In 2013's "Man of Steel," the first entry into Warner Bros.' DC Extended Universe, Clark Kent was more of a lost soul searching for answers than the confident superhero fans have become familiar with over the decades. While he was always aware of his superpowers, he refrained from using them outside of extreme situations, and never in the greater public eye. But Zod's invasion of Earth changed all that and Clark slowly accepted his destiny as a symbol for Earth's people and his role as their protector.
In his follow up effort, "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice," the last son of Krypton will be slightly different following a few years of experience.
"He's more used to this gig, doing his best to save as many lives as he can," star Henry Cavill told Empire Magazine (via WhatCulture). "He is no longer frantic. He's no longer a wet behind the ears kind of superhero."
It's safe to say that Clark's first go-around as a true blue superhero put him way outside of his depth. Zod and co. were experienced military leaders; our hero was just a farm boy. But Superman still emerged victorious and we have to believe any challenge since has been a cake walk. How hard is stopping a bank robber when you've literally saved the entire planet?
Yet despite the numerous good deeds Supes has accomplished in the ensuing years, detractors still exist. Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor employs his vast resources to accrue not only Kryptonite, but also Zod's corpse, which presumably leads to the creation of Doomsday. Lex hopes to wipe Superman off the face of the earth and he's not alone in that ambition. Ben Affleck's Batman, weary and grizzled by the time we meet him in "Dawn of Justice," can't entrust the world's safety to an alien who could burn it all down if he wanted to.
These conflicting ideologies will come to a head during the movie and it remains to be seen if Superman's newfound confidence will be enough to solve the myriad issues that await him.
"Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" will arrive on March 25.
