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 almost nine years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. He has been writing and video editing for 10+ years, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers and uploading them to YouTube (they're admittedly a bit rusty by today's standards). If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order or to tell you about the making of 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks, Danny is the person to ask.