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

3. Wasting Beloved Comic-Book Story Arcs

Superman Doomsday Color
DC

Batman v Superman was heavily influenced by The Dark Knight Returns and The Death of Superman, two comic-book arcs that are arguably the best representations of their respective characters. Stories like these, that provide some of the best source material for filmmakers to adapt, deserve to be treated better than they were in Batman v Superman - squashed down, chopped up and forced into a single movie that already had too much going on.

If these storylines fit naturally into the film, perhaps it would've fared better - instead, it appears the filmmakers tried to force them into a plot where they didn't belong, rather than including them as natural elements from the start. For example, why did Superman need to be the one to kill Doomsday with the Kryptonite spear? Why couldn't Batman or Wonder Woman - who would both be unaffected by the green rock.

As a result, Superman's death felt unearned, and wasted a great comic-book run which could've been explored fully in a different movie.

So, if Justice League is to take its cues from a powerful slice of source material, the film should respect that - don't force in comic-book storylines that don't fit. This weakens the plot, making moments like the Death of Superman - which should feel pivotal - feel forced. Justice League must focus on crafting a great story in its own right, and if a defining comic-book arc can be slotted neatly into that story, then great!

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!