Here's the Over-the-Top New Trailer for 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'
Batman and Superman go to war in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice — but why exactly is Bruce Wayne so angry at the Man of Steel? This new trailer for Zack Snyder’s film — which premiered today at Comic-Con, and which you can watch above — gives us some big clues, and also marks the first on-screen appearance of Justice supporting players Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg).
In the opening seconds, we see Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) watch in helpless horror as his Wayne Tower building crashes to the ground.
The implication is that the building was destroyed during Superman’s epic battle with alien militant Zod (Michael Shannon), which leveled large sections of Metropolis in Man of Steel. (Presumably, this Wayne Tower is the Metropolis branch, rather than the one located in Batman’s home city of Gotham.) Angered by the loss of lives, and flashing back to the tragic death of his parents when he was a boy, Wayne brings the Batman cowl out of retirement and sets out to take down Superman (Henry Cavill).
Affleck, sporting graying temples and a heavy-hearted expression, is clearly an older version of Wayne than previous movie incarnations. He revealed some of this back story in the Comic-Con issue of EW — but this is the first time we’re seeing it onscreen. “One of the things I liked was Zack’s idea of showing accountability and the consequences of violence and seeing that there are real people in those buildings,” Affleck told the magazine. “And in fact, one of those buildings was Bruce Wayne’s building so he knew people who died in that Black Zero event.”
There’s also some suggestion of why Wayne stopped being Batman in the first place — namely, an old costume that he keeps on display in the Bat Cave, graffitied with the words “Haha! Joke’s on you Batman.” It certainly seems to be work of the Joker. But look closer: That’s not one of Batman’s costumes. From the “R” logo, it seems to be the suit worn by his sidekick Robin (who didn’t appear in the Dark Knight trilogy). Did the Joker kill Robin, forcing his mentor into early retirement?
As for Superman, he seems to be in a tough spot. Condemned by the U.S. government (including a Senator played by Holly Hunter) for the destruction he caused, he’s trying to make up for it with super heroics — like rescuing flood victims from rooftops. But he’s inspiring equal parts hate and worship from the public, and it appears that the government may even be enlisting Supes to do some dirty work… like fighting Batman. (Note the “S” logo patches on the soldiers in the trailer’s desert scenes.) Meanwhile, his alter ego Clark Kent is stuck at a desk, pitching anti-Batman stories to Daily Planet editor Perry White (Laurence Fishburne).
But Batman v Superman also has a third superhero, who makes her big debut in the new trailer: Wonder Woman, played by Gal Gadot. Though she doesn’t get any lines (yet), we see her both in her Amazonian fighting costume and the chic outfits she wears in civilian life as Diana Prince. The big remaining question: Whose side is she on?
Another major character making his first appearance in this trailer (we heard only his voice in the last one) is Luthor, played by The Social Network star Eisenberg. In the scenes shown, he still has hair (though Eisenberg has promised that his Lex ends up as bald as all the others). And he’s doing some serious scheming: colluding with the Senator, obtaining a chunk of Kryptonite, and perhaps deliberately pitting Superman and Batman against one another for his own nefarious purposes. “Black and blue, god versus man, day versus night,” he muses (perhaps suggesting titles for future franchise installments). Luthor’s not the only DC mainstay making his Justice debut: In the footage, we finally get a look at Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s butler (and de facto father figure), who says ominously, “That’s how it starts. The fever. The rage. The feeling of powerlessness that turns good men cruel.”
Though the new trailer drops plenty of fun Easter eggs for fans — including a Batarang, Superman’s laser vision, and some good shots of the Batmobile — it also alludes to some real-life tragedies in America’s recent history. The flood scenes conjure the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; the rocket explosion recalls the space shuttle Challenger; and the scenes of Wayne Tower tumbling down clearly evoke September 11. Batman v Superman is taking DC’s greatest heroes to a very dark place, and director Zack Snyder obviously wants it to hit close to home.
