History Fridge / BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice

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* With TheReveal that Luthor's going to plead insanity and get a lighter sentence comes some implications regarding his master plan. We only see him after he's started plotting against Superman and he'd clearly anticipated more than a few casualties along the way. With such high stakes, it wouldn't be beyond his scope of reason to imagine his plans failing and him getting caught, so he'd try and get some sympathy by acting mentally ill. Now obviously it would seem suspicious if he just suddenly started acting up right when it's most convenient for him, so it's entirely possibility that the quirky, twitchy Lex we've seen so far is just an act. Even his talk of bells seems to have been just in case anyone could hear him. His XanatosGambit there is ultimately really a BatmanGambit... foiled by Batman himself when he arranges for Lex to spend his time being criminally insane in [[BedlamHouse Arkham Asylum]] instead of the comparatively cushy typical mental hospital he was probably expecting to end up in.

* Diana's comments at Clark's funeral make a whole lot more sense after seeing the Wonder Woman solo movie. "They don't know how to bury him, except as a soldier." She's not just referring to Clark, but to her deceased lover Steve Trevor, who died in a very similar way and was given no funeral or honors except a picture on a wall honoring the deceased in London.

* Batman's willingness to kill if necessary all stems from the loss of Robin. In ''ComicBook/DeathInTheFamily'', Batman seriously considered murdering the Joker for what he did to Robin, but was talked out of it by Superman. Here, Batman has never met Superman before, so he went off the deep end with next-to-no resistance (Alfred may have tried to reason with him, but we've seen how well that goes). Also keep in mind that, more than likely, there was not another Robin after his death, so that's one less person who would otherwise be able to pull him back from the brink.

* With TheReveal that Luthor's going to plead insanity and get a lighter sentence comes some implications regarding his master plan. We only see him after he's started plotting against Superman and he'd clearly anticipated more than a few casualties along the way. With such high stakes, it wouldn't be beyond his scope of reason to imagine his plans failing and him getting caught, so he'd try and get some sympathy by acting mentally ill. Now obviously it would seem suspicious if he just suddenly started acting up right when it's most convenient for him, so it's entirely possibility that the quirky, twitchy Lex we've seen so far is just an act. Even his talk of bells seems to have been just in case anyone could hear him.

* Still regarding the fight between Batman and Superman [[spoiler:the end of it may look like a cheap downer, but it's perfectly logical. To be even able to consider killing Superman, Batman convinced himself that his foe was a non-human. A monster, a god, a beast to slay. Then, when Superman is at his mercy, he sees Lois pleading for his life and Superman pleading for Martha's life. Suddenly Superman, in his eyes, stopped being a monster and became Clark Kent, a man with a loving mother waiting for him somewhere and a significant one ready to plead mercy for him. And while Batman has no qualms into killing a beast, or doesn't shed a tear for a villain killed in jail or shredded by ricochet, he still can't bring himself to kill a man.]]

** Also consider that the century of horrors she is referring to ''ended'' a hundred years ago, i.e. it ran from the Napoleonic Wars through to the Great War, after which she cut herself off from the world of men. It did not include all of the stuff that we today consider to be the true horrors of history.

