From a financial point of view, the new comic super blockbuster "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" took place. He has already raised over $400 million and is well within his ability to break the $1 billion mark. Critics, however, smashed the film over the bumps, and comic book fans also found a lot of complaints. In particular, many professionals and non-professionals alike have agreed that it is not clear from the picture why Lex Luthor is putting so much effort into destroying Superman. Indeed, this topic is slurred, as Luthor often speaks in metaphors and blunt terms. But if you comprehend Luthor's words in the context of the film, then his motivation will be quite transparent. And since this is a stumbling block for many, we decided to tell how we understand the actions of a supervillain. This article is not recommended for those who have not yet seen the picture, but we still tried to keep spoilers to the necessary minimum.
To understand the logic of Luthor and Batman in Zack Snyder's film, you need to realize that the beginning of the picture resurrects the terrible events of September 11, 2001 in the memory of Americans. Of course, in essence, Superman's battle with the Kryptonians in the sky over Metropolis reproduced in Batman v Superman, which we already saw in Man of Steel, has little in common with the terrorist attacks of radical Islamists. But from the point of view of those who in those days looked helplessly into the sky, the difference was small.
September 11 terrorists in New York not only destroyed skyscrapers and killed thousands of Americans. They have humiliated a state that spends more on its army than all of its opponents and allies put together. Yes, America has never been a safe country. But after the collapse of the USSR and the entire Soviet bloc, other Americans became the only threat to the Americans. And here is such an afront. Symbols of American capitalism were destroyed by people with knives for cutting cardboard. And this tragedy gave rise to a colossal psychological trauma, incomparable with the reaction to terrorist attacks in countries familiar to them. For Israel, Palestinian crimes are a terrible routine. For America, September 11 was the day of the collapse of the universe. And this immediately manifested itself in everything - first of all, in the readiness for any violation of other people's and one's own rights and freedoms, if only to never again feel as powerless.
Shot from the movie "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice"
Let's superimpose this real situation on the tragedy of the fictional Metropolis. How did Americans and all earthlings feel on the day when the alien war turned many skyscrapers into ruins? Obviously, the same existential horror before the collapse of the universe. For the audience watching the catastrophe from the auditorium, the Man of Steel finale was a demonstration of the heroism of Superman - familiar and understandable to comic book fans. But for fictional earthlings, Superman was just as scary as his alien enemies. It doesn't matter which side he's on. American atomic bombs are also on the side of the Americans - but does that make them any less terrifying weapons? And Superman is much more terrible than atomic bombs and presidents with "atomic briefcases", since he can destroy the Earth and stay alive, and for earthlings, the use of super-powerful weapons is suicide.
The higher you fly, the harder it hurts to fall, and the most shocking battle over Metropolis was for those who spent their entire lives never feeling helpless again. Batman v Superman shows how this tragedy affected Batman, and he draws a parallel between the events in Metropolis and the death of Bruce Wayne's parents. It wasn't the little boy's fault what happened to Bruce's family, but the kids believe the world revolves around them, and Wayne's pain of losing family has always been mixed with shame at not being able to protect them. So Batman has spent decades transforming himself into a crime fighter who can't be caught off guard.
And now, after all his exploits, on the day of the battle over Metropolis, Wayne again felt like a helpless boy who had nothing to oppose the villains. Without even knowing it, Superman humiliated Batman in a way he hadn't been humiliated since childhood. And this becomes the Dark Knight's key motivation, although of course he comes up with more heroic reasons for hunting down Superman.
Snyder's film does not show where Lex Luthor was or how he felt on the day of the Battle of Metropolis. But he draws a parallel between a supervillain and a superhero, and Batman's feelings can be used as a clue to Luthor's feelings. We learn from the picture that Lex's father, whom everyone around considered a brilliant businessman and the embodiment of the American Dream (Luthor Sr. fled to the States from the Soviet GDR), was a domestic tyrant and that the feeling of helplessness that covered little Wayne on the day his parents died was for little Lex, a terrible everyday life. And when the guy finally got rid of his father's oppression, he used his corporation to become the behind-the-scenes arbiter of the fate of the world.
Promo frame for the film "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice2"
This is a completely different behavior than in the case of Batman, but if you look at it, this is the same phenomenon - a person with post-traumatic stress syndrome does everything possible and impossible to always be on a horse and so that no one in the world can interfere with him. Therefore, Superman humiliated Lex with his appearance in the same way that he humiliated Batman. Which led to predictable and obsessive opposition. "Carthage must be destroyed!" - as the Romans said, fearing the neighborhood with the African empire.
At the same time, if Batman, in principle, is able to believe that Superman is not his enemy and that it is possible to cooperate with him (albeit keeping kryptonite weapons in reserve in case of betrayal), then this question is closed for Luthor. He does not believe in heroic nobility, having seen his father's true face for years, hidden from all but family members. And the louder people glorify the "divine" Superman, the more Luthor wants to disgrace and destroy him. As a child, Lex couldn't stand up to his father, a god to the world, and a demon to his son. Now he has a chance to metaphorically get even, and no crime for the sake of this seems to him too terrible. From the outside, this may seem ridiculous, but for someone who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, coupled with mental instability, this is a completely meaningful behavior.
Let's instead dig into the movie, pay homage to the source material, and at the same time try to understand what the future holds for the DC movie universe. In this material you will find a list of the most incredible references that you most likely did not notice (so, even after the second viewing, I’m not sure that I didn’t imagine the “Who Watches The Watchmen” graffiti). But one thing I know for sure: a lot of the above will surprise you.
When Bruce hacks into a file stolen from Lex Luthor, he finds a photograph that Wonder Woman badly needed. In this photo, dated 1918, she is posing next to... Steve Trevor! Played by Chris Pine, by the way.
In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, there is a Robin costume that says "Ha ha ha you got a prank, Batman." This hints that the Joker has already killed Jason Todd, or that Jason Todd is the Joker (contrary to canon). At the same time, in the words of Alfred there are hints of Batman's bitterness, which supports the first version.
When Batman spies a shipment of kryptonite from the White Portuguese, he hides the Batmobile in a place called the Nicholson Trading Co. Nice reference to one of the past Jokers, isn't it? Finally, one can recall the question marks drawn here and there and attribute them to the Riddler.
Bruce Wayne visits Lex Luther in an Aston Martin DB Mark III. The car of this particular brand, equipped with many gadgets and settings, was in James Bond's original novel by Ian Fleming "Goldfinger".
S.T.A.R. Research Laboratory Labs today is a key element of the Flash series, serving as the main character's base. But once the laboratory was also the place of work of Silas Stone, Cyborg's father. At the same time, Joe Morton, who plays Silas Stone, played a similar role in the film Terminator 2: Judgment Day - where he became the creator of Skynet.
Surely you remember the scene where the Flash appears from the monitor screen to deliver an ominous message to Bruce Wayne. It's a nod to Crisis on Infinite Earths, where Barry does exactly the same thing (and also disappears before Batman realizes what or who he was right about). Snyder has hinted that this timeline will return in one form or another in the Justice League (The Flash mentions that he traveled too far back in time, so Bruce's decision to assemble the team could change the future).
The reference to Lois Lane being dead and the "scarlet flash" wearing armor in the future is a nod to the video game Injustice: Gods Among Us, which also depicts a world with Batman and Superman at war.
Zack Snyder borrowed a lot of lines from The Dark Knight Returns comic. But one of the coolest moments in the film is the confrontation between Batman and Anatoly Knyazev. There was a similar situation there: breaking through the wall, Batman, as in the image, points his gun at the villain ... But, instead of shooting him in the head, the hero shoots at the gas tank, and the KGBist burns in the fire! However, given that the mercenary was on the verge of burning Martha Kent alive, it is unlikely that shooting him would have been the worst act in the world.
In Bruce's dream of visiting his mother's grave, the gravestone begins to bleed, but before something terrible breaks out, the hero wakes up. At first I thought that there was a Parademon inside the grave, but then I took a closer look and realized - this is the Man-Bat (Kirk Langstrom, who used the serum for this transformation and became a member of the secret society of supervillains)!
Whether this creature is a metaphor for all the horrors going on in the Dark Knight's mind, or it's just a nightmare with one of his old enemies, it's obvious that Snyder's reference to this bad guy is not in vain. Surprisingly, this is the only real reference to the Batman Rogues Gallery, other than the references to the Joker that we saw in the trailers, which apparently didn't make it into the final cut. I wonder if this line will be extended in the Ultimate version of the movie?
Another thing to miss on a first viewing is Snyder's unique take on the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne. After all, the scene from the opening credits - when Martha's necklace is torn by the recoil of a shooting pistol - almost one to one left the pages of The Dark Knight Returns comic book. As well as the scene with the ascension of Bruce into the sky by bats - this is already a direct quote from Miller's comic book. Interestingly, the scene with the murder of Bruce's parents can also be perceived as a reference to the death of the Comedian from the Watchmen - many elements are similar.
We've only spent a few moments in the company of Victor Stone and his father, but the mysterious device the latter uses to heal his son is definitely the Mother Box (a quasi-alive computer built on New Genesis)! This is a slight change in the character's origin story: his cybernetic enhancements give Victor the ability to communicate with the Mother Box and create Boom Tubes to teleport fellow Justice Leaguers. However, by restoring his body, the Mother Box sends Cyborg back to Darkseid, which should make him an even more important part of the team.
It might be a stretch, but at the end of the movie, Lex Luthor yells "Ding, ding, ding!". Reminiscent of the sounds that Mother Boxes usually make, and it feels like Lex is hinting at the arrival of Darkseid.
During Superman's funeral, it's easy to hear a heartbeat-like sound - an obvious hint that the Man of Steel is definitely not dead. It would be easy to assume that this sound is just part of Zimmer's powerful soundtrack, but there is an awful lot of it and it looks awfully like a heartbeat. And it looks like another giant reference to The Dark Knight Returns. It was there that Superman heard Batman's still beating heart after he faked his death during their fight. And while Bruce, Diana (Wonder Woman) and Lois still do not know about the upcoming return of the hero, there is no doubt that Snyder included this in the film as a reference to the original source (besides, Zach expressed the desire to film this particular comic more than once) .
While filming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Zack Snyder and J.J. Batmobile theft). In Batman v Superman, Lex Luthor's prison jumpsuit is numbered "TK-421". That was the name of one of the stormtroopers who served aboard the first Death Star, whose uniform was stolen by Han Solo and Luke Skywalker.
