.

In Man of Steel, the world is being threatened. In Batman v Superman, really just the three heroes are in danger.

In one sense, it seems like the filmmakers are getting it. Save the big threats for the eventual Justice League movie. Although with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman in the final battle, you have enough of the Justice League to handle just about anything.

But there was also an opportunity to demonstrate how these heroes work together to minimize the damage – and not just by luring Doomsday away from the city in a two minute scene. There may have been a way to maintain the threat of hurting citizens, but demonstrating some kind of teamwork that protects those citizens.

Of course, Doomsday’s inclusions only led to the obligatory ‘death of Superman,’ since Doomsday killed Superman in the 90s comics. It was anti-climatic to have Kal-El die at the hands of Doomsday. Mostly because it was so unoriginal and expected – and it’s a big reason why Batman v Superman missed the mark with its ending.