* The film's title, ''Batman v. Superman'', is structured like a court case in which Superman is the one on trial... Which is fitting, given the charge of him being a DestructiveSavior in ''Man of Steel''. However, in some countries, the "v." in legal cases can be read not as "versus" but as "and". Which is also fitting, if this leads to the dawn of the Justice League.
* A civil court case would be headed as "Plaintiff v. Defendant". In a ''criminal'' court case, it would be "state v. defendant". Why does this matter? Batman sees himself as judge, jury, ''and'' executioner. And in his eyes, Superman has not yet been acquitted.
* Ben Affleck as Batman may seem like an odd casting choice at first - he's the kind of guy you wouldn't expect to see wearing the Batsuit. '''And that's the point''' - Batman's identity has to be hidden well, and the less likely you suspect someone of being him, the better. In real life, a lot of his detractors merely saw him as a rich Hollywood playboy who made bad romantic comedies and led a gossip and tabloid-filled lifestyle with women like Jennifer Lopez, in addition to someone who shouldn't have been cast as Batman. In-universe, a lot of people see Bruce Wayne the same way, as a rich gossip-laden playboy who couldn't possibly be someone as fearsome as Batman. In truth, this wouldn't be the first time this line of thinking was applied to casting Batman; when Michael Keaton was cast for Tim Burton's film, many people protested the choice, the same as they are doing with Affleck. Keaton quoted the above logic in an interview; his performance is still hailed as one of the best in the role, with some considering it better than Christian Bale's performance.
* The same applies to Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. He's the last person you'd expect to play a diabolical mastermind, which will make it seem much easier for the citizens of Metropolis to trust him. And as he's not particularly muscular or athletic, Superman would look like an unheroic bully if he ever tried to physically intimidate him.
* Casting Jason Momoa as Aquaman is actually quite fitting. There's a popular theory that Batman represents the vast metropolitan cities of America while Superman represents the farmlands. Continuing that theme, who's the best choice for an American aquatic superhero? A Hawaiian.

** Furthermore, Superman having an over-saturated poster on a gray backdrop symbolises his idealistic exterior masking some cold hard facts ([[IDidWhatIHadtoDo killing Zod]] and [[ILetGwenStacyDie letting his adoptive father die]]), while Batman's greyscale poster over a red backdrop represents his [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold gruff demeanour hiding a noble spirit]]. Luthor's poster has no colour whatsoever, showing that [[EvilCannotComprehendGood he's completely devoid of whatever made the other two heroes.]]

** Batman was taught that fear=power while hope=weakness. Superman embodies hope and charges into any obstacle with not even a hint of fear.
** Batman stated that a hero can be anyone, while Superman was taught that with his potential he can be something no normal person can be.

** And possibly the biggest divide of all; Batman is staunchly against killing, to the point where he retired after committing murder (or manslaughter, depending on your point of view). Superman agrees, but killed someone for the greater good, using that as motivation for never letting it happen again.
* '''Meta Brilliance:''' From a marketing perspective; The third trailer revealed that [[spoiler: Doomsday]] will appear at some point, which may seem like a huge spoiler, except the trailer also revealed that Batman will at some point be attacked by what appears to be a swarm of bug-people, so while one question was answered, another was raised.

** Bruce stating that if there's even a 1% chance of Superman going rogue that he needs to be stopped seems downright paranoid, but to the Occupy generation Bruce himself is a 1%-er and he's one of the most dangerous men on Earth. You can never be too careful in the DC Universe.
** Additionally, a 1% chance being all the evidence Bruce needs to prepare against Superman is in-character with Batman: aside from being the "World's Greatest Detective", among the superhero community of the DC Universe, the Dark Knight is one of the best tacticians on the planet. Although subjective, no tactician would ease off when there's still a minimal chance things will go awry. Batman planning ahead for multiple contingencies is something he would regularly do.
** Also consider that Batman's grudge against Superman is initially rather petty and misinformed, blaming him for the destruction in Metropolis rather than the invading Kryptonians. In other words he's a commentary on the fanboys who complained about Film/ManOfSteel.
* Diana Prince rolls her eyes when Luthor starts talking about the Greek origins of the word "philanthropy" and then warbles on about Prometheus. You can see Diana as an Amazon thinking, "Great another mortal who doesn't know anything about Greek culture!"
* Batman's willingness to kill if necessary all stems from the loss of Robin. In ''Death in the Family'', Batman seriously considered murdering the Joker for what he did to Robin, but was talked out of it by Superman. Here, Batman has never met Superman before, so he went off the deep end with next to no resistance (Alfred may have tried to reason with him, but we've seen how well that goes). Also keep in mind that, more than likely, there was not another Robin after his death, so that's one less person who would otherwise be able to pull him back from the brink.
** His willingness to kill only intensifies after his "Knightmare", but there's a utalitarian reasoning behind it. First he manages to kill several of Luthor's thugs to get to his chunk of kryptonite, then he kills even more [[spoiler: trying to rescue Martha. Given that the Superman in his nightmare was bitter over the loss of a loved one, part of the reason he rescued her was to earn his trust and further discourage him from turning into a dictator]]. Any time Batman kills someone, it's to avoid that dystopian future he envisioned.