Despite the fact that it was shown in the trailers, it is unlikely that everyone is familiar with Omega. Darkseid uses this symbol to mark those who are vulnerable to his infestation. Could this be a sign that he somehow infected Superman? Most likely, we are talking about the loss of Lois, which led Clark to the dark side. Apart from Lex's comments at the end of the film, there are no other major references to this villain. Although we do see a Parademon that looks like it just stepped out of the pages of Justice League by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee. It's a very cool reference to Apocalypse (the planet) and maybe we'll be introduced to both it and Darkseid when Justice League comes out.
Remember the photographer at the beginning of the movie? In a recent interview, Zack Snyder confirmed that the guy was Jimmy Olsen (young photojournalist, friend of Lois Lane, Clark Kent and Perry White). Posing as a photographer, Jimmy was actually a CIA agent, and was shot in the head (however, he tried to protect Lois before he died). Olsen will get more screen time in the extended edition of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, according to Snyder.
Zack Snyder talked a lot about wanting to improve Superman in order to create a more interesting character for the audience (when that doesn't work out, it's Superman Returns). But in BvS, he also plays pranks on those who would like to see an old-fashioned version of the hero.
When Kent reminisces about The Daily Planet's old ideals, Perry White (the paper's editor-in-chief, played by Laurence Fishburne) says they're outdated, not 1938 anymore. And it's a reference to the year the Superman comic was first printed. Interestingly, Perry also refers to Clark as "Smallville". And this affectionate nickname in the comics was commonly used by Lois Lane (and besides, it is a reference to the CW series and the rise of Superman).
The following sources were used in preparing the article: comicbookmovie, moviepilot
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Brushing the dust off a long forgotten rubric "Top 10 Controversial Moments". Thanks for the thumbnail to the post to our friend Acetu .
Almost three years ago, we thought that this format did not quite justify itself, and decided to limit ourselves to movie reviews in the future. What is symbolic - the last material from this series was just "Man of Steel". And now, after all these years, we decided to come back again and try to sort out all the controversial moments of the film. "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice". We do not pretend to be objective and ultimate truth, but perhaps after reading you will understand what exactly we did not like and why the film received such a low rating.
1. Evacuation is not for the weak
The first ambiguous moment awaits us at the very beginning of the film. We see the very battle of the Kryptonians in Metropolis, the city is gradually sinking into ruins, a huge alien module hovered over the central streets, and the locals rush in a panic between falling skyscrapers. And everything would be fine if it were not for Bruce Wayne, who personally flew to Metropolis in his helicopter and rushes at full speed to the Wayne Ent. building to give the command to evacuate all employees.
That is, the security service and common sense did not allow the manager to independently make the decision to evacuate. "He wants us to leave the building," Frank tells the staff after talking to Wayne, just as the skyscraper begins to collapse. Employees in a panic try to escape, and Frank himself reads a prayer and becomes unavailable for calls forever.
Judging by the further shots, few managed to escape, and with the help of one victim with a name, one cripple and one orphaned girl, Snyder lays the conditional foundation for Batman's future hatred of Superman. Like in the best directing books. The only problem is that the situation itself looks somewhat comical. What kind of labor discipline is this, that people in the face of certain death are afraid to leave their workplace without the go-ahead of management? Are they bat-stigmatized for being late?
2. Bash on rezbash
Equally controversial is Lex Luthor's collaboration with the US government. More precisely, the placement of accents. A brazen smug billionaire demands permission to import a radioactive alien mineral, full access to an alien spaceship, and the body of General Zod. In exchange for ... yes, in fact, for nothing. What's stopping the government from confiscating kryptonite at the border and developing weapons against Superman on their own? For the first time in my memory, the military does not try to put its paw on incredible military power and remain not only behind the scenes, but generally overboard. What can LexCorp offer in return? It is unlikely that the matter is in the technological base, after all, the US military-industrial complex is probably not much inferior to Batman's cave, which in the end turned out to be the most agile of all and made the same weapon himself.
And it would be nice if the negotiations with the senators were conducted by a convincing and calculating manipulator from the comics, but no, we have a hot-tempered infantile sociopath who puts cherry candies in the mouths of serious government functionaries. Would you trust such a guy with access to possibly the most important information on the planet?
3. Experimental bullets are the key to success
Imagine that you are a brilliant villain and you have a complex multi-stage plan to discredit Superman. A plan that will forever destroy the reputation of the hero, the cult around his personality and turn public opinion 180 degrees. You decide to come from afar and somewhere in Africa you organize a theatrical production with terrorists, mercenaries and Lois Lane in the title role. Because Lois Lane is like a bat signal to Superman. If you want to chat with him, just push his lady of the heart off the roof of a skyscraper or start shooting at her. The red cape will not keep you waiting long.
But back to the insidious plan, you destroy an entire terrorist cell, shooting bandits and locals with experimental cartridges, and put the blame for everything on Superman. Does it have enough public resonance? No. Does this operation allow you to reach out? Yes, and without much difficulty. It took Lois Lane exactly one meeting and several days to find out that there was no analogue to such cartridges and they were produced by LexCorp. Attention to the question: why use unique, consider personalized cartridges in order to set someone up? Why even use firearms to frame Superman!? Why not give your mercenaries, for example, laser guns that will burn wounds in the victims, similar to those that Superman could theoretically inflict? And in general, what is the point of this operation?
