A lot of things in the latest cinematic DC Universe seem to irritate people. Some of those things irritate me as well, but what irritates me more is the number of complaints about things in this universe that are totally ok and make sense. So I'll be going through these problems with Man of Steel and Batman v Superman and explaining why they're actually problems with the people watching the movies. I will rank them based on how much they annoy me. THERE WILL (obviously) BE SPOILERS.
#6: The Killings
Something about these movies that made a lot of commotion was when Superman broke Zod's neck, and Batman in the movie after killed dozens of people. Well here's the problem: Superman is a boy scout or whatever, so yeah, him killing people is a big deal. But Zod has not only earned more death than any other Superman villain, he's also received it in the past. Zod has, in Superman comics as well as previous movie depictions, been killed. No one lost their shit when that happened, so why now? As for Batman, he's a grim character. This isn't the first time he's killed someone. Remember the amazing and beloved 1989 Batman movie starring Michael Keaton? If you don't, allow me to remind you of how he gracefully flew down in his Batplane and unleashed a burning judgement of hot lead on his criminal enemies, killing them with bullets and missiles. If the movie isn't enough, look to Batman's debut in Detective Comics No.27. It ended with him not capturing, not arresting the villain, but tossing him into a pit of acid and melting his face. He went on to kill many other villains before someone decided he should be a pious man of ethics like his buddy Supes. A side note to this, he's also shot people. And not just with special bat-brand tech guns, he legitimately grabbed an ordinary bullet-launching handgun and shot a dude with it.
#5: The Collateral Damage
Almost everyone despises the fact that Superman and Zod, when fighting in Man of Steel, destroyed half of Metropolis AND its population. While many people's problem was the fact that this wasn't even dealt with, which was solved in Batman v Superman when Bruce Wayne valiantly saves men, women and children from collapsing buildings, and all of them get terrified at Superman, many people's problem is the fact that Superman willingly dragged Zod through a skyscraper full of innocent and fragile human beings. Well, as for Superman doing this, it might not have been the safest course of action, but he was blinded by rage and didn't have his head fully in the game. Also, he was saving the whole damn world, so ask Spock if you can't see on your own why he might have been ready to make the sacrifice. And it totally was dealt with, beyond just what the people who were there when it happened were thinking and feeling. The entire reason Batman is hunting him is because he refused to turn himself in despite doing that. As for why he refused in the first place even though he's immortal, he cared about Lois and his mother and he needed to be there to keep them safe. As menacing as a dude who doesn't allow himself to be questioned for destroying a city with his superpowers may seem, a dude who starts to do that, inevitably gets arrested, and then breaks out when he thinks his loved ones need him is even more so. Therefore, all that is justifiable.
#4: Superman's Personality
Another thing people seem to hate is how grim and serious Superman is as opposed to his previous cinematic selves. They were happy and nice unless they had reasons not to be (and even sometimes when they did). This one, on the other hand, seems like he's always being passive aggressive and scowling at everything unless he has a reason not to be. But look at DC comics again. Superman has been rebooted in the comics pretty much once every other week, so he has lots of personalities. One of them even became the king of hell when Lucifer stepped down. The point is, this Superman may be different than the other ones, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. In my opinion, the smiley sunshine and roses character was getting a little tiring on the screen. This Superman is just as common in the comics, and three times more realistic to the thought process of someone who hasn't been brainwashed. And that aside, who says it's really a different personality? It could be the same guy, but in a way worse mood because his situation is more bleak. Even with optimism, a guy who accidentally killed a few people, then made up for it by saving everyone else in the world, and still got publicly hated, would definitely not be smiling unless he was smoking some really strong stuff.
#3: Lex Luthor's Portrayal
Lex Luthor appeared in Dawn of Justice as less your classic "illegally make some money and kill the guy stopping me" sort of villain and more your "I have a serious problem, but I also have an actual goal" sort of villain. Before now, Luthor has always been the former, but Batman v Superman introduced a more joker-like, insane personality that fits better under the latter. This, as well as the fact that he wasn't bald until the last thirty seconds, made some (by which I mean lots of) people mad. I, however, see it as a change for the better. The former villain type for Luthor has never been un-cheesy, it's just that cheesiness was an important part of films in ye olden days. There's a villain, there's a simple-ass goal he's trying to achieve, and there's the hero who stands in his way of achieving it. Even in the comics, which I've used previously to back my statements, this was always Lex. But as we develop into a modern society, where movies have to have more depth than that to be good, I think his new portrayal allows for the same plots and schemes that a former Lex would have had, while also making his reasons and ulterior motives less cliche. As for the baldness, this version was under the age of forty, wasn't a biker, and didn't have cancer, so there was no reason for baldness until he went to prison, where he might use his long hair to hide contraband.
#2: Martha
When Batman was so close to killing Superman, he decided not to because Supes was urging him to "save Martha." He then reflects on the death of his own mother, also named Martha, and is even more shocked when he finds this isn't just any old Martha that Superman is talking about, it's HIS mother. Then they join up and go stop Luthor and save Martha. That sounds like one of those aforementioned cheesy things that would be ok in an older movie, but isn't ok anymore. Taking a closer look though, it kind of makes sense. For reasons already established, Batman is angry with Superman. He then encounters Superman again, resulting in the Batmobile being smashed and Superman straight up flying away at the beginning of their confrontation. He sets up a trap to catch Superman, and when Superman walks right into it, it is completely ineffective. This is the last straw for Bats. He's pissed. He engages in a fight with Superman that is way less one-sided than it should be due to the fact that Superman doesn't want to harm him. Finally, he wins, with Superman on the ground and a Kryptonite spear in his face, when he hears this shouted at him: "Save Martha!" When I hear the names of people I know, even if I am aware that they aren't the ones being referred to, I tend to think of them. It only makes sense that Batman would as well, and the fact that he obsessed over his parents' death beyond what is healthy assisted in this switch of thought. As he begins to think of his mother, he grows less angry and more sad. Still using his dying anger and lack of ordinary thought, he demands an explanation for the use of that name. When Lois arrives and explains things to him, he comes to his senses and begins to understand that Superman, between the apparent love for him from innocent people and his desire to help people, is one of the good guys. Unlike movie-fans, Supes gets this and teams up with Batman to save the day. It all makes perfect sense.
#1: The Ending of Dawn of Justice
Totally kidding, it destroyed the suspense for Justice League and made no goddamn sense. All they had to do was not show the dirt on Superman's grave beginning to levitate and the movie would have left so much more awe in its final moments.
#6: The Killings
Something about these movies that made a lot of commotion was when Superman broke Zod's neck, and Batman in the movie after killed dozens of people. Well here's the problem: Superman is a boy scout or whatever, so yeah, him killing people is a big deal. But Zod has not only earned more death than any other Superman villain, he's also received it in the past. Zod has, in Superman comics as well as previous movie depictions, been killed. No one lost their shit when that happened, so why now? As for Batman, he's a grim character. This isn't the first time he's killed someone. Remember the amazing and beloved 1989 Batman movie starring Michael Keaton? If you don't, allow me to remind you of how he gracefully flew down in his Batplane and unleashed a burning judgement of hot lead on his criminal enemies, killing them with bullets and missiles. If the movie isn't enough, look to Batman's debut in Detective Comics No.27. It ended with him not capturing, not arresting the villain, but tossing him into a pit of acid and melting his face. He went on to kill many other villains before someone decided he should be a pious man of ethics like his buddy Supes. A side note to this, he's also shot people. And not just with special bat-brand tech guns, he legitimately grabbed an ordinary bullet-launching handgun and shot a dude with it.
#5: The Collateral Damage
Almost everyone despises the fact that Superman and Zod, when fighting in Man of Steel, destroyed half of Metropolis AND its population. While many people's problem was the fact that this wasn't even dealt with, which was solved in Batman v Superman when Bruce Wayne valiantly saves men, women and children from collapsing buildings, and all of them get terrified at Superman, many people's problem is the fact that Superman willingly dragged Zod through a skyscraper full of innocent and fragile human beings. Well, as for Superman doing this, it might not have been the safest course of action, but he was blinded by rage and didn't have his head fully in the game. Also, he was saving the whole damn world, so ask Spock if you can't see on your own why he might have been ready to make the sacrifice. And it totally was dealt with, beyond just what the people who were there when it happened were thinking and feeling. The entire reason Batman is hunting him is because he refused to turn himself in despite doing that. As for why he refused in the first place even though he's immortal, he cared about Lois and his mother and he needed to be there to keep them safe. As menacing as a dude who doesn't allow himself to be questioned for destroying a city with his superpowers may seem, a dude who starts to do that, inevitably gets arrested, and then breaks out when he thinks his loved ones need him is even more so. Therefore, all that is justifiable.
#4: Superman's Personality
Another thing people seem to hate is how grim and serious Superman is as opposed to his previous cinematic selves. They were happy and nice unless they had reasons not to be (and even sometimes when they did). This one, on the other hand, seems like he's always being passive aggressive and scowling at everything unless he has a reason not to be. But look at DC comics again. Superman has been rebooted in the comics pretty much once every other week, so he has lots of personalities. One of them even became the king of hell when Lucifer stepped down. The point is, this Superman may be different than the other ones, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. In my opinion, the smiley sunshine and roses character was getting a little tiring on the screen. This Superman is just as common in the comics, and three times more realistic to the thought process of someone who hasn't been brainwashed. And that aside, who says it's really a different personality? It could be the same guy, but in a way worse mood because his situation is more bleak. Even with optimism, a guy who accidentally killed a few people, then made up for it by saving everyone else in the world, and still got publicly hated, would definitely not be smiling unless he was smoking some really strong stuff.
#3: Lex Luthor's Portrayal
Lex Luthor appeared in Dawn of Justice as less your classic "illegally make some money and kill the guy stopping me" sort of villain and more your "I have a serious problem, but I also have an actual goal" sort of villain. Before now, Luthor has always been the former, but Batman v Superman introduced a more joker-like, insane personality that fits better under the latter. This, as well as the fact that he wasn't bald until the last thirty seconds, made some (by which I mean lots of) people mad. I, however, see it as a change for the better. The former villain type for Luthor has never been un-cheesy, it's just that cheesiness was an important part of films in ye olden days. There's a villain, there's a simple-ass goal he's trying to achieve, and there's the hero who stands in his way of achieving it. Even in the comics, which I've used previously to back my statements, this was always Lex. But as we develop into a modern society, where movies have to have more depth than that to be good, I think his new portrayal allows for the same plots and schemes that a former Lex would have had, while also making his reasons and ulterior motives less cliche. As for the baldness, this version was under the age of forty, wasn't a biker, and didn't have cancer, so there was no reason for baldness until he went to prison, where he might use his long hair to hide contraband.
#2: Martha
When Batman was so close to killing Superman, he decided not to because Supes was urging him to "save Martha." He then reflects on the death of his own mother, also named Martha, and is even more shocked when he finds this isn't just any old Martha that Superman is talking about, it's HIS mother. Then they join up and go stop Luthor and save Martha. That sounds like one of those aforementioned cheesy things that would be ok in an older movie, but isn't ok anymore. