ForComicJunkies: 2ND BATMAN V SUPERMAN TRAILER: JJ'S REACTION

Black and blue. Night vs Day. God vs Man. Batman vs Superman. This is the movie I've been waiting for my entire life. Christopher Nolan gave me the perfect Batman movies. Now I'm counting on Zack Snyder to deliver a worthy follow up with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I'm one of the people that genuinely enjoyed Man of Steel. I thought it was a great re-introduction to Superman. I like that BvS is following up on the events of that film and putting Bruce Wayne directly in the conflict. It's a great way to bring Batman into the film without shoehorning him in just for the hell of it. It makes the VS in the title seem legitimate.

As I said before, I'm a sucker for a good preview. I mean, this is freaking Batman and Superman in the same movie! The trailer could've just been Ben Affleck in the Batsuit staring at the camera for 3 minutes and I'd say it was the greatest thing ever.

What's up, baby? How you doin?

The new trailer definitely gave us a better idea of what to expect from Batman v Superman. In those few minutes there is a lot to take away. This is what I noticed:

BRUCE WAYNE V SUPERMAN / BATMAN V CLARK KENT

Like I said at the beginning of my post, the trailer gives us a clear reason why Bruce would want to take on Superman. He was there the day that Superman and Zod leveled Metropolis. He knew people that were killed that day. He witnessed firsthand just how destructive an out of control Kryptonian can be. And because he has the resources, training, and steel will, Bruce will take it upon himself to stop Superman for good. On the flip side of that, Clark is not comfortable with a crazed vigilante dispersing "justice" on the streets. That goes against everything he believes in. And although Perry tells him to drop it, I have a feeling Lois's gusto will have rubbed off on Clark and he'll want to investigate this "Bat-guy." It's interesting that Clark has a reason to want to fight Batman and Bruce has a reason to fight Superman. It's not the superheroes that start the fight, it's the men behind the masks.

SUPERMAN: FRIEND OR FOE?

That's the big question on everyone's mind when the film starts. Both trailers have showed us that not everyone trusts or even likes Superman. Given the damage done by Zod and the other Kryptonians, it's hard to blame them. Yet, Superman literally wears a symbol of hope on his chest. He's here to protect us. The trailer shows us that there are people who look to him as a savior and hero. Batman may want to fight him, but Lois and Martha still believe in Superman. Hopefully, Clark will be able to plead his case that he's on humanity's side and will fight to protect us.

THE VOICE OF REASON

Alfred Pennyworth. Loyal butler, father-figure, moral compass, all these things and more. Alfred, if written properly, is probably the best character in the Batman world. When Bruce gets a little too crazy, he can step in and talk him down. When Bruce needs a guiding hand, Alfred will stretch his arm out. The trailer shows us that Alfred is deeply concerned for Bruce. "That's how it starts. The fever. The rage. The feeling of powerless that turns good men cruel." He recognizes that Bruce's crusade against Superman can only end badly. "This man is not our enemy!" Alfred is a wonderful judge of character. He recognizes that Superman, like Bruce, is only trying to do good in the world. But then again, Bruce is nothing if not stubborn, so more than likely, Alfred's warnings will fall on deaf ears. Of course when he's resetting Bruce's bones and stitching him up, a couple of "I told you so's" will be in order ;)

YOU MUST WRITE YOUR OWN DESTINY

Ok, so I stole that line from Smallville. It's fitting though. Here we see Martha trying to encourage Clark despite the fact that the world seems to hate him. However, she's quick to remind him that he can always choose to hang up the cape. Just like with Jonathan in the first film, I feel like this moment is going to be divisive among the fans. I like to think of it as Martha reminding Clark that he is in charge of his own destiny. If he wants to be Superman, fighting the good fight, then good for him! But if he wants to call it quits, then that's his choice. After all, Clark is her only son. She'll support him no matter what. But for real . . . she should probably encourage him to keep being Superman.

BRUCE WAYNE IS ALWAYS BATMAN

As I said, the trailer shows us that Wayne was there the day Metropolis was attacked. While everyone else is running away from the debris, Bruce runs toward it to save anyone he can. Because he's the motherfuckin' Batman! From what we know, it seems like Bruce is semi-retired as Batman. The trailer seems to imply that after the death of Robin, Bruce hung it up. This may or may not be the case in the film but it makes sense given that Clark is reporting on a "Bat-vigilante" as opposed to "the Return of Batman." But Bruce never really stops being Batman. He's a hero first and foremost. When he sees people in danger, he's going to run to help them. Again . . . because he's the motherfuckin' Batman.

WONDER WOMAN V SUPERMAN?

The funny thing about trailers is that they show you everything and yet nothing all at once. Lots of times dialogue is strewn together to say one thing, but when the movie comes out it's totally different. In this case, the trailer is cut together to make it look like Wonder Woman is fighting Superman. Or possibly she's fighting both Batman and Superman. Or she's fighting alongside Batman against Superman. Or all three of them are fighting together against someone else (rumor has it that Doomsday is in the film, more on that later). Either way, we've been given our first glimpse of Wonder Woman fighting in the film. The producers say she plays a very important part of the film. Perhaps she's the one that gets them to be Batman AND Superman instead of Batman VS Superman. That would be my guess. Either way, Wonder Woman is FINALLY in a DC Comics film and that's good enough for me.

BODY OF ZOD

This joke was funnier in my head. See, in Church, when you receive the Eucharist they say, "Body of Christ" not "Body of God." So I've ruined my own joke. Fuck me. Anyway, what the fuck is this guy doing in the movie? The rumor is that Lex has his body and uses it to create Doomsday. Granted, that would be fucking fantastic, but hopefully Superman learned his lesson and will take the fight out of the city this time.

KRYPTONITE

There it is! The big green, glowing elephant in the room. The producers were smart to keep it out of Man of Steel, opting instead for Superman to fight other Kryptonians without a handicap. Of course this time around with actual humans taking on Superman (Batman and Lex Luthor), kryptonite will have to make an appearance. I'm excited to see what Lex will do with it and where he got it from.

NO MORE WORDS

Probably the biggest thing I took from the trailer is the fact that Batman and Superman never actually speak to each other. In fact, they barely speak in the preview at all! This could just be a coincidence, but I think it might be deliberate. It says right away that this will be a VS film and not a debate. It's not going to be 2 hours of men in capes arguing. It's going to be 2 hours of Batman and Superman beating the crap out of each other. And man oh man . . . that's what I want to see!

Like I said, this is the movie I've waited my entire life to see. I'm so glad that it's finally happening. I know a lot of fans are skeptical but let's face it - it's freaking Batman vs Superman. If nothing else, it definitely looks like it will be a hell of an action film. Ben Affleck looks amazing as Batman and Henry Cavill looks like a Jim Lee drawing come to life.