If you wanted to raise the rhetoric that Superman puts himself above world politics and considers it possible to intervene in international conflicts, invade foreign countries, kill terrorists and restore order there, then you simply did not. People on the TV screen discussed completely different issues, and world leaders, including the President of the United States, simply ignored this incident. Yes, there was a Senate hearing at which one of the surviving local residents spoke, but another question arises: why is the incident that occurred in Africa being discussed in the US Senate? Our American colleagues are also perplexed about this, so it is impossible to refer to some existing practice.
But maybe Snyder and Terrio just wanted to kill Jimmy Olsen quickly? Yeah, that guy photographer with Lois is Jimmy Olsen. Did you think Supergirl was the worst thing that could happen to this character?
4. Dusty kung fu
Perhaps the most vivid negative memory was the scene in the desert. But not a strange staged interview with Lois Lane with the head of the terrorists, but Batman's dream in the dystopian world of Superman. An ambush, a trap, one against a dozen enemies - we have seen such a Batman many times and we know perfectly well how it works. We know, but it would be better if we never saw this variation. It's not even that Batman lost, on the contrary, this is a prologue to a gorgeous scene where Superman is delightful in his villainous role, and the Dark Knight is like a crucified Jesus. But the staging of the fight itself is a separate level of bottom and unprofessionalism. A heavy and unwieldy Batman against a bunch of extras who just in case fall dead before Ben Affleck's fist gets too close... this is not even Arrow level. To see such profanity, especially against the background of other well-staged fights, was, to put it mildly, strange. Just turn on this scene and the fight between Batman and Luthor's gang of thugs, staged in the best traditions of Rocksteady games.
5. Superman's Joker
Lex Luthor has become perhaps the main stumbling block and bone of contention. Someone calls him the most charismatic villain of film comics, someone sees in him the only bright spot of the film, but we all forget one simple thing - this is not Lex Luthor. This is not the author's interpretation or a new look at the villain (as was the case with Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight), this is a fundamentally different character. As if Bruce Wayne was a police commissioner and didn't wear a bat suit at night. From an incredibly smart, truly evil, insidious and cold-blooded antagonist, only a name remains. Before us is anyone but Lex. This guy is more like the Joker with his antics, inappropriate chuckles, lengthy monologues and pronounced signs of a mental breakdown. And the thing is that in this universe there is already one psycho, and she does not need a second similar antagonist. She needs a serious and impressive villain, a genius and a manipulator who is really capable of pitting the two main characters of this world with arguments. In the current scenario, Luther's multi-move looks like pure luck and casts a shadow not only on the screenwriters, but also on the intellectual abilities of Batman and Superman, who were so easily bred and deceived.
In the comments, someone suggested that throughout the film, Lex was under the control of Darkseid and therefore behaved, to put it mildly, strange. So, if this is really true, then the screenwriter, director and actor get a fat bad luck for such an inept presentation of the material. In addition, the dossiers on metahumans found in LexCorp raise a lot of questions. Why did Lex start stalking these people? Where does he get all this information from? Why does he need this information? Will he come up with a logo for the rest of the Justice League? We can only hope that we will someday get answers to these questions.
6. Minute standoff
Probably the main complaint about the film is the very confrontation that was put in the title of the picture, which in fact lasted only a few minutes. To immediately remove all questions regarding the difference between the abbreviations "v" and "vs" - both mean the word "versus", just "v" is usually used in judicial practice. For example, in the last season of Daredevil, the Punisher's case was called The People of New York v. Frank Castle. That is, the problem is not in the damned localizers, Snyder really filmed the confrontation between Batman and Superman. And he was not even too lazy to give Bruce Wayne some kind of motivation: the already mentioned trinity from the first paragraph, many other innocent lives, and most importantly, fear of an invincible enemy and unwillingness to rely on his mercy (hello, Lex from the comics). In principle, this is already more than enough for a superhero blockbuster, but what do we see in the red corner of the ring? We see Clark Kent extremely irritated by the existence of Batman and his crime-fighting methods.
Not that Superman has been saving the citizens of Metropolis from organized crime on a regular basis all these years, helping to rebuild the city, or flying to neighboring Gotham with good intentions. No. He helped with some global catastrophes, floods, and was above all this worldly fuss. And here this upstart has been harassing criminals in a neighboring town for twenty years, and no one cares! Even the Daily Planet doesn't want to write about it. Clark is offended, outraged and annoyed. In general, in fact, Superman has no sensible motivation for this confrontation, and it has to be sucked out of his finger. There is no other name for the kidnapping of Clark's mother.
But the most interesting thing is that instead of flying around and scanning the whole of Metropolis in search of Martha Kent in the remaining time, Clark decides to go across the bay, fight Batman and convince him to help find his mother. Question: what? How can Clark know about the surveillance of Knyazev and his connections with Luthor? Yes, from nowhere, he just does it, as Shia LaBeouf bequeathed.
As a result, instead of an ideological confrontation and an epic battle, we get a sour reason for a fight and severe time limits. Of course, the duel itself is staged well, and under the influence of kryptonite, Superman snatches very juicy from Batman. The only problem is that in terms of scale and timing, this battle loses to absolutely all the fights in Man of Steel. Moreover, it does not look like the central event of the film, which should turn the tide of the plot and turn opponents into allies, but like a regular walk-through fight against the backdrop of other more important events.