** Lex Luthor's intelligence being reworked from scientific genius to ManipulativeBastard ties in with his entrepreneurial skills. He's not treating Superman like an enemy that needs to be crushed with force, but a rival company that he can run into the ground with the right strategy. He even tries to get the government to assist him, similar to how some businesses try to buy elections so that they can prosper under their preferred form of government. Then there's [[spoiler: creating Doomsday, which for all we know is part of another plan to keep Luthor relevant even after Superman is dead, much like how hardware and software distributors will always try to sell you upgrade after upgrade.]]
** And he's certainly no slouch in the scientific genius department either. [[spoiler: From taking over a Kryptonian ship to creating Doomsday, both all by himself]], it's pretty clear that while he may enjoy playing the ManipulativeBastard, he can just as easily switch roles any time he likes.
* Lex Luthor has collected evidence and footage of metahumans around the world, and one of them is...Cyborg? Vic is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin just that]], a human with robotic parts, so why would Luthor count him as the same kind of person as Aquaman, Flash, and Wonder Woman? There's also the fact that Vic isn't even Cyborg yet. But then you see the footage in its entirety. It's not Vic Stone that Luthor is interested in, but the [[spoiler:Mother Box]] that Silas Stone was using to repair his son.
* [[spoiler: Superman's self-sacrifice in the end may seem a bit pointless, but considering Lex Luthor had only an hour before he tried to kill both his mother and girlfriend, he must have realised that Luthor would just keep coming after him and his loved ones. By dying he could at least indulge his enemy and protect the people closest to him.]]
* At first it might seem odd that Diana actually [[spoiler: ''can'' hurt Doomsday with her sword, hold him with her lasso and use her shield and bracelets to defend against his attacks. Then you remember that Kryptonians have two glaring weaknesses: Kryptonite and magic. Diana's entire gear (since made by the gods) is magical and indeed she herself is this as well. Since it's established that magic simply bypasses Kryptonian defenses (since it doesn't play by the rules and is illogical in nature), it's no wonder she was able to hurt Doomsday this badly.]] It does come as a nice surprise that the creators did remember this fact.
* At the start of Lex's "gladiator fight", Superman tries to explain things right off, but after a few exchanges he stops. You'd think he would continue given that, one way or another, he needs to stop this fight as quickly as possible. However, consider what it would look like if he did: Superman saying things and he's interrupted with an attack. "My mother's !" BAM! "Luthor is" POW! "We need to work" CRUSH!. It would be comical, and you do not want your title fight to be comical.
* [[spoiler: When Lex is in prison, Batman arrives and threatens him by saying ''"Wherever you go, I'll be watching you"''. This sounds illogical at first, since Lex won't be getting out of prison anytime soon, but considering he committed treason and murder-by-proxy it's not unlikely that Lex may be getting the death penalty. Knowing this, Batman's threat can be interpreted as ''"See you in Hell!"''.]]
* The actual fight between Batman and Superman [[spoiler: seems underwhelming with Batman managing to kick Superman's ass quite easily thanks to Kryptonite, despite the hype of which DC icon would win. But if one were to view the film with Batman as the villain/antagonist of the story, the fight's short and one-sided nature actually makes sense. It's not about who would win in a fight, but rather about just how far [[HeWhoFightsMonsters Batman has fallen in his vendetta against Superman]]. His dominance over Superman is not of a heroic underdog fighting back against a god but rather a cruel bully harming a good man pleading for his aid to save his mother from being killed, going against everything Batman fought for. Batman had already lost the moment he started fighting while Superman ultimately won by [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone making Batman realize what he has done]].]]
* Still regarding the fight between Batman and Superman [[spoiler: the end of it may look like a cheap downer, but it's perfectly logical. To be even able to consider killing Superman, Batman convinced himself that his foe was a non-human. A monster, a god, a beast to slay. Then, when Superman is at his mercy, he sees Lois pleading for his life and Superman pleading for Martha's life. Suddenly Superman, in his eyes, stopped being a monster and became Clark Kent, a man with a loving mother waiting for him somewhere and a significant one ready to plead mercy for him. And while Batman has no qualms into killing a beast, or doesn't shed a tear for a villain killed in jail or shredded by ricochet, he still can't bring himself to kill a man ]]
