| Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | |
 | |
| Director: | Zack Snyder |
| Producer: | Charles Roven Deborah Snyder |
| Writer(s): | Chris Terrio David Goyer |
| Release Date: | March 25, 2016 |
| Running Time: | 151 mins |
| More Information | |
| Full Credits | Trivia |
| Home Video | Awards |
| Soundtrack | Reviews |
| Merchandise | Characters |
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is the 2016 follow-up to Man of Steel and the second film in the DC Extended Universe that sees the first live-action cinematic crossover between Superman and Batman.
Plot
In 1981, Bruce Wayne witnesses his parents getting killed by a mugger. During their funeral, he runs away and falls into a cave, where a circling vortex of bats inspires him. He eventually grows up to become the Batman, a vigilante dedicated to cleaning up the streets of Gotham City. When the Black Zero begins its attack on Earth, Bruce drives through the streets of Metropolis, narrowly avoiding the destruction. He manages to evacuate most the employees out of the Wayne Financial office building before Zod's heat vision goes ballistic and causes the structure to collapse, killing a board member named Jack. Bruce tries to help the civilians, saving a little girl and another employee whose legs were crushed by falling debris, all the while watching the battle between Superman and General Zod going on above.
Eighteen months after Superman's debut to the world, society is still reeling from the revelation of aliens existing and Superman himself has become a controversial figure. Bruce himself sees Superman as an existential threat to humanity and is determined to extinguish that threat at all costs, despite the protests of his butler, Alfred Pennyworth, who worries Bruce is walking into a death trap.
Lois arrives in the African country of Nairomi to interview a terrorist leader. Her photographer, James Olsen, turns out to be a CIA agent and he's shot and killed when he's discovered. Superman swoops in an saves her while downing a drone. As this happens, people under the employment of Lex Luthor burn some bodies. These deaths are blamed on Superman, with the media debating whether Superman must interfere in these affairs.
After learning of Batman's brutal form of justice (which involves branding certain criminals, leading to them being killed in prison), Clark Kent seeks to expose him via Daily Planet articles. He investigates around Gotham despite Perry's refusal to run anything about Batman. Wayne learns that Russian weapon trafficker Anatoli Knyazev has been contacting LexCorp CEO Lex Luthor. Luthor attempts to persuade Senator June Finch to allow him to import a mineral called kryptonite, irradiated pieces of Kryptonian minerals found in the Indian Ocean discovered after Zod's terraforming attempt, so that it can be used as a deterrent against future Kryptonian and metahuman threats. She declines, but Luthor makes alternative plans with Finch's subordinate, granting him access to Zod's body and the Kryptonian scout ship.
Bruce attends a gala at LexCorp to steal encrypted data from the company's mainframe, but antiquities dealer Diana Prince takes it from him; she returns it after failing to access the information due to it having military grade encryption. While decrypting the drive, Bruce dreams of a post-apocalyptic world where he leads rebels against an evil Superman leading an army of parademons. He is awakened by an unidentified person, appearing through a portal, who tells him that Lois Lane "is the key" and urges him to find "the others" before vanishing. The decrypted drive reveals Luthor's files on several metahumans across the globe. One is of Diana, who appears in a photo from World War I, having not physically aged a day. Another file shows a young man named Barry Allen foiling a convenience store robbery using superhuman speed. The third clip contains footage of a man named Arthur Curry swimming 20,000 feet under the sea and destroying an underwater drone. The last one is of a young man named Victor Stone, whose mangled body becomes reconstructed with cybernetics from alien technology. Bruce tells Alfred that he plans to steal and weaponize the kryptonite, if necessary, to fight Superman.
A widely publicized congressional hearing, led by Finch, is held to question Superman's actions. A bomb smuggled in by Luthor detonates, killing everyone present except Superman. Superman blames himself for not detecting it in time and goes into self-imposed exile. Elsewhere, Batman breaks into LexCorp and steals the kryptonite. He builds a powered exoskeleton, kryptonite grenades and a kryptonite-tipped spear. Meanwhile, Luthor enters the Kryptonian ship and accesses its vast database of technology.
