9 Ways That Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns Influenced Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice

Director Zack Snyder has outright stated that Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is heavily influenced by what Frank Miller did with his graphic novel series, especially The Dark Knight Returns, where an older, more grizzled versions of Superman and Batman fight each other. When Snyder announced the film two years ago at Comic-Con, he quoted directly from the novel, sending the crowd into a frenzy. If you're familiar with the novels, then you will appreciate the various nods seen in the trailers and images released so far, including Batman's costume and a single shot that pays homage to the cover of The Dark Knight Returns. For those that aren't too familiar with the source material though, here are nine ways in which Miller's work has influenced Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. 1) Batman V Superman Comic-Con Announcement In 2013 When Zack Snyder took the stage for the Warner Bros. Hall H panel at Comic-Con in 2013, he wanted a special way to announce his next movie, which at that point still had no title or logo. So, he brought actor Harry Lennox (General Swan from Man of Steel) up on stage to read an excerpt from something, saying before-hand in Snyder’s typically cryptic way: “He’s going to read a little thing and some of you will recognize it. We’re not adapting this thing, but it is the thing that will help tell that story.” He was, of course, referring to Frank Miller’s Dark Knight graphic novels. Once up on stage, Lennox stated: “I want you to remember, Clark, in all the years to come, in all your most private moments, I want you to remember my hand at your throat. I want you to remember the one man who beat you.” The room then cut to complete black and the Superman logo was first revealed, followed by the Batman logo behind it. Snyder never revealed the source of the quote, but we all knew it was from the third graphic novel by Frank Miller, The Dark Knight Returns. 2) The Movie Features Batman Fighting Superman Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice will mark the first time that the two iconic characters are in a movie together…and fight each other. It’s a historic moment in cinema, but it’s been done in comic books a dozen times over. The caveat, here, is that Frank Miller’s take was something entirely new for the time (the mid-eighties), and it wouldn’t be for another thirty years that we would see this type of fight between the two DC icons take place. Also, in the novel, Batman uses kryptonite and a metallic armored suit to turn the tide against Superman, and from what we’ve seen in the trailers, he does the same thing in the film. 3) Batman Is Older And Retired In Both The Film And Novel In the graphic novels, Batman is in his mid-fifties has been retired for 10 years. He's given up on fighting crime, as well, until a new threat appears in the form of Superman, who in the novel is an ally of the government. In the movie, Batman is in his mid-forties and has also been retired for some years. Bruce Wayne is seen in the trailer a few times sporting grey sideburns, and actor Ben Affleck, who plays the Caped Crusader, has said that Snyder convinced him to take the role by explaining that this Batman is world-weary and beaten down, and would be a very different take in comparison to how the character has been portrayed in film before. However, it won't be all that different when compared to what we saw in Miller's novels. 4) The Reason Batman Fights Superman Is Similar Miller’s novel has Superman acting as an agent of the U.S. government, and Batman is extremely distrustful of both the government and Superman. So, he vows to take him down as a threat. Meanwhile, the government views Batman as a threat and sends Superman to take him down, leading to the epic battle between the two. In the movie, the Man of Steel is viewed as a threat to the U.S. government, and Batman thinks he’s too dangerous to be allowed to operate unchecked. He’s seen the damage and destruction that Supes can do, and he wants to stop him before it happens again. 5) That Armored Batsuit Is Directly From The Novel Always the ingenious crime-fighter, Batman uses technology and hand-to-hand combat techniques to defeat his enemies, and Superman is no different. In the graphic novel, Superman is weakened by a kryptonite arrow and also a nuclear missile that he had just managed to divert away from a group of people before it blew up. Due to this, Batman gets the upper hand, as Superman is weak, as uses a metallic suit and weapons to deal damage. In the movie, it appears that Bats either uses a kryptonite laced metallic suit to battle Supes or the armored suit along with what might be a kryptonite spear that he fires at the Man of Steel. The outcome of the battle will not be known until the movie hits theatres, but it certainly looks like Batman is using the same tactics that he used in Miller's story. 6) Hey! That’s An Homage To The Dark Knight Cover! If you pause the trailer, you’ll see a direct homage to the cover of Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns. The scene is Batman temporarily resting on the side of a building before using his grappling gun to zip to another building and avoid a heat blast. If you pause it in just the right spot, you’ll even see lightning streaks in the background and notice that Batman is in a position extremely close to the one on the cover. 7) Zack Snyder Was Asked About The Dark Knight Returns By French Magazine Popcorn In a February 2014 interview with French magazine Popcorn, Zack Snyder was directly asked if Batman V Superman was an adaptation of Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns. Snyder replied: “No, but the comic book will influence the history of Batman Vs. Superman, on which the writer David S. Goyer and myself will work.” Snyder has since brought on Argo screenwriter Chris Terio to rework the script penned by Goyer, but the Miller influences are still all there and will definitely be felt throughout the film. 8) Batman Is A Dark Knight In Batman V Superman Frank Miller’s Batman was a lot more violent and obsessive. The world around him was darker and grimmer and required more extreme methods of dealing enemies. We can see in the Comic-Con trailer that Batman is already employing some questionable methods in dealing with underworld scum. We see him using machine guns on the Batmobile, swooping in guns blazing with the Batwing blowing up vehicles and in one particularly disturbing scene, we see somebody shackled to a wall with a nasty looking Batman logo branded into his shoulder. The Caped Crusader of late has been a bit more watered down, running with a “no kill” philosophy. It looks like Snyder will be changing that though by returning to the darker, more violent ways of Miller’s Dark Knight, which will certainly make for an interesting contrast to the blue boy scout attitude of Superman. 9) Zack Snyder Has Wanted To Make A Dark Knight Movie Since 2008 At Comic-Con in 2008, Zack Snyder was on a panel for Watchmen when he was asked a question about the darker and more mature direction that movie adaptations of comic-books were taking. He responded by saying the following: “There are a lot of other graphic novels out there, but I would love to see Frank Miller’s Dark Knight made into a movie, but that’s just me.” Snyder has been noted for his more realistic way of envisioning comic book movies, especially with 2013’s Man of Steel where he squarely placed Superman into our world and looked at what would happen if a god among men showed up and the world found out about it. This approach can also be seen in Batman V Superman and can at least be partially attributed to Snyder's love of Frank Miller’s Dark Knight novels. So, Dark Knight fans, what do you think? These are just nine ways that Frank Miller’s Dark Knight graphic novels have influenced Zack Snyder’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Have you spotted any other influences in the two trailers we have seen so far, or any of the promotional stills and images? Let us know in the comments below!