Though it was initially announced as a sequel to Man of Steel, Zack Snyder’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice has evolved since its announcement in 2013 to become a whole lot more. Not only is it an introduction to the newest version of the Caped Crusader, but it’s also the lead-in for the entire burgeoning DC Extended Universe, which will include solo pics for the likes of the Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Cyborg, and even Shazam, which in turn all bleed into two upcoming Justice League team-up movies.
While this is all incredibly exciting, that evolution is a bit disappointing for Superman fans who were looking forward to seeing the newly-rebooted Big Blue Boyscout in his own contemporary film franchise. Superman will obviously be a key player in the Justice League and has the chance to show up in other characters’ films, but when can we expect to see the Last Son of Krypton fly solo again?
According to the Man of Steel himself, Henry Cavill, the hope is to get more solo Superman adventures into theaters once the DC Extended Universe is up and running. He fully admits in a new interview that Batman V Superman is not a a straight-forward sequel to Man of Steel, but seems hopeful that someday we’ll get one (or several):
“As far as the individual character is concerned, this is not a Superman sequel. It’s more of an introduction to Batman, an opening to Justice League, and an expansion of the world that was created in Man of Steel. There’s plenty of time for individual Superman sequels. He’s a tough character to tell. People like the darker vigilante. I think it speaks to the human psyche more easily than the god-like being that we can’t really understand. Once we have a more expansive universe we can delve more into the character of Superman and hopefully tell more stories.”
We know that Warner Brothers hopes to have another Superman solo film in theaters before 2020, and that Zack Snyder originally planned for Metallo to face off against the titular hero before injecting Batman into the mix. So, there’s certainly interest in telling more solo stories; we just have to wait until the DCCU is fully formed before taking Superman away from his new Super Friends.
Superman will return to the big screen – with Batman, Wonder Woman, and even Aquaman in tow – in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice on March 25th, 2016.
