UPDATE: The internet is a wonderful tool – especially for the film fan. However, on occasion, people try to spoil it for the rest of us. I could wax lyrical about labyrinthine processes behind-the-scenes, but the fact remains, we may have been had.
Over the past 24 hours, the validity of the interview included in this article has been called into question. The website Cosmic Book News maintains that it is valid, but a denial has since been tweeted by Premiere Magazine. The point contained in this article still stands, however.
In discussing these “quotes”, this article points out that, in reality, they actually contain no new information. They merely combine facts that are already widely available in the public domain. From these previously known facts, we draw the same conclusions we had already drawn – and those conclusions remain valid in spite of the alleged dissemination of fake interviews.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
When Warner Bros. unveiled the latest, full trailer for the upcoming cinematic juggernaut, Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, there was a wide range of reactions. Some were ecstatic and excited, while others were disappointed that the villains appeared to be revealed so far in advance of the March 2016 release date. Lex Luthor and Doomsday feature prominently in the preview footage – in amongst clips of the Caped Crusader and the Man Of Steel facing off against each other – and many felt that this was a step too far in terms of marketing.
That disappointment is based on the assumption that Lex Luthor and Doomsday are in fact the main villains of the piece and, if that proved to be true, then an early reveal would indeed lead to something of an anti-climax in theatres. However, what are the chances that one of the biggest Hollywood studios would make such an error in judgement? Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Production Designer Patrick Tatopoulos was recently on hand for Premiere Magazine to answer that question, and reassure audiences that there is much more to come than what currently meets the eye.
The combination of Lex Luthor, General Zod and Doomsday leads us to a number of conclusions – all of which are based upon Doomsday’s appearances in the DC comic books, and information about his storylines that is widely available. In the source material, Doomsday is an ancient Kryptonian monster that rapidly evolved from a humanoid infant, through a terrifying and brutal process of repeated and painful death, overseen by a cruel scientist seeking to create the perfect, invulnerable living being. Ultimately, in the comics, Doomsday kills Superman, and Lex Luthor takes the opportunity to create his own version of the superhero, using cloning techniques.
The murder of Superman is Doomsday’s biggest claim to fame, so the reveal of the character in the trailer inevitably indicates that this is probably a plot point. However, Tatopoulos tells us that things will be a little different in the movie.
“We are able to tell a story in a fresh way. Doomsday is an evolution, essentially. Fans may be aware of the Death Of Superman story, but this is handled in such a new way. When the film is called Batman v or versus Superman, it really has a lot of levels to the meaning. Superman isn’t just killed off at the end of something. We see how he evolves as part of Lex’s plan to protect the world.
“Seeing the Superman we know, be gone, and then replaced with this reproduction, is really going to make fans think of how we look at these super beings. It was especially interesting to figure out, how would you create Superman from Zod… then how would that evolve into Doomsday?
“Doomsday isn’t just the final act. Those feeling they may know too much this early are going to be in for a true surprise. That’s something to find out on March 25th.”
While this sounds very spoilerish, it actually contains nothing that cannot be surmised from comparing the comics to the trailers. He also confirms that we have not yet seen ‘The Big Bad.’ This leads us to three realizations. Firstly, with two superheroes at war, Lex Luthor and Doomsday on the scene, and a further threat that has yet to be revealed, this movie has a lot of ground to cover. Secondly, if Doomsday is famous for killing Superman, but is not the biggest threat, the real villain must be pretty terrifying (my theories, based on comics and the choice of Justice League characters in the film can be found here). Thirdly, Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice is clearly going to blow our minds when it is released on March 25th, 2016.
