It’s been over two years since Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hit theaters. The film should have been a cinematic event — the crossover between two of the biggest characters in of pop culture starring in the same film, during a time where shared universes are the hottest commodity in the movie industry. Sounds like a home run, right?
It wasn’t.
The movie was lambasted by critics and fans alike, underperformed at the box office, and set DC’s new franchise off on the wrong foot. Despite Wonder Woman’s incredible success, the other DCEU movies have struggled out of the gate as well. The superhero movie genre seems to be in its golden age, all while DC, the genre’s biggest influencer, is rushing to catch up to the likes of Marvel Studios. How did a film with so much potential do so much wrong?
For this list, we’re going to talk about everything that doesn’t add up in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice — everything from slight nitpicks, to poor characterizations, to the massive, bewildering plot holes. Keep in mind that we will only be talking about the theatrical cut — the Ultimate Cut might exist, but it’s not the official cut of the film and not the one that most audiences paid to see. Batman and Superman are two of the greatest fictional characters of all time and they deserve a movie that matches their incredible legacies.
Here are 25 Things About Batman v Superman That Make No Sense.
Why Don’t Bruce And Clark Just Have A Conversation?
These two resourceful and intelligent men never have so much as a simple conversation before they become enemies. Yes, Lex was playing them against each other all along, but how gullible can they be?
Batman meets an alien from another planet that he knows almost nothing about, and he doesn’t even think to ask him anything other than “Do you bleed?” Really?
Superman doesn’t even think to say anything remotely inquisitive, either. He doesn’t even bother to mention that the only reason they end up fighting is because Lex kidnapped his mother. Isn’t that pertinent (and time-sensitive) information? Their motivations are already paper-thin, so their silence makes them look pretty silly.
Why Is Superman So Careless?
This version of the character is constantly questioning whether or not he should even be Superman. When he’s actually out saving the world, he seems to care little for collateral damage and human life.
The first few seconds Superman is on screen, he throws a human man through several concrete walls!
Look, there is nothing wrong with an original interpretation of Superman. However, director Zack Snyder chose to go in a “morally ambiguous” direction with the blue boy scout, and it sure seems counterintuitive. Aren’t we supposed to idolize Superman? Aren’t we supposed to like him? That’s difficult to do when he struggles to care about doing the right thing all the time.
Why Does Wayne Enterprises Take So Long To Evacuate?
The movie starts with a flashback to Man of Steel, when Superman and General Zod are fighting in Metropolis. Bruce Wayne tries to get to Wayne Tower before it gets knocked down by the destruction. Shockingly, though, scenes inside the building reveal that employees have not even attempted to evacuate.
It literally takes a call from Bruce Wayne himself for some guy named Jack to order Wayne Tower’s employees out of the building.
Is there no protocol for emergencies? Do they always need to wait for Bruce Wayne’s permission?
What Is Lex Luthor’s Plan - And Why Is It So Convoluted?
Bear with us, here.
Lex wants to frame Superman for a shooting in Africa, sow hatred in Batman by reminding him of the lives Superman (technically) took away, frame Supes’ again for bombing the senate, and then kidnap his mom so that he would fight Batman in the hopes that nobody survives.
Oh, and plan B is to release a giant monster, just in case.
Not only is this plan pointlessly complex, but his motivations are hilariously thin. Even the most thoughtful explanations all boil down to “Lex has always hated Superman,” which is especially lame for this brand-new take on a classic villain.
The Knightmare
Batman’s nightmare is both a hint of sequel-bait, and an excuse for Zack Snyder to tell a hyperviolent Batman story. It also makes very little sense.
It’s a post-apocalyptic future where Superman rules the world alongside his own personal secret police à la Injustice. Also featured are a ton of parademons and a giant reference to the supervillain Darkseid, which doesn’t make sense without stretches of logic.
Why is the world ruined? Was it Superman, or was it Darkseid? Did they team up? Why?
Oh well — at least the action is cool.
Does The World Actually Hate Superman?
Batman v Superman presents this as a controversial topic. Does the world need a Superman? Is he too dangerous to be tolerated?