* Lex didn't release Doomsday without a contingency plan. He managed to pit a man who has killed a kryptonian against a man who could potentially kill a kryptonian. Whichever one comes out alive would be able to stop Doomsday, but because he's much more powerful than Superman or Zod, victory would come at the cost of their lives. Lex was planning to kill two capes in one night.
** Also, even if neither hero managed to stop Doomsday, Lex knows that "he is coming". In the comics, [[spoiler: Lex brought Doomsday back from the dead and offered him to a certain New God in exchange for the Earth's safety. He may have had a similar exchange in mind in the movie. But, without either Doomsday or Superman to stand in Darkseid's way...]]
* Unlike previous films that confirmed the identity of the man who killed Batman's parents, this film leaves it up in the air. We know nothing about this guy or his motivations for killing Thomas and Martha. He's a blank canvas. [[spoiler: Then we see Batman in a similar scenario whose misguided sense of right and wrong drives him to kill Superman, only to be reminded of how his parents died. The Wayne killer is Batman's ShadowArchetype.]]
* Lex Luthor calling Superman by his full human name becomes a little funnier when you realize that they both share the same middle name, Joseph.
* With the reveal that Luthor's going to plead insanity and get a lighter sentence comes some implications regarding his master plan. We only see him after he's started plotting against Superman and he'd clearly anticipated more than a few casualties along the way. With such high stakes, it wouldn't be beyond his scope of reason to imagine his plans failing and him getting caught, so he'd try and get some sympathy by acting mentally ill. Now obviously it would seem suspicious if he just suddenly started acting up right when it's most convenient for him, so it's entirely possibility that the quirky, twitchy Lex we've seen so far is just an act. Even his talk of bells seems to have been just in case anyone could hear him.
* The glimpse of Steppenwolf does more than just set up the ''Film/JusticeLeague2017'', it also reminds the world that Kryptonians aren't the only aliens out there that could pose a threat. With the need for a unified Earth now stronger than ever, the creation of [[Film/SuicideSquad a certain task force]] makes total sense.
* When Bruce and Clark first meet at Luthor's charity event, there is two separate shots of him shaking both their hands; he comments on Bruce's handshake ("Good") as if he's confirming that Bruce has the strength Batman would have in his civilian identity, then he shake's Clark's hand and also confirms that Clark is Superman due to his exceptional grip ("Wow, that is a good grip!"). He isn't just egging them on with his next comment, but he's further confirming personally that they are who he knows they are; after all, how many times has Luthor met Clark Kent in person?
* If one were to connect the dots in the knightmare scene where Superman says, "she was my world" at that time, he could be referring to Martha Kent instead of Lois Lane. Notice when Lex divulges the information of his mother being held hostage he's just about to lose it, and compare it to whenever Lois was in danger. Therefore, by saving Martha Kent, Batman believes that the nightmare scenario would no longer be a possibility and that 1% chance is no longer on the horizon. Also note, Lois being the key (what Flash says in the other dream sequence). She was the key to Batman finding out that Martha was the name of Superman's mother. Without her intervening, Superman would be as good as dead. Once Batman found out, his emotion changed. His mindset went from murder to saving instead.
* Superman [[spoiler:stabbing Doomsday with the spear when he could have had anyone else do it]] seemed stupid, but reflect on the movie. People began to hate on Superman because they worry that he might use his destructive powers for evil. Namely, Bruce and Lex shared this belief. However, [[spoiler:by sacrificing himself, he's showing everyone that he is benevolent, not malevolent.]]
* ComicBook/TheFlash's big surprise cameo in this film consists entirely of him traveling through a portal between dimensions (or possibly through time) to deliver some crucial message to Batman regarding Lois Lane and the forces of Apokolips. Historically, the Flash has been symbolically linked to the Roman god Mercury, who also possessed superhuman speed, and even wore a winged helmet that inspired the one that Jay Garrick wore in the 1930s. Mercury is primarily known as the Messenger God of Mount Olympus, so it makes perfect sense that the Flash's big introductory scene would involve him delivering an important message.
* Intentional or not, Superman killing Doomsday (who in this version is the [[spoiler: mutated corpse of Zod]]) creates an IronicEcho of Zod's words to Clark in ''Film/ManOfSteel''. Superman killed Zod in that film, and it's clear that not a day goes by when it does not haunt him. But if he had to do it again, he would.

