2. The Move
The main purpose for the eventual meet-up of Superman and Batman was to show how both men (well, man and alien) handle each others' strengths and weaknesses and how they both cope with being on totally different sides of the spectrum. Superman gets to explore Batman's insight on how the world operates and Batman analyzes Kal-El's alien background and his persistent fondness to protect a planet that he isn't even from. Zack Snyder, with the deft hands he has been given, has the fullest order of power in handling how both the World's Finest pare up. This next stage is called the move. Definition: putting the pieces in proper alignment for Batman to confront Superman. This move is the riskiest, as it is virtually a one-way ticket. Either it succeeds and brings both heroes together effortlessly, or it bombs and makes the chances of a Justice League film seem that more hopeless. There are two possible scenarios for it to succeed, one which is a simple, purposeful meet-up that was destined to happened, regardless of the events in Man of Steel, and the other a significant follow-up from Man of Steel that pays respect to the origin story first started in the reboot. Let's start with the very simple move first:
Move #1: Snyder takes the New 52 idea of Superman and Batman meeting and utilizes it a bit differently than the comic did. When Kal decides to pay a visit to Gotham City to solve a handful of murders in Metropolis, he has a run-in with Bruce Wayne/Batman himself, triggering a meet-up that brings both heroes together to fight evil.
The Payoff: Snyder has all the rights in the world to twist this new story to his benefit, having Superman and Batman start off as wayward rivals, but eventually knowing their place as a team, setting up a simple meet-up between the two.
The Risk: This is where things can get risky; since Superman and Batman are of such different origins and stature, this may cause a rift in storytelling by not giving them a true purpose to team up because the story lacks a strong enough villain. One can work without the other, so this move solely relies on how Synder handles the confrontation and motives of both heroes. That has always been the biggest gap between both Superman and Batman: they are both so well trained at what they do best that any situation is merely a walk down Easy Street. So having both work as brothers-in-arms may seem difficult with this move. But the set-up is simple and doable, so the rest falls into Snyder's hands with how he decides to tinker around with all the inner gizmos and dials. This is where things could make more sense for the direction that was brought forth in Man of Steel. Let's finish with the significant move:
The Move #2: Due to the events that transpired in Man of Steel, with nearly half of Metropolis obliterated and thousands upon thousands of lives lost, a PR campaign is launched against Superman to deport him from Earth, far away from innocent life. Who runs this campaign? None other than Lex Luthor, Superman's rich and powerful arch nemesis. Playing both the role of Clark Kent, Daily Planet journalist, and Superman, protector of Earth, Kal-El is caught between a rock and a hard place....until a mysterious client by the name of Bruce Wayne kickstarts another PR campaign in support of Superman's role in stopping Zod and saving the planet......also to thank him for blowing up his satellite in person. This sets up another coincidental but realistic stage for Superman to earn the trust of Bruce Wayne, who he later discovers to be Batman after both allies learn to trust one another.
The Payoff: With this move, there are very substantial actions the Worlds' Finest can take at becoming the ultimate team. Since the sequel to
Man of Steel should carry over the stranger in a strange land theme, so too should it introduce new challenges, and Lex Luthor would be the perfect challenge, for both Superman and Batman. Both Lex and Bruce are eccentric billionaires, each practically owning a combined wealth surpassing the planet's population twice over. Both come from a political standpoint, and both are responsible for the creation of technology, which grants their both even more power. Lex Luthor builds technology revolving around Kryptonite, while Bruce Wayne develops tech to not only better the world, but to use as Batman to combat evil and bring justice. All the while, one opposes Superman while the other supports and fights alongside him. How could things NOT work this way? We already have the conflict between Batman, Superman, and Lex Luthor in motion, but there needs to be a physical challenge for Kal-El to face that shows he's just as much an importance as Batman. So Luthor invests in creating something that wields Kryptonite (after he discovers it's Superman's weakness), taking matters into his own hands by forcefully deporting Superman for good. Do I smell Metallo? Quite possibly.
The Risk: As Man of Steel kept a good balance between storytelling and action, it still managed to be a bombastic tour-de-force that left no armrest in tact from all the adrenaline people had from all the punches, flying, and in-your-face explosions. In short, it was simply awe-inspiring with its intense action sequences. That may be a bit of a problem with the sequel if Zack Snyder chooses to make this particular move. Since the beginning act would be to set up the meeting between Superman, Bruce Wayne/Batman, and Lex Luthor, things would stay at a steady yet personal pace with hardly a dab of action. This would be to ignite that conflict of public relations between Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor, instead of zeroing in on the crazy action, which would be later if the decision was made to incorporate Metallo as a result of Luthor wanting to rid Superman, in which Batman would jump in and have his share of screen time. There's give and take, and that would be taking something that made Man of Steel such an entertaining film. Although both moves see Batman joining the DC Universe, it's still not clear just how exactly things will work. It is indeed a bold move to realize the core idea to an understanding in which we, as the audience, can say "Yes, that makes total sense of why they should team up." Both these moves are purely speculation but as far as critical thinking goes, Move #2 seems to be the more logical choice. Now, on to the final stage, and the most talked about of all three.....