The movie would have you believe that most of the world detests him.
At the end of the movie, though, the world is broken up by his loss at the hands of Doomsday. Boy, that sure changed quickly.
This bizarre change in tone is only worsened by Justice League, which pretends Superman was always a “beacon of hope” and never a controversy in the first place. It’s a silly tonal shift that should have happened way slower, if at all.
Why Doesn’t Clark Kent Know Who Bruce Wayne Is?
This oversight is jaw-dropping. Clark Kent, superhero journalist, has no idea who international celebrity Bruce Wayne is. He literally needs to ask a bystander to give him this information. How is this possible?
Clark’s never read about him? Never heard his name around the office, or on television, or on the internet? Never seen his face or his company’s logo?
Clark Kent is supposed to be a journalist and he doesn’t know basic pop culture! This is just plain silly. How did he even get a job at the Daily Planet?
How Does The Daily Planet Operate?
The better question might be: how do they stay in business?
Perry White seems to be pretty bad at managing the newspaper.
He assigns articles by shouting headlines, he doesn’t give journalists specific beats, and he ignores major stories — namely one about Batman’s streak of vigilante violence — in favor of covering sports. Isn’t this the opposite of how newspapers work?
To be fair, every publication works differently, but that doesn’t excuse the bizarre workplace culture. Clark Kent never even seems to be at work half the time, and he’s barely given a scolding.
Granny’s Peach Tea
Based on a tense conversation Senator Finch and Lex Luthor have, it’s heavily implied that someone relieved themselves in the jar. If so, why would Finch continue the senate hearing after seeing it?
Why wouldn’t she speak up about this gross attempt to possibly poison her?
Even if Lex didn’t relive himself in the jar, the movie expects us to believe that this supposed genius left a childish calling card that could have easily ruined his plan if it had been discovered earlier. Lex doesn’t even attend the hearing, so he wouldn’t have seen her face. Is he just that petty?
How Does Superman Miss The Wheelchair Bomb?
The man has superhuman hearing. He has X-ray vision. He can move at insane speeds. All of this is on top of the fact that he walked into a silent courtroom. How did Superman not catch the ticking time bomb?
The leading explanation is that he was distracted and upset, which is only fair if you ignore the fact that this is supposed to be the greatest superhero in history. He has all the skills to prevent this, and he doesn’t.
To make things worse, he totally bails after it goes off instead of helping first responders.
Batman Nearly Destroys The Lexcorp Truck
Batman shoots a tracker onto a LexCorp truck in an effort to track the kryptonite shipment inside. He proceeds to blast it to bits with the Batmobile, nearly destroying the tracker in the process.
Not only does he show little regard for the cargo’s safety, but he fails to catch it, so he breaks in to LexCorp and steals it all anyway.
Why damage the truck so much? Is the tracker in case the truck gets away? If that’s the case, then why not just wait until the kryptonite arrives at LexCorp?
It might be vulnerable in transport, but Batman breaks in without a hitch. Why so inefficient, Batman?
Why Are Clark And Lois In Love?
What do we know about their relationship other than the fact that they like to make out in the bathtub?
In Man of Steel, they are in early stages. In this movie, they’re already living together.
Their relationship never really evolves on-screen, and it only seems to exist because Lois Lane is usually Superman’s love interest in other media.
This isn’t like the absence of Uncle Ben in Spider-Man: Homecoming — it’s not just an event that stories can skip over for the sake of efficiency. Clark’s relationship with Lois is an ever-changing aspect of his life. Why doesn’t this get more attention?
Why Doesn’t Bruce Wayne Know Who Clark Kent Is?
Seriously? The world’s greatest detective can’t see past those glasses, huh? Sure, this is always a big nitpick when it comes to Superman stories, but it stands out even worse in Batman v Superman. Why can’t Bruce Wayne figure out who Clark Kent is under the disguise?
You could argue that he’s never been photographed close up, though that is unlikely. Maybe he blurs his face by moving it like the Flash — also very unlikely.
