10 Things You Need To See In Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice’s Ultimate Edition

When Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice disappointed many upon its arrival back in March, fans held out hope that the planned Ultimate Edition, which would add in a whole thirty minutes of excised material, would improve the film considerably. Well, now the extended cut is available to buy on digital download (and arrives on DVD and Blu-Ray on the 17th), but how does it measure up? The general consensus is that, though the Ultimate Edition clears up some lingering plot holes of the theatrical version and includes a few welcome character beats, it isn’t so radically different that it would make those who originally disliked the film suddenly fall in love with it. If anything, the extended cut just emphasizes the movie’s grim tone and its wandering narrative. If you did enjoy Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice in cinemas though, you should definitely check out this new cut for more of what you liked the first time around. That being said, I'm sure many of you are wondering what the biggest additions and changes are in the Ultimate Edition. There's definitely a considerable amount, but here are the 10 most significant things you need to look out for if you're going to give Zack Snyder's divisive film another shot. 10) The Name’s Jimmy Olsen Early on in the movie, Lois Lane’s cameraman is revealed to be a CIA agent in disguise, before being killed by an African warlord. At first, fans didn’t bat an eye at this – until director Zack Snyder revealed that this was intended to be his version of classic Superman character, Jimmy Olsen. The Ultimate Edition confirms this by adding to Michael Cassidy’s screen time in the role, as he introduces himself to Lois as her new cameraman. He also 100% confirms that his name is Jimmy Olsen. Yep, we’re afraid Snyder wasn’t kidding when he said he thought it would be “fun” to insert Olsen in the film only to immediately put a bullet in his brain. You’re a cruel man, Zack. 9) Who Framed Superman? For a plot point that was the crux of the first half of the film, the idea that the world would think Superman was guilty of all those deaths in Africa made little sense. Why would Superman shoot people, for one? The Ultimate Edition clears this up as a new sequence shows Lex’s mercenaries actively framing Supes. After shooting the rebel fighters in Nairomi, they then burn them beyond all recognition. As well as destroying the evidence that they were shot, the manner of death now resembles Superman’s heat vision. The advocate in the media for Superman’s guilt is a local resident named Kahina Ziri. As played by Wunmi Mosaku, Ziri appears briefly in the theatrical cut, but here we find out that she's threatened and blackmailed by Lex to frame the Man of Steel. 8) The End Is Nigh As our 10 Most Significant Easter Eggs article showed, the original cut of BvS was full of references to Zack Snyder’s back catalogue. In particular, callbacks to Watchmen (a film similar in tone to BvS) repeatedly cropped up, with several cast members featuring in cameos. There's one more Watchmen in-joke to see in the Ultimate Edition, too. In a scene at the run-down Gotham seaport, an old billboard has been defaced with the phrase ‘The End is Nigh.’ This will immediately jump out to Watchmen fans as the message written on the sign that Walter Kovacs (AKA Rorschach) carries around in the film. Also, in the very same shot, the Ace Chemicals building can be seen in Gotham’s skyline in the background. This is not only a reference to where the Joker is “born” in the comics, but the building’s logo is identical to the one seen in the Batman: Arkham video games. 7) Lex’s Motivations Something that was criticized in the theatrical cut was the nature of Lex Luthor's motivations – or rather the lack of them. Apart from a few brief lines about his abusive father and believing that demons come from the sky, we weren’t sure why he was so intent on destroying Superman. The extended cut doesn’t exactly make this clear, but it does fill the character out a little more. For instance, we learn that Lexcorp is actually named after his father, Alexander Luthor Sr. In other words, he has never really escaped his father’s shadow. Also, at Doomsday’s creation, Lex explains to Superman: “I don’t hate the sinner, I hate the sin. Yours, my friend, is existing.” Lex has no personal grudge against the Kryptonian, then, he just can't stand the idea of someone more powerful than him - be it his father, or a godlike alien. 