7. Your mother is my MARTHA!
I could be wrong, but it seems to me “MARTA! MARTHA? MARTHA!" - should be on a par with such an imperishable as "Varyuvonnakillmiprprmfrfr!?!" and "WHERE IS THE DETONATOR!?". The idea itself is clear, Snyder drew two parallels at once with Martha Wayne, they say, by killing Superman, Bruce will become no better than the person who killed his mother, and failing to save one Martha, he has a chance to save another here and now. This does not cause any complaints. Even discarding the fact that there are a lot of questions about the Batman code after this film. The staging of the scene itself causes criticism. Throw in a couple of flashbacks, let Affleck play an internal fight, and with such cheap tricks, you get a passable dramatic moment, not a comedic skit with shouting names. What if Batman's mother's name was Margaret? Lois Lane has traditionally become the icing on the cake, simply because without her, Superman cannot connect two words, and then who will drown the kryptonite spear. What spear, you ask?
8. Spear? What spear?
The spear that Batman crafted from stolen kryptonite as his primary weapon against Superman was one of the film's major failures. One of the greatest minds on the planet, a man who thinks all his actions ten steps ahead, simply throws his only weapon against Superman in a dilapidated location of Gotham, and goes to save Martha Kent. Superman flies away on his own business, and Lois is left alone with this deadly stick for the Kryptonians. What would you do if you were in her place? Complex issue. They may have contacted the Daily Planet pilot who brought you there and tried to hide him more securely until your friend Superman decides what to do with him next. But unfortunately you are not Lois, and are not bound hand and foot by the script. The fact is that in half an hour there will be a battle with another Kryptonian and this spear will be decisive in the final battle, so you can’t take it from here. But what to do? Maybe drown him right there nearby? Then it will be possible to add an additional quest and drama with drowning people to the plot. And at the same time, another rhetorical question: how, in the heat of battle with explosions and screams, did Superman manage to hear and feel his beloved, but did not even try to find his mother in Metropolis?
As for such a strange choice of weapons, then everything is simple - it was originally created for Doomsday, which is why it looks so ridiculous in relation to Superman. But it's one of those script conventions that you just have to accept, like an escaped radioactive spider in a high-tech lab.
9. Doomsday has arrived
Hey Superman, meet your Doomsday! You know, if the localizers had simply said “Judgment Day”, no one would have eaten them and poured out a tub of slop. Everything is simple here: either you translate everything in a human way, or you rewrite the entire phrase, leaving the name of the villain. Why these half-measures? But these are claims to our local version, and not to the villain himself. Let's now talk directly about him and the final battle.
One of Superman's most powerful adversaries became Lex Luthor's blood puppet, and appears in an already oversaturated film, only to die ingloriously. And before that, kill Superman and show us that the only serious warrior in this whole story is Wonder Woman. Feminists must have howled with joy when they saw Batman standing on the sidelines (what else could he do?), Superman getting nuts, and Wonder Woman fighting Doomsday fearlessly and effectively. And here, too, a logical question arises: why not give the spear to Diana, because she obviously understands best how to handle it, she is not afraid of kryptonite and she fights at the closest possible distance? Oh yes, she also knows how to fly, if that. But Chris Terrio and Zack Snyder decided that ending Superman at the dawn of justice was a much more interesting undertaking.
In addition, Doomsday himself was initially doomed as a character, since it is completely incomprehensible what Lex would do next if his pet defeated all this stellar trinity. But Luthor is a real psychopath in this movie, so he can just unleash a weapon of mass destruction on the streets of Metropolis without thinking about the consequences. So the screenwriter thought about it and removed one more character from the Superman world with a light stroke of the pen. After all, Gotham is across the bay, and the villains are innumerable there.
On the other hand, there is one small loophole here. In additional materials for the "Man of Steel" there is a mention of the alien scientist Bertron, in the comics he was obsessed with creating a higher form of life and over the years conducted various experiments. In addition, from Lex's conversation with Zod's ship, it can be assumed that similar abominations have already been created before, so there is a ghostly chance that the real Doomsday will still appear in the DC Universe. But again, this is just speculation and conjecture.
10. Death is just the beginning
The final shots, in the best traditions of Christopher Nolan's Inception, subtly hint that Superman will not have to grieve for long, but the very fact of the hero's death raises certain questions. How correct was the decision to play this trump card right at the start of the DC Universe? The death of Superman is certainly one of the key plots, but to kill him immediately, without really revealing it, without allowing the viewer to feel the character, is at least strange. I don’t want to draw analogies with Marvel, but you must admit that if, for example, something happens to Captain America in the “Civil War”, it will have a completely different effect, because in five films everyone is somehow used to this character, and to replace Evans can really come to someone else. Here the situation is absolutely opposite: from beginning to end it is clear that death has no weight and meaning, Superman will come to life in the next film, and Henry Cavill has many years of collaboration with Warner Bros ahead of him.
In a word, there was no need for such an ending. The trio could just take down Doomsday and start forming the Justice League to take on Darkseid, without the drama, fake tears, and empty coffins.
Afterword
Certainly, there were many positive moments in the film "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice", be it the absolutely beautiful and such Snyder's scene of the murder of the Wayne couple. And many other insanely beautiful shots, which, though, like in Man of Steel, turned out to be somewhat taken out of context. A separate point I would like to highlight Gal Gadot, who became a real decoration of the film. Despite all the misgivings and nit-picking about her appearance and physical form, she managed to show the real Wonder Woman, which gave odds to both Batman and Superman.