Even if those were true, Lex Luthor figures out Clark’s identity pretty quickly, so it sounds like Batfleck is slacking in the “detective” department.
Why Does Anyone Believe Superman Would Use A Gun?
One of the most important aspects of Lex Luthor’s plan is to frame Superman for a shooting that Lex himself orchestrates. Miraculously, it works — as nobody in this universe bothers to ask why a super strong man who can fly and shoot lasers would ever use a gun.
It makes sense that some people would believe this. Superman is already a controversial figure in their world. However, why does Lex think this’ll work?
He knows that Superman doesn’t use guns. Wouldn’t he have arranged something more despicable to frame Superman for? You could argue that he anticipated people’s gullibility, but why risk ruining the plan by fabricating something that isn’t normal for Superman?
The Power Of Martha
On paper, this might have seemed like a great climax to the titular fight. It might have seemed powerful for Batman recoil at the sound of his own mother’s name. It might even have seemed like a clever way for him to accept Superman’s inherent humanity.
Sadly, it isn’t. It’s drawn out, overly-melodramatic, and cringeworthy at best. Why does Superman wait so long to say this? Why doesn’t he give Batman more context? How does it sway this infurited Batman?
While it has its defenders even two years later, this moment continues to bewilder even the most devoted DC fans.
What’s Batman’s Plan Against Superman?
His plan is to weaponize kryptonite, and use it to defeat Superman once and for all, but why is the rest of his plan so flimsy?
Batman leaves ineffective traps in an alley, and even when they distract Superman, Batman doesn’t use any kryptonite. Batman gets thrown around by Superman and coincidentally lands in the building where he planted his kryptonite spear.
Why a spear anyway? How about some kryptonite bullets to go along with the gas?
If he really wanted to punch Superman so bad, he could just carry some kryptonite on his person.
Batfleck’s plan is inefficient, and it really only succeeds because of luck.
What’s Flash’s Point?
The Flash scene is another scene that make little sense in the context of this film alone.
A mysterious man (who, to the confusion of moviegoers, is never identified or mentioned again) is the Flash appearing through a portal. He warns Bruce Wayne about the future. He tells him that Lois Lane “is the key” and that Bruce needs to find them before it’s too late.
This scene has no concrete payoff in Batman v Superman. It doesn’t even really pay off in Justice League, which only makes the scene feel even more pointless.
“I Thought She Was With You”
No, Batman. No, you didn’t. You know who that is — you met her at a party, you stalked her, and you sent her that email. You know very well who Wonder Woman is, and that she has nothing to do with Superman.
This seems like a case of DC responding to the complaints of its films being “humorless” by shoehorning in a joke that makes no sense.
It was cliché in the trailers, and it’s downright nonsensical in context.
The moment takes the air out of an otherwise wonderful scene, and just makes Batman — a supposedly world-class detective — look silly.
How Does Batman Outrun A Bullet?
The warehouse sequence is one of the best Batman action scenes in recent years — maybe ever — but its ending is oddly unrealistic even for Batman.
Martha is held hostage by a goon with a flamethrower, and the Caped Crusader has a plan to save her. He steals a machine gun and fires a bullet into the flamethrower gas tank, which Martha is directly adjacent to.
Somehow, he manages to drop the gun, dive across the room, grab Martha, and jump out the window - all before the explosion. Is it cool? Definitely. How could he have possibly moved so quickly? Because he’s Batman, we suppose.
How Does Lex Luthor Figure Out Everyone’s Identities?
The movie makes it clear that Lex is aware of the heroes’ identities.
It’s implied that he discovers Superman’s by closely watching Lois Lane. That’s fair — but how does he know who Batman really is?
Lex has been manipulating Bruce Wayne with creepy snail-mail notes, but how does he know to do this? The movie never explains how Lex knows his true identity.
This also makes Batman look bad when it comes to Superman — Lex figured it out and Batman couldn’t?
Batman barely investigates Lex himself, who is clearly a shady and unstable egomaniac. Who knew that this version of Lex Luthor would be a better detective than Batman?