Luthor lures Superman out of exile by kidnapping Lois and Martha. He pushes Lois off the LexCorp building. Superman saves her and confronts Luthor, who reveals he manipulated him and Batman by fueling their distrust. Luthor demands he kill Batman in exchange for Martha's life. Superman tries to explain this to Batman, who instead attacks him and eventually subdues him using a kryptonite gas. As Batman prepares to move in for the kill using the spear, Superman pleads with him to "save Martha" – the same name as Batman's mother. Batman hesitates in confusion long enough for Lois to arrive and explain what Superman meant. Realizing to his horror that he nearly murdered an innocent man in cold blood and how far he has fallen from grace, Batman throws the spear aside and promises to rescue Martha. Superman regains his strength and confronts Luthor on the scout ship.
Luthor executes his backup plan, however, unleashing a monster genetically engineered from DNA from both Zod's body and his own; he calls it "Doomsday". Superman first tries to fly Doomsday up to space, where the President gives the order to launch a nuke at the monster. However, the beast only grows stronger. Diana then arrives wearing armor and wielding a sword and a shield, joining Batman and Superman in their fight against the creature; she manages to cut off its hand, but it only makes Doomsday angrier. Superman and Batman realize Doomsday can only be killed by kryptonite and so Lois retrieves the spear. Clark tells Lois he loves her and that she is his world. With Diana restraining Doomsday with her Lasso and Batman weakening it with a Kryptonite grenade, Superman flies in and fatally impales Doomsday in the chest with the spear. In its dying moments, Doomsday manages to get loose and impales Superman, who was weakened by kryptonite exposure, in the chest with a bony protrusion. They both collapse to the ground dead.
Following Luthor's arrest after Lois exposes his crimes, Batman confronts him in prison. Luthor plans to invoke the insanity plea so he won't stand trial, only for Batman to reveal that he's arranged for Luthor to be transferred to Arkham Asylum. Luthor cryptically warns that with Superman's death, "the bell has been rung" and "demons" will be coming from the sky to bring the apocalypse to Earth. A memorial is held for Superman in Metropolis, his sacrifice being mourned the world over. Clark is also declared dead, and Bruce and Diana both attend his funeral in Smallville, with Bruce anonymously covering the costs. Martha gives Lois an envelope containing an engagement ring from Clark. Bruce tells Diana that he is determined to make things right and honor Superman's sacrifice. He asks her to help him form a team of metahumans, starting with those named in Luthor's files, to protect the world in Superman's absence. As they depart, the dirt atop Clark's coffin levitates.
Cast
- Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman
- Brandon Spink as young Bruce Wayne
- Henry Cavill as Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman
- Amy Adams as Lois Lane
- Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor
- Diane Lane as Martha Kent
- Laurence Fishburne as Perry White
- Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth
- Holly Hunter as June Finch
- Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman
- Scoot McNairy as Wallace Keefe
- Callan Mulvey as Anatoli Knyazev
- Tao Okamoto as Mercy Graves
- Ray Fisher as Victor Stone/Cyborg
- Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry/Aquaman
- Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/The Flash
- Christina Wren as Carrie Farris
- Harry Lennix as Secretary Calvin Swanwick
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Thomas Wayne
- Lauren Cohan as Martha Wayne
- Robin Atkin Downes as Doomsday
- Carla Gugino as Ship's voice
- Joe Morton as Silas Stone
- Rebecca Buller as Jenny Jurwich
- Michael Cassidy as Jimmy Olsen
- Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent
- Chris Pine as Steve Trevor (photo)
- Joseph Cranford as Peter Ross
- Emily Peterson as Lana Lang
- Ripley Sobo as Sage
- Sammi Rotibi as General Amajagh
- Valiant Michael as Captain Knight
- David Scott Diaz as Officer Schmitt
- Kristofer Connor as Captain McCarthy
- Will Blagrove as Rusty
- Vince Orlando as Commander Burrell
- Zach Laboza as Luke
- Steve Jasgur as Signals Officer Christie
- Dar Allen as General Norris
- Mark Rademacher as John Manley
- Dan Amboyer as Drone Pilot
- Enrique Guzman as Customs Agent Cortez
- Jesse Nagy as Captain Welch
- Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel as Adriana Santos
- Jonathan Stanley as Major Martin
- Greg Violand as General Coller
- Devin Scillian as Himself
- Nicole Forester as LaBlanc
- Coburn Goss as Daniel Leone
- Chad Krowchuk as Glen Woodburn
- Neil deGrasse Tyson as Himself
- Soledad O'Brien as Herself
- Graham Beal as James Harmon
- John Seibert as McGraw
- Patrick Leahy as Senator Purrington
- Wunmi Mosaku as Kahini Ziri
- Dennis North as Senator Barrows
- Kiff VandenHuevel as Officer Mazzuccheli
- Mason Heidger as Officer Mike Rucka
- Sebastian Sozzi as Cesar Santos
- Kent Shocknek as Himself
- Ralph Lister as Emmett Vale
- Patrick Wilson as the President of the United States
- Jena Malone as Janet Klyburn (Ultimate Edition)
References to the broader DC Extended Universe
- Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman appears.
