'Batman vs. Superman' Script Addresses Fan Complaints

One of the chief criticisms of ‘Man of Steel’ was the way that Superman dealt with his epic battles—primarily, that he wasn’t concerned enough about ensuring the safety of the citizens of Metropolis, and how he recklessly used the entire city as his battleground. Thanks to the outspoken dissatisfaction with the film’s climax, it seems as though the script for ‘Batman vs. Superman’ will address those complaints and try to make Superman a more likable and cautious hero.

Badass Digest reports that the script for ‘Batman vs. Superman’ directly addresses our problems with ‘Man of Steel,’ and that—contrary to all the reports we’ve been hearing—this isn’t basically a Batman film; it’s definitely a sequel to ‘Man of Steel.’ (Even though everything we’ve heard makes it sound more like a ‘Justice League’ prequel.) The report comes from a draft of the script that was turned in a month before principal photography began on ‘Batman vs. Superman,’ so some of the more specific details may have changed.

The movie reportedly begins with the origins of Batman before flashing forward to Bruce Wayne’s arrival in Metropolis during Superman’s big fight with Zod from ‘Man of Steel.’ Following that, the script is very Superman-centric, and takes place a couple of years after the first film—Lois Lane and Clark Kent live together, and Kent still works at the Daily Planet. While Lois is covering a story on location in the Middle East, Superman swoops in to help her out, and not every country is a big fan of America’s superhero, particularly China.

The report then goes into spoiler territory:

Superman gets involved in a fight with a criminal and says that he won’t break the guy’s neck, but instead send him to jail. Later, he threatens to break the bad guy’s back, which clashes with his previous declaration. Later, during a climactic fight, General Swanwick informs the military that Superman will move the danger away from Metropolis because that’s what the good guys do.

You can read even more over at Badass Digest, but it seems as though the script is definitely making an effort (however clunky or inelegant it sounds) to address fans’ primary complaints with the first film. It also seems like these things were added into the script as a result of those complaints, and not because director Zack Snyder felt as though Superman was behaving recklessly in ‘Man of Steel.’