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I wouldn't blame you if you thought the headline up there was a belated April Fool's Day joke, because holy hell, Zack Snyder, of Watchmen, 300, and Sucker Punch fame, cut a scene from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice for being too dark. That's like saying Aquaman decided to move to Utah because the ocean was just too wet.
Snyder told IGN of the scene during a recent interview. Note, as you might expect, there are spoilers ahead. "We had a scene that we cut from the movie where he tries to look for her when he finds out that Lex has got her," Snyder explained when asked why Superman doesn't hear his mother's cries after she's kidnapped. "It was a slightly dark scene that we cut out because it sort of represented this dark side. Because when he was looking for his mom he heard all the cries of all the potential crimes going on in the city, you know, when you look."
"I kind of like the idea that he’s taught himself not to look because if he looks it’s just neverending, right? You have to know when, as Superman, when to intervene and when not to. Or not when not to, you can’t be everywhere at once, literally you can’t be everywhere at once, so he has to be really selective in a weird way about where he chooses to interfere."
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Snyder also gave a few more science-ish reasons as well. The clutter of the city would make it difficult, he said, and Superman's hearing (at least according to Snyder) ranges the distance from Metropolis to Smallville. I guess the two must be incredibly far apart, because I don't know how else that justification makes sense considering events of the film that take place in Africa. Snyder's logic would also suggest that Supes cares more about Lois than his mom, since he was able to find her no problem.
Personally, I think the idea of Superman having to be selective in his heroism is interesting. He's godlike to us Earthlings, but he's not omnipotent. Some people just aren't going to be saved. That being said, the execution of that idea on film doesn't sound very appealing. Considering how much Superman fans have lamented Snyder's take on the character, I don't think we needed a scene where the most ideal superhero in all of comics ignores cries for help.
Sam is a former News Editor here at GamesRadar+. His expert words have appeared on many of the web's well-known gaming sites, including Joystiq, Penny Arcade, Destructoid, and G4 Media, among others. Sam has a serious soft spot for MOBAs, MMOs, and emo music. Forever a farm boy, forever a '90s kid.
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