It is unclear – though rumoured – as to whether Doomsday will be the threat that eventually unites our heroes in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, or whether it will be the overall big bad for the DC universe – which brings us to the second point.
DC has a number of iconic, terrifying villains to choose from, but while most cohesive movie universes build up to a giant big bad, DC is already operating at a heightened level, two movies in. Having had Superman kill General Zod in Man Of Steel (DCU, chapter one), Warner Bros. has cranked it right up to 11 with the first-ever big screen, live-action union of its top trinity – Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman – plus an undisclosed big bad. Adding Doomsday – the creature that killed Superman – to that mix in any way sends the potential into the stratosphere.
If DC essentially begins its cohesive movie universe with the villain that killed Superman in the comics, the mind boggles as to where the franchise might go after that. Perhaps Brainiac – the extraterrestrial android nemesis of Superman – will be revealed as pulling the strings in a later franchise plot twist. If Doomsday is actually teased throughout Batman V Superman but never actually revealed, perhaps it is Darkseid that will cause Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman to initially unite.
We are told that Wonder Woman plays a pivotal role in the film – could we be about to see the use of the source material that has Wonder Woman battling Darkseid after he invades her homeland of Themyscira? Darkseid is a megalomaniac, warmongering God-like being that seeks to eliminate free will throughout the universe. The idea of free will seems to feature heavily in the trailers released so far for Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, which would arguably be enough to draw the attention of the destructive Darkseid, which would, in turn, draw out Wonder Woman.
Whichever order these DC villains arrive in, it is absolutely the clear that Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice will determine the shape of the remainder of the DC masterplan, teased by Henry Cavill. That being the case, let’s hope the villain of this film is not actually revealed until release, on March 25th, 2016. Speculation is fun, but so is the magical sensation of being astonished by a movie’s first viewing.
