Batman Vs. Superman Movie: 10 Potential Reasons They Could Fight

4. The Government

Despite being a literal alien, Superman has been a staunch patriot since his 50's reinvention. His motto was even "Truth, Justice and the American Way". Many storylines use him as a stand-in for American politics - "Superman Vs. The Elite" puts him in conflict with radical fascist superheroes who think they should overthrow world governments. Sometimes Superman is a basically a government official: In "Red Son", Clark's childhood spaceship lands in Soviet Russia and he grows up to become a communist agent with the same patriotic fervour. One of the most famous instances of this is "The Dark Knight Returns" where, in the near future, superheroes are outlawed. Superman secretly works for the American government but Batman, ever the dissident, becomes a vigilante again in spite of the law. When Batman shows no signs of stopping his crusade, Superman is forced to challenge him to a battle. In the context of Man of Steel, the Dark Knight Returns plot could be played straight or inverted. Lets say the government finds out who Clark is and forces him to take down the dangerous Batman in order to stay anonymous - which fits in thematically with his father's insistence that he hides some aspects of himself. On the other side, maybe the government figures out Batman's identity and force him to help them defeat Superman. They could even play on his paranoia in order to convince him that taking out Superman would be the best for humanity.