Batman V Superman: 10 Mistakes It Made That Justice League Must Avoid

9. Making Superman Too Dull

Henry Cavill Superman
Warner Bros.

In the comics, Superman is a symbol of optimism, justice and hope - after all, that's what the 'S' on his costume stands for. Unfortunately, Batman v Superman (and Man of Steel) took a radically different approach, reducing Superman to a mopey, wandering soul whose only narrative purpose is to ponder an endless string of existential questions about his place on Earth.

Batman v Superman ground to a halt whenever one of these scenes appeared on-screen, particularly Clark's moment with his adopted father and his 'this means something' conversation with Lois. The film was a much better tonal fit for the Caped Crusader, and with both characters being as gritty as they were, Batman v Superman became overwhelmingly sombre.

In Justice League, Supes needs more to do than just stand around contemplating his existence. This is a story thread that's been in two movies now, and it's about time that it was closed it off. Characters have to grow to stay interesting, so wouldn't it be great if Superman grew into the beacon of inspiration the comic-books make him out to be?

Given the light-hearted nature of the first Justice League footage, it seems like Supes may have to put a smile on that face if he wants to fit with this new tone, and perhaps now that the people of Earth recognise him as a hero, he can put the dreariness aside and show us that he's more than just two-dimensional and dark.

Contributor
Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!