There were some really strong scenes too, like the unexpected explosion in the Senate, the graffiti on the Superman monument, Lex Luthor bringing "god" to his knees, the main characters getting ready to fight each other. And the image of Miller's Batman turned out to be beyond praise. For example, the scene with the capture of the slave trader and the Dark Knight hiding in the corner causes both horror and wild delight. Yes, this is the kind of Batman we've been waiting for all these years. Inspiring horror not only in criminals, but also in any mortal, on both sides of the screen.
However, all these pluses were smeared on a leaky, almost three-hour canvas and failed to brighten up the overall impression of the film. With all the boundless love for Zack Snyder, it is felt that for the second film in a row the director does not shoot a picture, but is at war with the studio. Somewhere Warner Bros is flexing. and we get clip slow-mo, long field plans, enchanting landscapes and twenty-minute fights, and somewhere Zach is stepped on the tail and we see heavy clichéd superheroics. Snyder would be perfect in side projects like Justice League Dark where his talent could find real expression, both visually and story-wise. But in the end, he has a huge burden of responsibility and key films of the nascent DC Cinematic Universe. Studio Warner Bros. cannot and will not take risks, and Zack Snyder is simply out of place.
Lex Luthor (Lex Luthor) his full name Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in the universe. The character was created by Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster, Lex Luthor first appeared in a comic called action comics #23 (April 1940). He appears as a nemesis, but also appears as an adversary and a number of other heroes in the DC Universe.
The character is insane American billionaire tycoon, talented scientist, inventor , philanthropist who resides in the city of metropolis, he is the one of the smartest people in the world . Lex is charismatic and well-known public figure who intends to rid the world of alien superhero superman whom Luthor considers an obstacle in achieving his plans and a threat to everything humanity.
Lex is typically depicted with a bald head, and occasionally wears his high-tech suit, which grants him superhuman strength, the ability to fly, and advanced weaponry. Luthor owns a corporation called Lexcorp and has a personal assistant and bodyguard, Mercy Graves.
Luthor was ranked 4th on the list" Top 100 Comic Book Villains"according to IGN and 8th on the list" Top 100 Comic Book Villains"according to Wizard.
Biography
Lex Luthor is the son of Lionel and Letitia Luthor, a wealthy couple from Metropolis. Being a teenager, he spent living in Smallville with his Aunt Lena. It was there that he first encountered Clark Kent.
Golden age
Lex (Aleksey) Luther first appeared as power-hungry criminal genius, who first resisted Man of Steel in a comic action comics#23. He was shown like a middle aged man with red hair, up to accident, resulting in Luthor is mistaken for Superman's main enemy, the Ultra-Humanoid. After that, Alexei Lutor will be perceived as a villain, mad scientist, which was used by science against the power of Superman.
At first, Luthor intended to plunge all European countries into war, starting with such small countries as Galonia and Toran, he used his genius intelligence to thwart peace conference, but suffered his first defeat from Superman. Early in his criminal career, Luthor orchestrated terrorist attacks himself in order to find ways to achieve his goals of world domination, but each of his plans was thwarted by Superman.
Later, Luther uses Kal-El giant meteorite from Kryptonite, learning about the weakness Superman to this mineral by Danny River. But still he can't overcome Superman, Luthor in public tells the whole world about superman's weaknesses , which creates new threats for Kal-El from other enemies. Alexei will again and again develop plans to kill Superman, but failed time after time.
Over time, Luther, learns about multiverse and united with his doppelgänger Earth -1 in an attempt to conquer Earth -3 . Teaming up with a villain Earth-3, Ultraman (an evil version of Superman) in order to help them in the conquest of Earth -3, Alexei and Lex Luthor are defeated by Alexander Luthor of Earth -3, who is on earth-3 is a superhero.
Alexei continued to strive for world domination on Earth-2 until he was recruited by Brainiac during the events of . In issue #9, after confronting Lex Luthor, who was chosen by Brainiac as the leader of the team, Alexei stated to everyone present,"I'm better than labrat! You don't need two Luthors!"Brainiac immediately agreed and destroyed Alexei Luthor on the spot, leaving Lex Luthor behind. After graduation crisis, Alexei Luthor was omitted from history and was not mentioned again on Novaya Zemlya.
Silver Age
Lex Luthor grew up in suburban Smallville, Kansas together with their parents and sister, Lena. Though forced to live the life of a farmer's son, he never acquired a farmer's heart. Instead, Luthor aspired to become the greatest scientist in the world .
Being a teenager, Luthor learned of existence in his hometown of Smallville, the hero of Superboy. He followed the adventures of Superboy and soon became the biggest fan of the young Kryptonian. Later, Lex was able to convince parents move to Smallville to allow Lex to be closer to his hero.
One day, when Luther was plowing a field on his tractor, he found Superboy, barely alive, this because he was in close proximity to Kryptonite, Luther using his tractor to drag it to a safe distance. Then Luthor invited Superboy to your workshop. Superboy saw a real temple erected in his honor, walls and benches decorated with various souvenirs from various Superboy adventures. To express mygratitude for salvation, Superboy built a brand new laboratory for the scientist.
