Many fans were taken aback by the sheer destruction shown in 2013's "Man of Steel." Traditionally, Superman has avoided collateral damage of any kind. But "Man of Steel" saw Metropolis practically leveled by Superman's battle with General Zod and, presumably, many innocent citizens lost their lives. As if in response to the outcry of fans everywhere, "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" director Zack Snyder defended his first DC Extended Universe film, but did say that his upcoming movie will address the catastrophic damage from "Man of Steel."
"I stand by it, because for me, I've always said when I was working on 'Watchmen' - and maybe it's sort of left over from a 'Watchmen' philosophical sort of thing - that there should be consequences to superheroes' interaction with the earth," Snyder told Famous Monsters of Filmland. "And that was kind of the way that we approached 'Man of Steel.' I wanted a big consequence to Superman's arrival on earth. Certainly, 'Batman v Superman' sort of cashes in all its chips on the 'why' of that destruction."
Based on the trailers for "Dawn of Justice," it doesn't look like those consequences will be stopping anytime soon. Superman will have his hands full dealing with Ben Affleck's Batman, a grizzled crime fighting veteran whose approach differs from that of the young, less experienced Clark Kent.
"He's not yet tired of his place in the world. He's definitely still tooth-and-nailing it," Snyder said of Batman. "The discovery of the story is that Batman fights Superman. Now move your superhero chess pieces so that can happen. And it can happen in a credible and interesting way...It's just incredibly satisfying and fun to dig into these two mythological characters and find a through line that allows them to come into conflict in a way that not only is philosophically satisfying, but also physically real."
"Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" will arrive on March 25.
