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Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Will Be About The Consequences Of Violence

As all eyes begin to focus on San Diego for the much-anticipated Comic-Con, the Warner Bros marketing machine is gearing up for action, like General Zod’s terra-forming World Engine in Man Of Steel. To help build interest ahead of the event, as if help were needed, Entertainment Weekly featured in-depth coverage of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice in its recent issue – containing several interesting hints at what we can expect from the finished film, when it finally arrives.

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Of further interest is the description of the “money sequence,” which apparently features the two throwing each other through buildings, as a result of Batman’s crusade against Superman. But isn’t that exactly the kind of destruction that is supposed to have angered Batman in the first place?

The third scene description highlights one of the greatest aspects of any well-written superhero movie – a frank debate about the morality of violence and social justice.

“Snyder also reveals a scene in the Batcave where Bruce Wayne outlines his motivations to a skeptical Alfred, a bit of realpolitik reasoning that weighs the morality of a pre-emptive strike on Superman against even the minimal chance of humanity’s destruction.”

This is where we get to the heart of the matter, and it is encouraging to know that Snyder and writers David S. Goyer and Chris Terrio will be balancing explosive action sequences with considered ethical discussion. Indeed, the idea of there being consequences of violence has always been the intended driving force behind the story arc of Man Of Steel and Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, says Zack Snyder.

“There are other superhero movies where they joke about how basically no one’s getting hurt. That’s not us. What is that message? That it’s okay that there’s this massive destruction with zero consequence for anyone? That’s what Watchmen was about in a lot of ways, too.

There was a scene – that scene where Dan and Laurie get mugged. They beat up the criminals. I was like, the first guy, I want to show his arm get broken. I want a compound fracture. I don’t want it to be clean. I want you to go, ‘Oh my god, I guess you’re right. If you just beat up a guy in an alley, he’s not going to just be lying on the ground. It’s going to be messy.’”

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While there are certainly a number of superhero movies that avoid the idea of death and destruction – notably the earlier Marvel movies – it is also important to note that reference to the aftermath of such incidents has begun to feature more prominently in projects, such as Avengers: Age Of Ultron, and Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix. But, for DC, it is not just about referencing the aftermath – it is about the forward momentum of the story being driven by consequence, as Ben Affleck points out.

“One of the things I liked was Zack’s idea of showing accountability and the consequences of violence, and seeing that there are real people in those buildings. And in fact, one of those buildings was Bruce Wayne’s building, so he knew people who died in that Black Zero event.”

Referring to the battle between Superman and General Zod in Man Of Steel as a “Black Zero event” is a pretty deep cut from Ben Affleck, and is clear testament to the level of source material detail being poured into Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. His comment about accountability and consequence strikes a nerve, too, in light of the description of the “money sequence” mentioned earlier. Perhaps it is not just the rise of a new foe that brings these two mighty heroes together in the end, but also the realization that there is more that unites them, than divides them – including the potential to cause death and destruction.

We’ll find out, once and for all, on March 25th, 2016.