Superboy flew past the lab and noticed smoke from the window. Noticing that Luther kept the Kryptonite in the lab, Superboy stayed outside and quickly put out the fire using his super breath, as well as moving the Kryptonite to a safe distance. Superboy successfully put out the fire, but the resulting explosion mixes various chemicals that destroyed all of Luthor's ongoing experiments. The resulting vapors affect Luthor's head, leaving him bald. Enraged by the destruction of all his work and the loss of his hair, Luther blamed it all on Superboy. From that moment on, Lex Luthor became Superboy's nemesis.
Lex soon began to make various plans to destroy Superboy using a wide variety of weapons and devices in their plans. But despite his efforts, Superboy always managed to defeat Lex and send him to juvenile detention. Fearing that their son would never reform, Lex's parents decided to leave Smallville and change their last name to "Torul" in hopes of raising their daughter Elena Torul in a peaceful environment away from the evil Lex. Despite his parents' best efforts, Lex later found his sister and faced off with her and her children, despite his evil nature.
Luther continued to make plans to take over the earth and the universe at large, even during Crisis on Infinite Earths, where he re-teamed with his named ally, Brainiac, who by then had taken on a more robotic appearance. He will witness the death of his Earth-2 counterpart, Alexei, who dared to challenge Brainiac and Lex. Lex and the surviving villains decided to temporarily side with the heroes when , which was almost destroyed by the efforts of (Barry Allen) and Supergirl, but later, the Anti-Monitor killed them.
Lex survived the events crisis, but was destroyed and replaced by a new creature in a new A universe that was made from all previous versions of Luthor, a ruthless and successful businessman who repeatedly wanted marry Lois Lane.
Modern Era
One look at the IQ test results was enough for his parents to understand that he would make them rich. Their desire for their son to succeed in everything destroyed his soul and made him a sociopath. Lex spent years looking for extraterrestrial life and as part of his hunt, he traveled to Smallville, Kansas when he was 18 years old. There, Lex befriends a young man, Clark Kent (Superman). When a fire destroyed his laboratory and various scientific achievements, he refused to take any blame for it. Instead, he blamed the people of Smallville for "allowing the destruction of the Luthors". To this day, he refuses to admit that he has ever been to Smallville.
Capabilities
Lex Luthor is an ordinary human with no superhuman powers. He has the intelligence of a genius and is one of the smartest people on the planet who (usually alone) is able to turn the world into Utopia if not for his obsession with Superman.
It would seem that he has mastered all known types of science, including space flight, biochemistry, robotics, computers, synthetic polymers, communications, mutations, transport, holography, energy production, spectral analysis and a number of others (including time travel). With the exception of an extraterrestrial being named Brainiac, he considers no one else to be his equal in intelligence. Lex is also a genius when it comes to science, technology, business, strategy, physics, and electrical.
Over the years, Luthor has made and used Kryptonite weapons capable of harming Superman and other Kryptonians. Since the Bronze Age, he also uses various large variety of weapons and inventions own production, especially those made from Kryptonite. He also used various combat suits he designed himself, it allows him to stand up to Superman and a number of other superhumans . Thanks to the suit, he can fly, create invisible energy shields that protect the entire suit from most physical attacks. His suit includes a foldable Kryptonite sword, an axe, a cannon staff, and even Kryptonite energy cannons built into the suit's palms. In addition, he often wore a Kryptonite ring on his right hand. Post-Crisis, but due to prolonged exposure to Kryptonite radiation, he lost his arm and irradiated his entire body, leading to the last stage of cancer. As a result of this, he has to transplant his brain into a cloned body in order to survive.
In the media
Animated series
Jackson Beck voiced Lux Luthor in the animated series" The New Adventures of Superman", "Superman and Aquaman Adventure Hour" And " Hour of Batman and Superman".
super friends", voiced by Stan Jones.
Lux Luthor appears in the animated series " Superman"Coming out between 1996 and 2000, the character was voiced by Clancy Brown. Luthor appeared as one of Superman's main adversaries in this animated series. This version of Lex Luthor is portrayed as a powerful, cold-blooded and calculating person. Luther is shown to be a very cautious person, able to hide his illegal activities in such a way that it seems that he is not involved in anything.
Lux Luthor appears in the animated series "", voiced by Clancy Brown. Lex appears as a regular character in this animated series, he appears in episodes such as "Legends". "Clean Slate" and a number of others.
Lux Luthor appears in the animated series " Batman", the character was voiced by Clancy Brown. Lex appears in the fifth season of the animated series, in the episodes titled "The Story of Batman and Superman: Part 1" and "The Story of Batman and Superman: Part 2". Lex Luthor begins his criminal activity in Gotham City and Batman and Superman has to team up to defeat Luthor.Also, in the episode, Lex manages to take control of Superman with the help of Poison Ivy and Kryptonite.
Lux Luthor appears in the animated series "", voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson. In the episode "Super-Batman of Planet X", a character named Rothul (Luther spelled backwards) appears. Later, Lex Luthor himself appears in the episode "Battle of the Super Heroes!" He robs the museum and kidnaps Lois Lane, but is stopped by Superman and arrested by the police. Luthor reappears in Triumvirate of Terror!, joining Cheetah and Superman in battle against Superman, Batman, and the .
Lux Luthor appears in the animated series "", voiced by Mark Rolston. This version is both an antagonist and an anti-hero, and will team up with the heroes if needed to achieve their own goals. He appears in the episode titled "The Goals", he tries to organize peace negotiations between the two warring nations, from which he will try to further profit, but he is almost killed by Cheshire and Sportmaster.