- Lois Lane appears.
- Martha Kent appears.
- Perry White appears.
- Bruce Wayne/Batman is introduced.
- Lex Luthor is introduced.
- Diana Prince/Wonder Woman is introduced.
- A Riddler question mark is seen graffitied on a pillar.
- The Joker is mentioned.
- Doomsday is introduced.
- Thomas and Martha Wayne are introduced.
- Barry Allen/The Flash is introduced.
- Victor Stone/Cyborg is introduced.
- Arthur Curry/Aquaman is introduced.
- Silas Stone is introduced.
- Jimmy Olsen is introduced.
- Anatoli Knyazev is introduced.
- Kryptonite is introduced.
- A hologram of Stepenwolf is seen in the Ultimate edition.
- Steve Trevor is shown in photo.
- Sameer is shown in photo.
- Charlie is shown in photo.
- Chief Napi is shown in photo.
- Perry White appears.
- Jenny Jurwich appears.
- Peter Ross appears.
- Lana Lang appears.
- Emmett Vale is introduced.
- Glenn Woodburn appears on TV.
- Jonathan Kent appears in a vision.
- Zod's corpse appears.
- Robin's costume appears in the Batcave.
- Parademons are seen in Bruce Wayne's nightmare.
- Lex Luthor, Sr. is mentioned.
- Arkham Asylum is mentioned in the Ultimate Edition.
- A GBS microphone appears.
- A Mother Box appears.
- S.T.A.R. Labs appears.
- Kryptonian Ship appears.
Taglines
- Who Will Win
Production
The film was shot in Chicago, Illinois, Los Angeles, California, Michigan, New Mexico and Toronto.
Gallery
_BATMAN_KEY_ART.jpg "BATMAN V SUPERMAN DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016) BATMAN KEY ART.jpg (4.25 MB)")
_SUPERMAN_KEY_ART.jpg "BATMAN V SUPERMAN DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016) SUPERMAN KEY ART.jpg (4.13 MB)")
Videos
References
External links
| DC Extended Universe | |
|---|---|
| Released Films | Man of Steel | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | Suicide Squad | Wonder Woman | Justice League | Aquaman | Shazam! | Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) Wonder Woman 1984 | Zack Snyder's Justice League | The Suicide Squad | Black Adam Shazam! Fury of the Gods | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom | The Flash | Blue Beetle |
| Superman Films | |
|---|---|
| Serials | Superman: The Serial | Atom Man vs. Superman |
| 1950s films | Superman and the Mole Men |
| Donner/ Lester/ Furie series | Superman: The Movie | Superman II | Superman III | Superman IV: The Quest for Peace |
| Singer series | Superman Returns |
| DC Extended Universe | Man of Steel | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice |
| Spin-offs | Supergirl | Steel |
| Batman Films | |
|---|---|
| Serials | Batman | Batman and Robin |
| Martinson series | Batman (1966) |
| Burton/Schumacher series | Batman | Batman Returns | Batman Forever | Batman & Robin |
| Nolan series | Batman Begins | The Dark Knight | The Dark Knight Rises |
| DCEU | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | The Batman |
| Spin-offs | Catwoman |