6) Holy Naked Batman! The Ultimate Edition sports a kiddie-excluding R-Rating, as opposed to the cinematic version’s PG-13. Predominantly, this is because of more gore and violence - the fight scenes do now contain significantly more splattering than before. However, something else that ensures the mature rating is some good old-fashioned Bat-Nudity. In the extended cut, we see Bruce take a shower before going to Lex’s party. While we don’t quite see everything, the scene gives us a good look at Ben Affleck’s bulked-up physique. But it’s not gratuitous. Not at all. That shower scene is incredibly vital to the story, right? If nothing else, this scene should appease those who felt Amy Adams was unfairly objectified in the theatrical cut, in the scantily-clad bathtub scene. Speaking of which, that same scene runs longer here, with Clark also taking his shirt off. 5) Jena Malone’s Character For a long while, the most anticipated thing about the BvS Ultimate Edition was that it would finally reveal who Jena Malone was playing. When the actress was cast in the film, it was rumoured that she was either a female Robin or Batgirl. Even though Malone was eventually cut from the theatrical release for being too small a part of the movie, fan excitement was still high. Unfortunately though, as it turns out, Malone isn’t a significant character in Batman’s mythos. She plays Jenet Klyburn, a S.T.A.R. Labs employee who Lois gets help from in her investigation into the special Lexcorp bullet. Her total screen time amounts to little more than a minute. Kind of disappointing after all that build-up, eh? In the end, Malone’s casting was probably only intended as an in-joke by Snyder, as a reference to her role in his 2011 movie Sucker Punch. 4) Jon Stewart Cameo As you might have heard, political commentator Jon Stewart pops up for a short cameo in the Ultimate Edition. In amongst the televised debates about Superman, Stewart gives his own critique of the hero: “So apparently Superman doesn’t want us to think of him as American anymore and, really, why would we? I mean, aside from the red and blue costume and the fact he has one third of the USA’s initials on his chest. I assume the only reason he’s not wearing the Declaration Of Independence as a cape is he thinks it’s too on the nose.” Ostensibly the reason this was cut from the theatrical release was because, by the time of release, Stewart had left The Daily Show, immediately dating the movie. Another reason might be that it makes absolutely no sense. The clip is from an old show when Stewart commented on how Superman rejected America in the comics – an event that doesn’t happen anywhere in BvS. 3) The Reasons Superman Didn’t Detect The Bomb Another gaping plot hole in the cinematic version of the movie is the question of why Superman did not see the bomb hidden in Walter Keefe’s chair, the one used to blow up the Senate. There is a line where Clark suggests to Lois that he didn’t want to see it, but that's flimsy at best. In the extended cut, however, this does get an adequate explanation. Jena Malone’s Jenet reveals to Lois that the chair was in fact lined with lead, meaning Supes could not see through it. Like the burnt bodies, this was another measure of Lex’s to ensure Superman looked guilty. Superman also looks like more of a hero here, as he stays to help out the injured victims after the explosion. In the original film, he just flew off seemingly without a care for those in need. 2) Man of Steel Callbacks Something many Superman fans didn’t like about BvS was that it wasn’t enough of a sequel to 2013’s Man of Steel, which introduced us to Henry Cavill’s hero. Those fans will be pleased to know that there is more from both Clark Kent and his alter ego in the extended cut – as well as some welcome callbacks to the previous movie. In the funeral scene at the end, in particular, we meet a couple of characters first seen in Man of Steel. Clark’s childhood buddy Pete Ross (familiar to comics readers and Smallville viewers) talks to Lois and alludes to the fact that he knew Clark was Superman. Meanwhile, we also get a less-prominent returning character in the form of Father Leone (Coburn Goss). In Man of Steel, Clark visited the priest for advice when torn about revealing himself to the world. Here, he gives a sermon at Clark’s funeral. 1) Arkham Asylum One of the movie’s finale scenes – where Batman faces the newly-bald Lex in prison – is basically the same in the extended cut. Except for one juicy addition that will interest Bat-fans. When Lex proclaims that he won’t stand trial for his crimes because he has been certified insane, Batman reveals that he knows. To ensure Luthor gets what he deserves, he has arranged for Lex to be sent to Arkham Asylum – where “some friends” of Batman’s are expecting him… This is a welcome reference to the infamous madhouse, and a nice oblique nod to Batman’s rogues gallery. Of course, it would have been even more fun to see Lex arriving in Arkham, perhaps with glimpses of the Joker and other villains in their cells. We’ll probably have to wait until the next Batman solo film for something like that, though.