Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a 2016 American superhero film based on the DC Comics characters Batman and Superman. Directed by Zack Snyder and written by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer, it is a follow-up to Man of Steel (2013) and the second film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film stars Ben Affleck as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman, alongside an ensemble cast including Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, and Gal Gadot. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is the first live-action film to feature Batman and Superman together, as well as the first live-action cinematic portrayal of Wonder Woman. In the film, criminal mastermind Lex Luthor manipulates Batman into a preemptive battle with Superman, whom Luthor is obsessed with destroying.

The film was announced at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con after the release of Man of Steel. Snyder stated that the film would take inspiration from the Batman comic book series The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, but clarified that it would follow an original premise. The incarnation of Batman in the film is different from the character's previous portrayal by Christian Bale in The Dark Knight trilogy, serving as a cinematic reboot of the character. The film is also inspired by narrative elements from the Superman comic book series The Death of Superman. Pre-production began at East Los Angeles College in October 2013, and principal photography started in May 2014 in Detroit. Additional filming also took place in Illinois and New Mexico, concluding in December.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice premiered at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City on March 19, 2016, and was released in the United States on March 25, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It grossed $874 million worldwide against a budget of $250–325 million, becoming the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2016, while also having the biggest opening weekend for a superhero film at the time of its release. It received negative reviews from critics. A director's cut, dubbed the "Ultimate Edition", features 31 minutes of additional footage and was released to home media formats later in 2016. A follow-up, titled Justice League, was released on November 17, 2017.

Plot

In a flashback to his childhood, Bruce Wayne runs from his parents' funeral. He falls into a cave, where a circling vortex of bats elevates him back to the surface. In the present, eighteen months after his cataclysmic battle with General Zod in Metropolis, Superman has become a controversial figure. Bruce is now a billionaire who has operated in Gotham City as the masked vigilante Batman for twenty years. Having witnessed the battle in person, he sees Superman as an existential threat to humanity.

Clark Kent, Superman's civilian identity, seeks to condemn Batman's form of justice in Daily Planet articles. LexCorp mogul Lex Luthor attempts to persuade US Senator June Finch to allow him to import kryptonite discovered in the aftermath of Zod's terraforming attempt, so that it can be used as a deterrent against future Kryptonian threats. She declines, but Luthor makes alternative plans with Finch's subordinate, who grants him access to Zod's corpse and the Kryptonian scout ship.

Bruce attends a gala at LexCorp to steal encrypted data from the company, but antiquities dealer Diana Prince steals it first; she returns it to Bruce. Bruce dreams of a postapocalyptic world where he leads rebels against an evil Superman. He is awakened by an unidentified person, appearing through a portal, who tells him that Lois Lane is "the key" and urges him to find "the others" before vanishing. The decrypted data reveals Luthor's files on several metahumans across the globe. One is Diana, who appears in a photo from World War I.

A widely publicized congressional hearing at the US Capitol, led by Finch, is held to question Superman's actions against Zod. A bomb smuggled in by Luthor detonates, killing everyone present. Superman blames himself for not detecting it and self-imposes exile. In response, Batman breaks into LexCorp and steals the kryptonite to build kryptonite weapons.

Luthor lures Superman out by kidnapping Martha Kent, Clark's adoptive mother, and Lois. Superman saves Lois and confronts Luthor, who reveals that the distrust between Batman and Superman was manipulated. He demands that Superman kill Batman in exchange for Martha's life. Superman tries to explain this to Batman, who attacks and subdues him using a kryptonite gas. As Batman prepares to deal the final blow, Superman pleads with him to "save Martha" – the same name as Batman's mother. Batman hesitates as Lois explains what Superman meant. Coming to his senses, Batman rescues Martha.

Luthor executes his backup plan: unleashing a monster genetically engineered using DNA from both Zod's body and his own. Diana joins Batman and Superman in their fight against the creature. Batman realizes its vulnerability to kryptonite, and Superman fatally impales the creature with the kryptonite spear. Superman, already weakened by kryptonite exposure, is fatally wounded by the creature before it dies.

Following Luthor's arrest, Batman confronts him in prison, and Luthor gloats that Superman's death has made the world vulnerable to alien threats. A memorial is held for Superman in Metropolis, while Bruce and Diana attend a funeral for Clark, also declared dead. Bruce tells Diana that he regrets failing Superman and asks for her help in forming a team of metahumans to protect Earth in Superman's absence. As they leave, the dirt atop Clark's coffin levitates.