Animation Films
Lex Luthor appears in "", voiced by James Marsters. He appears as one of Superman's enemies. After the supposed death of the Man of Steel, it turns out that Lex created multiple clones Superman, including one who is completely took on the role Superman, who had a more dangerous and serious demeanor.
Lex Luthor appears in "", voiced by Clancy Brown. Luthor will appear in as the main cartoon villain. Lex Luthor has been elected for the presidency of the United States , and attempts stop superman and Batman who tryprevent falling big meteorite from Kryptonite to Earth.
Lex Luthor appears in "", voiced by Chris Noth. An alternate version of Lex is one of the main characters in the cartoon. Lex, the last of the members and leader of his world's Justice League, is left alive since everyone was killed by the Crime Syndicate. He travels to an alternate reality to ask the League for help. This version of Lex is far more heroic than his counterpart, although he still uses Kryptonite against Ultraman, and is just as intelligent. He also uses armor that provides increased durability, flight, energy blasts, force fields, and more. Also, the original Lex Luthor appears in the cartoon, who is currently in prison.
Lex Luthor appears in "", voiced by Anthony LaPaglia. Luthor was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity, but manages to make a serum that mimics Superman's abilities.
Lex Luthor appears in "", voiced by Steven Bloom. This version of Luther is among Deathstroke's crew, together they float on a boat in an attempt to find Aquaman's base. However, and his army attacks the ship, and then the entire crew is killed, including Luthor.
Lex Luthor appears in "", voiced by Fred Tatasciore. Luthor is a member of the Legion of Doom.
Lex Luthor appears in "", voiced by Steven Bloom. Lex makes cameo appearances at the end of the film when Orm is in jail, and Lex says that he has an offer for him .
Lex Luthor appears in "", voiced by Jason Isaacs. In the film, he is paralyzed and by the end of the film, he is caught in a special device reminiscent of the Möbius chair. He plays the key aid role Justice League in drawing defeat to William Magnus, which is the maincartoon villain.
Series
Lex Luthor appears in the television series " superboy", the role of the character was played by James Scott and Sherman Howard. Scott played Luthor in the first season and Sherman's last three seasons. At the end of the first season, there was accident in the lab, after which Lex loses his hair. When Sherman played Luthor, this was explained by what is the result of plastic surgery to prevent Superboy from recognizing him.
Lex Luthor appears in the television series "", the role of the character was played by John Shea. Luther only appears in the first season. and committed suicide in the first season finale. Later, Shi showed up with several cameo appearances as Luther in later seasons.
Lex Luthor appears in the television series "", the role of the character was played by Michael Rosenbaum. In this episode, Alexander "Lex" Luthor and Clark Kent will meet when Lex was 21 and Clark was 16. Lex, driving his car, while a truck carrying bundles of wire passes over the bridge, one of the rolls falls out of the truck and remains lying on the bridge. Pulling onto the bridge, Lex notices the wire late, smashing through the wheels and crashing into the bridge railings, near where Clark is standing, who has just found out he's an alien. The car hits Clark and they fly off the bridge together, Kent uses his power for the first time and rips off the roof of Lex's car to save him, hauling him ashore and giving him CPR. From this point on, Lex and Clarke are somewhat inseparable from each other, despite the disapproval of both their fathers." Released in 1987, the character was played by Gene Hackman.
Lex Luthor appears in the movie "", the character was played by Kevin Spacey.
Lex Luthor appears in the movie "", the character was played by Jesse Eisenberg.
video games
Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe".
Lex Luthor appears in the game" DC Universe Online".
Lex Luthor appears in the game" Injustice: Gods Among Us".
Like many popular comic book characters, Lex Luthor has gone through some pretty major changes over the course of his existence. Once possessed of luxurious red hair, the villain in modern comics is most often presented as completely bald; Once a formulaic maniac with a desire to take over the world, Luthor is now often seen as a tragic figure, powerless to forget his uncontrollable desire to destroy Superman.
Deciding to clear himself before public opinion, Luthor moved into big politics and eventually even managed to rise to the presidency. He was helped in this by his love for high technology and participation in the company to restore Gotham (Gotham) - destroyed, as it became known later, due to the mistake of Luthor himself. For a while, Luthor is lucky, but later in the course of the story "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" ("Superman/Batman: Public Enemies") Luthor reveals his true colors. Another fight with Superman ends for President Luthor with another defeat - and, of course, the loss of the presidential chair.
In terms of physical abilities, Lex Luthor is practically no superior to ordinary people; in some stories, he demonstrates excellent athletic training, but he cannot show anything superior to the level of a well-trained fighter. Luthor's main weapon was and remains his mind; Lex's talents manifested themselves in almost all areas of scientific knowledge - he studied energy and holography, robotics and computer technology, biotechnology and chemistry. Lex himself is well aware of his high intelligence and considers his equal only to be the interplanetary entity of Brainiac (Brainiac). Alas, Luthor does not always succeed in defeating Superman with pure intellect; sometimes even a genius has to condescend to banal physical violence. Of course, in a fair fight against Superman, Lex would not have been able to survive; numerous battle suits and the active use of kryptonite, however, make him a dangerous enemy for a practically invincible hero.
