The Knight Draws Steel: Batman Vs. Superman
‘You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.’
This quote, uttered by Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight, was what floated to mind when it was revealed by the director of Man of Steel, Zach Snyder, at the 2013 Comic Con in San Diego, that his sequel would feature Superman facing off with Batman. Met with riotous applause of an audience of 6,000, echoing the colossal excitement from fans all over the world, the news injects wonder and questions about the Man of Steel sequel, leaving the lacklustre feeling of the former Superman blockbuster behind.
In this face off, one of questions I find myself pondering the most on is which of these iconic DC characters will be the villain in the upcoming sequel scheduled to be released in 2015? Will there be an echoing of The Dark Knight where the people turn against Batman or perhaps will the the world resist the red-caped flying man in the grittier, realistic world that Nolan created in his franchise that was continued in Man of Steel. Either way, whatever direction Zach Snyder will demonstrate in his sequel, it looks promising.
Snyder issued a statement via Warner Bros., confirming that the two would be fighting each other, asserting, ‘Let’s face it, it’s beyond mythological to have Superman and our new Batman facing off, since they are the greatest superheroes in the world.’ Of course, one cannot ignore the gargantuan success that is The Avengers, which made $1.5bn at the worldwide box office. Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, which had brought in more than $1bn while being in contention with Marvel films, stands strong as a huge contender to a superhero ensemble cast. Although I consider The Avengers as one of my all-time favourite superhero films, I am thrilled at the prospect of two iconic heroes cast as opposing forces in Snyder’s modern bleak world as witnessed in Man of Steel, casting away the campy and pure silliness that sometimes becomes an inevitable part of a superhero film. On the Warner Bros. panel, Snyder didn’t give away any plot details, but got actor Harry Lennix to read out a passage from Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns where an aged Batman stands over a nuclear-blast weakened Superman and says: ‘I want you to remember, Clark, in all the years to come… In your most private moments, I want you to remember my hand at your throat. I want you to remember the one man who beat you.’
Snyder has commented clearly that the passage was a hint, rather than a clear indicator of where the story will go, and the sequel will not be a direct adaptation. The reading of the line still spurred me to go read about Frank Miller’s graphic novel. It is set in a dystopian near future of Gotham City where Bruce Wane is 55 years old and retired as Batman. He makes an eventual comeback due to the rising levels of crime, defeating his usual foes – villains that have already cropped up in Nolan’s trilogy. Eventually, when Superman diverts a Russian nuclear warhead which detonates in a desert, the US is hit by an electromagnetic pulse, causing a blackout, which enables Gotham to become the safest city in the world due to Batman consistent presence. The two heroes clash when The US government orders Superman to remove Batman, and they have a confrontation where Batman relies on Superman’s weakness caused by the nuclear blast, ending with Batman’s success.After the infamous quote was spoken, those tantalising words already saturated with drama and tension caused a spark of anticipation and longing for 2015. A logo then appeared on the big screen with Batman’s crest quietly superimposed behind Superman’s. The merging of the two-superhero legends presented neatly in recognisable images has now spread through the Internet; a representation of the building suspense of arguably the most anticipated superhero blockbuster yet.
This of course creates more questions. Does this mean that the new Batman will be older and retired, therefore is something of a continuation from Nolan’s trilogy? Or will he be a completely separate and fresh character of screenwriter David S. Goyer’s creation? Will only one of the two heroes serve as the villain in the sequel or will there be another villain introduced that the heroes must then join forces to fight, following an Avengers-esque storyline?
My own personal speculation is focused on how Man of Steel had no mention or acknowledgement of kryptonite, something that irked me strongly at the time, but now serves as an idea that it will be introduced in the sequel, and can be something Batman discovers and uses against Superman. One of the problems I find with Superman working with other heroes is that he is simply too powerful. Having Superman excise the scope of his abilities (flight, super strength, heat vision) against the tool-belt equipped Batman can result in a direction that College Humor on YouTube have very aptly shown it: both comical and implausible. Therefore, perhaps the sequel will introduce a necessary human adversary that can defeat Superman in preparation for making him a believable fit in the Justice League.
Cavill will reprise the role of Superman in the sequel and Man of Steel actors Amy Adams, who plays Lois Lane, and Laurence Fishburne will also return. Although Nolan will serve as executive producer to the sequel, Christian Bale has shot down rumours that he will play the masked hero again, and there is no word on who will play Snyder’s Batman although Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling and Matthew Goode are some the actors rumoured. The news is electrifying, certainly for the hard-core DC fans, but also for fans of any superhero franchise. It invites promise of the slow gathering of DC heroes for the Justice League and confidence in this surprisingly fresh Man of Steel sequel.
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