Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice was an ambitious movie that tried to cram in too many plot elements and failed to deliver the impact it wanted on fans. Sure, there are a ton of people who defend the vision Zack Snyder had for the DCEU and it would have been better than the crap we got from Justice League but it was still a fairly flawed film that poorly executed some of its biggest ideas, especially the death of Superman.
Spoilers I guess?
During his live commentary in the social media app Vero, which was covered by The Hollywood Reporter, Snyder revealed why he had to kill Superman and it's linked to the deaths of Bruce Wayne's parents. While the death of his parents set Bruce down a dark path, the death of Superman actually heals him a bit and starts the character's redemption arc, which would have paid off in Snyder's Justice League.
The film begins and ends with a death, that of the Waynes, and that of Superman. The canon shot fired at Superman's funeral echoes the bullet firing from Joe Chill's gun at the beginning of the film. Snyder said the cyclical nature of the film was important to him and the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne broke something, while the death of Superman allowed for healing to begin, not only for Bruce Wayne but for humanity. He said that as the film evolved, Superman's sacrifice became more impactful on where the characters were left, citing an earlier idea to have Batman brand Lex at the end of the film, but instead showing him struggle with his rage and refuse to brand him, an initial effort to take Superman's sacrifice to heart.
It's a nice idea but the lack of character development for Superman made all of these ideas fall flat. Superman is never viewed as a symbol of justice or humanity because Batman always looks at him in a negative light. The fact that Superman himself believes that his alias is a lie doesn't help either, which made for one hell of a convoluted arc that I don't even want to cover.
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and the Extended Edition are now available in digital stores.
Read: Zack Snyder Almost Changed Wonder Woman's Origin in Batman V Superman
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