You haven't heard of Bruce Wayne?
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice appears to depict an older, more sophisticated Bruce Wayne who looks a bit beyond his playboy years, showing up in a classic Aston Martin rather than the latest Lamborghini. He still gets the royal treatment though, as hundreds of cameras flash upon his exit from the car, trying to get a shot of Gotham's most eligible billionaire. The only person not in the know: Clark Kent, who goes from apparently not knowing who Wayne is to throwing him shade about "the bat vigilante" with a sly and knowing tone.
It's called foreshadowing
As revealed by a fake magazine article promoting the film from back in October, we now know that Jesse Eisenberg's character is not Lex Luthor. Or at least, not the Lex you expect. He's Alexander Luthor, son and heir to Lex. Being a younger iteration of the character, he's more jumpy and excitable, and he couldn't be more pleased to introduce the two alter-egos of the titular heroes to each other. Apparently this (A)Lex is quite the social butterfly.
"Freaks who dress like clowns"
It doesn't seem like Wayne is altogether clueless about Superman's secret identity, as he jabs right back at Clark with a comment about Kryptonian fashion (disguised as a reference to the Joker). For a movie hyping a super-powered beatdown, the opening moments of this trailer are a much more quiet, polite sort of battle.
#branding
Well, that's one way to leave your mark on the criminal underworld. Batman is clearly a more ruthless sort of vigilante than Superman is, leaving criminals bloodied, bruised, and branded where Superman tends to... y'know, let's overlook the neck-snapping thing and collateral damage from the first film, ok? Clark Kent seems to be over it what with his judgmental comments on the nature of Batman's vigilante-ism. Also: the water board's funding is being cut!
Failure to launch
Zack Snyder is a director with a unique visual style - something he came to be known for thanks to his breakout hit, 300. While Supes saving a Russian rocket is an impressive scene (and possible reference to the Red Son storyline from the comics), what shouldn't escape your attention is the "300" written on the bottom of the capsule. Sure it's in reverse, so it's actually a "003", but it's still a neat little nod.
A nest without a Robin
In the Batman comics, the Joker brutalized and seemingly killed Jason Todd. Batman's failure to protect his sidekick haunted him for years, and it looks like Batman v Superman will be pulling a similar trick. It's a bit hard to tell thanks to the lighting and neon paint, but this suit looks similar to either Tim Drake or Todd's design (it's the buckles, really). Did the Joker kill Todd in the DC cinematic universe, like he did on the printed page?
Elon Musk might like this Batwing
The new Batwing might be the most striking design update to Batman's arsenal since the Tumbler debuted in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. It doesn't seem particularly practical - what with its frisbee-like ring aesthetic - but then, we're not super-rich orphans who punch criminals by night. Who are we to judge?
Boop
Man of Steel's leading lady Amy Adams reprises her role as Lois Lane for Dawn of Justice, and it looks like she's none too pleased with Luthor's plans (which she has no doubt uncovered due to her super-journalism powers). More curiously, when Luthor raises his hand to "boop!" her on the forehead, he's wearing a bandage over his hand. Maybe it's nothing... A papercut? Or a bat-cut?
Quite Frank-ly
Another visual reference from Snyder here, with Batman's pose harkening back to Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. That comic, which was adapted into a two-part animated film starring Peter Weller (Robocop) as the voice of Batman, has some stylistic connections to Dawn of Justice; from the costume designs to the overall plot, Snyder's upcoming film owes a lot to this 1986 mini-series.
Bug or creature feature?
It's speculated the desert scenes glimpsed in previous trailers (and this one) are from a dream sequence. It would explain a lot - such as why Superman would suddenly be okay leading a group that not-so-subtly draws on Nazi Germany aesthetics for their military uniforms, as well as these strange bug creatures with red eyes (an adaptation of Apokolips' parademons, perhaps?) snatching people off the ground. They don't seem to hold any favor toward Superman's army, which is curious. But hey, that's dream logic for you.
5 ways to get a Zodbod this summer
It looks like the government decided to keep Zod's remains after the battle that leveled half of Metropolis. He's still very dead - getting your spine snapped will do that to you - but that's a perfect chance for Luthor Jr. to play Dr. Frankenstein with it. Speaking of which...
Caught me monologuing
Luthor apparently never watched Pixar's The Incredibles, because he seems to be all too happy to wax poetic about his plan to kill Superman while Superman stands behind him in the same room. This is likely when Luthor reveals his evil bent before unleashing his creation - a clone or genetic experiment created from Zod's remains.
The Zod man out
In the comics, Doomsday was a Kryptonian genetic experiment designed to create the ultimate lifeform. The scientist that created him succeeded, and the monster eventually found its way to Metropolis, easily dispatching other members of the Justice League before punching Superman to death in the center of town (don't worry, Doomsday also got knocked out and Superman eventually got better).Dawn of Justice's Doomsday just happens to look a little more monstrous than his comic book counterpart, with side-set eyes and slit nostrils. At least he makes a good target for the heroes to team up against.
The Just Us League
Bats and Supes are so preoccupied with each other that they barely register the arrival of Diana of Themyscira, aka Wonder Woman. She looks tough-as-nails and ready to crack some skulls, but doesn't get a line to show up the boys. At least this Justice League trio and a trusty Bat-gun look cool as they square off against Doomsday, with jagged peaks and flames licking the sky behind them.
Place your bets everyone: The Dark Knight vs. The Man of Steel. A new trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is here to whet your appetite for a superhero beatdown, and we're going to break it apart bit by bit to see what hidden gems wait inside. So what do director Zack Snyder and Warner Bros. have in store for us? Let's find out together with the trailer below and our expert analysis above...
Unlike Marvel Studios, which slowly built up to the multi-hero team-up of The Avengers, WB is diving headlong into their superhero mythos with this film. Dawn of Justice is roping in everyone from Batman and Superman to Aquaman and Wonder Woman. It also looks to be an (at least partial) adaptation of The Death of Superman, what with the big grey monster Doomsday rearing his ugly head.
Well, you know what they say: the big, muscly, probably genetic experiment that my enemy is punching on is probably my enemy too. Or something like that.
Directed by Zack Snyder and starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jason Momoa, Gal Godot and Jesse Eisenberg, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits UK and US cinemas on March 25 2016.
