Written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Dave Gibbons. As their magnum opus Watchmen came into being, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons published their story "For the Man Who Has Everything" in Superman Annual 11. The set-up for the story is almost pointedly farcical, featuring Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman heading up to the Fortress of Solitude to give Superman his birthday presents. But the fun stops there: when they arrive they find a parasitic plant attached to Superman's chest, seemingly turning him into the Zombie of Steel. Mongul is revealed as the villain behind this predicament, and the plant - which eventually jumps from character to character over the course of the issue - is shown to arrest each host with visions of their heart's desires, trapping their minds in a fantasy world and rendering their bodies helpless. How will it influence Batman vs. Superman? The reactions of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman (really no one cares about Robin here) to this mini-crisis are spot on. Superman and Batman each suffer at the tendrils of the intoxicating plant - and yet "suffer" is hardly the word, as the fantasies they experience involve the prevention of the great tragedies of their respective lives. Mongul mentions at one point that they could easily pry the plant off, but the visions are so convincing and so fulfilling that they simply don't want to. Snyder's Man of Steel showed up both the fate of Krypton and a glimpse into Kal-El's understanding of this fate, and another foray into this subject via the fantasies of Mongul's plant could be interesting if done properly. Wonder Woman's reaction to the events in "For the Man Who Has Everything" tells us much about her character as well, despite her relatively minor role: she is actually disappointed that the plant didn't attack her, and that she will likely never understand the desires of her own heart.
