THE BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN CHALLENGE

So the big shocker out of SDCC was that visionary director short-attention-span pot-banger Zack Snyder's MAN OF STEEL sequel will feature a Superman/Batman showdown.  People got all excited and I get why.  The clash of those particular titans was nothing short of DY-NO-MITE in Frank Miller's The Dark Night Returns.  So, when Harry Lennix was brought out to read the dialogue from that epic graphic novel, that's exactly what it evoked.

Say hello to my little friend.

Now, let's be sure to temper that with the follow-up statement that it will be "inspired by" the events in that book, not an actual telling of those events.  This makes sense given that we're dealing with a much younger Superman and, presumably, a somewhat chronologically-matched Bats.  This also however, presents the problem I wish to discuss today.

Who do you root for?  In TDKR(-eturns, not -ises), you rooted for Batman. Hands down. It was his story, and even though he had clearly gone off the deep end, Miller had done a bang-up job of transforming Kal El into a phony government shill AND it was exciting to see Bruce Wayne team up with Oliver Queen to fight dirty against outwit the superfella.

But now it's a Superman story, and only the second in this iteration.  We've only just met this version of the man in blue.  He's young, he's likable, nobody owns him.  So, what, he's just supposed to take it the hard way when this screw-loose vigilante in bat suit starts hurling Kryptonite batarangs his way?  And for that matter, why would the Bat go after him in the first place?  They better answer that pretty darn well before the fists start flying.  (And I'm sure they will.  Maybe it's because this last Son of Krypton lets cities get destroyed.  Who knows?  Think maybe young Bruce's parents were killed in one of those falling skyscrapers?  I mean, a boatload of people were, so why not them?)

Or maybe Superman will go all cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs this time (like, maybe, Mola Ram makes him drink the blood of Kali Ma from a skull or something - I don't know, it's a placeholder...) and they'll call in the caped crusader to reel him back in. [Possible sample dialogue - BATMAN (growls): It was the black sleep of Kali!]

But you see the challenge.  Right now, it's Superman's good will to lose.  We just got to know him.  In theory we kind of like him (well, some people do, anyway).  BUT...In one two-and-a-half-hour movie, they need to get us up to speed on how Clark is doing in his new life at the Daily Planet, show how he uses his super skillz to save the city on a day-to-day basis, introduce the new Batman, give us a villain worth   his or her weight in evil-doing, then come up with a DAMN GOOD REASON why this new Batman and this new Superman would come to blows?  That means at least a two scenes where things seem okay, one or two more where things start to turn, and one big betrayal of some kind that makes the conflict simply unavoidable. (Problem #2: Which city to destroy in the confrontation this time?)

That's a lot of water to carry in one movie.  And I'm predicting right now that it won't be anywhere near as powerful and resonant as it was in TDKR (you know which one I mean).  It can't be.  That battle was borne of decades of these two growing sick of each other and their differing philosophies.  This disagreement will have all of twenty minutes tops to percolate.  Now, some fans might think that's okay, as long as the fight achieves total physical/audio-visual/CGI kickass-osity.  But I say they're wrong.  This one needs to mean something.  It's not some villain of the week, we're talking about here.  It's the two most important characters in the DC universe.

So...yeah...  Let's not all get too excited just yet.  I mean, who knows?  Maybe they'll do some Superfly Level 10 Story Math-nastics and blow our collective mind.  But somehow...I doubt it.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

OO