* Humanity is [[HumansAreBastards so far gone]] that ''Wonder Woman'' decided it wasn't worth it and hung up her cape. Her remaining as diplomat Diana Prince may in part be because she couldn't go back to Themyscira with her head hanging in shame, as she willing left it in the first place to do what the rest of her people didn't want to do anymore. She's 5,000 years old, and what should have been a ''speck'' of time passing in her general lifespan thoroughly shattered her wholehearted belief in humanity. That's '''a century''' compared to ''five thousand years''. Damn.
** Also consider that the century of horrors she is referring to ''ended'' a hundred years ago, ie it ran from the Napoleonic Wars through to The Great War, after which she cut herself off from the world of men. It did not include all of the stuff that we today consider to be the true horrors of history.
* In the ''DC Films Presents: Dawn of the Justice League'' TV special that aired on Creator/TheCW, Jesse Eisenberg says Lex has been keeping an eye on Bruce and Clark , and knows "''everything''" about both. This puts his interactions with them in a much more sinister light.
* [[spoiler: Doomsday develops complete immunity to whatever harms him. Kryptonite was the only thing that could harm him in this movie.]] Oh and there is more: in the comics [[spoiler: Doomsday's power is resurrection with invulnerability to whatever killed him. Superman might not be the only one on his way to recover... and Kryptonite may not work again.]]
* [[spoiler: Someone on Krypton had already made a Doomsday-like monster, and it was so bad the council [[HeWhoMustNotBeNamed refused to name it]] and forbade any similar experiments.]] Now combine this with the FridgeHorror above: [[spoiler: how likely are we to have '''''[[SerialEscalation two]]''''' '''[[FromBadToWorse Doomsdays]]''' walking around?]]
* Even though the scene shows Superman with his eyes closed, [[spoiler: Superman watched all those people in the Senate Hearing chamber die]].
* [[spoiler: Due to being a mutation out of General Zod's remains]], it's not out of the realm of possibility that [[spoiler: [[ItCanThink Doomsday still has the mind and memories of Zod.]]]] From [[UnstoppableRage the way he reacts after setting eyes on Superman]], his slow taking in of his surroundings at the Metropolis memorial, to the smirking sneer he gives [[spoiler: as he impales Superman - similar to Zod stabbing Jor El in ''Man of Steel'']], the film seems to vaguely hint this.
* The Knightmare becomes more terrifying the longer one sits back and thinks about it. [[spoiler: The sheer cruelty displayed by Superman and his army is shocking, but when one takes the presence of ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} into account it becomes clear that he likely is largely responsible for this. With Lois Lane and/or Martha Kent both likely dead in this BadFuture, Darkseid would have ample opportunity to corrupt and twist the devastated Superman into his vassal on Earth. Hence why his Parademons are shown working alongside Superman's forces instead of simply attacking everything in sight. "Knightmare" doesn't begin to describe it.]]
* It's no secret now that Batman has stopped enforcing his [[ThouShaltNotKill one rule]] so heavily and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty if criminals get in his way. At first, this might seem to come off as a result of his jadeness kicking in after fighting for so long and just not giving a damn anymore... but then you remember that he also had a Robin prior, and likewise, it isn't a secret that Robin was killed prior by the Joker. Thus it brings a darker context to both Bat's portrayal now, and speaks volumes about the Joker's power (despite the fact he has yet to appear in the movies) in that he has [[TheBadGuyWins potentially achieved his victory]] over Batman finally by [[HeroicBSOD breaking him]] and leading to his massive amount of jadeness when he dons his cowl again.

* Judging by the magnitude of the blast during the Senate Hearing [[spoiler: there is a pretty good chance that Lex took out a good majority of the United States Legislative Branch of government. ]]

** Compare [[http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/dccu/images/e/ec/Lex_Luthor_grayscale_promo.png/revision/latest?cb=20150325153144 Lex Luthor's headshot]] with [[http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/dccu/images/b/b2/Batman_v_Superman_Dawn_of_Justice_IMAX_poster_-_Superman.png/revision/latest?cb=20150420014337 Superman's]] and [[http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/dccu/images/6/60/Batman_v_Superman_Dawn_of_Justice_IMAX_poster_-_Batman.png/revision/latest?cb=20150420014401 Batman's]] posters. Luthor's eyes are exposed while the protagonist's eyes are torn out, most likely symbolising how Luthor isn't blinded by ideals like his adversaries.

* If one were to connect the dots in the knightmare scene where Superman says, "she was my world" at that time, he could be referring to Martha Kent instead of Lois Lane. Notice his reaction to when Lex divulges the information of his mother being held hostage and he's just about to lose it, and compare to whenever Lois was in danger. Therefore, by saving Martha Kent, Batman believes that the nightmare scenario would no longer be a possibility and that 1% chance is no longer on the horizon. Also note, Lois being the key (what Flash says in the other dream sequence). She was the key to Batman finding out that Martha was the name of Superman's mother. Without her intervening, Superman would be as good as dead. Once Batman found out, his emotion changed. His mindset went from murder to saving instead.

* If one were to connect the dots in the knightmare scene where Superman says, "she was my world" at that time, he could be referring to Martha Kent instead of Lois Lane. Notice his reaction to when Lex divulges the information of his mother being held hostage and he's just about to lose it, and compare to whenever Lois was in danger. Therefore, by saving Martha Kent, Batman believes that the nightmare scenario would no longer be a possibility and that 1% chance is no longer on the horizon. Also note, Lois being the key (what Flash says in the other dream sequence). She was the key to finding out that Martha was the name of superman's mother. Without her intervening, Superman would be as good as dead. Once Batman found out, his emotion changed. He found out new information and his mindset went from murder to saving instead.

* If one were to connect the dots in the knightmare scene where Superman says, "she was my world" at that time, he could be referring to Martha Kent instead of Lois Lane. Notice his reaction to when Lex divulges the information of his mother being held hostage and he's just about to lose it. Therefore, by saving Martha Kent, Batman believes that the nightmare scenario would no longer be a possibility and that 1% chance is no longer on the horizon. Also note, Lois being the key (what Glash says in the other dream sequence). She was the key to finding out that Martha was the name of superman's mother. Without her intervening, Superman would be as good as dead. Once Batman found out, his emotion changed. He found out new information and his mindset went from murder to saving instead.

* If one were to connect the dots in the knightmare scene where superman says, "she was my world" at that time, he could be referring to Martha Kent instead of Lois Lane. Notice his reaction to when Lex divulges the information of his mother being held hostage and he's just about to lose it. Therefore, by saving Martha Kent, Batman believes that the nightmare scenario would no longer be a possibility and that 1% chance is no longer on the horizon. Also note, Lois being the key (what Glash says in the other dream sequence). She was the key to finding out that Martha was the name of superman's mother. Without her intervening, Superman would be as good as dead. Once Batman found out, his emotion changed. He found out new information and his mindset went from murder to saving instead.

* When the bankrupt and ragged Wallace is shown being interviewed about Superman causing him to lose his legs, Bruce Wayne asks "hasn't he been getting our checks?" He's then shown how every check has been returned with writing that blames Bruce as well. Given how Lex later states he's been planning this for almost two years, it stands to reason that Lex was secretly intercepting the checks, making Wallace feel abandoned by his own employer as well as bankrupt and thus desperate to accept Luthor's offer all to set up [[spoiler: bombing Congress]]. Now ''that'' is evil brilliance.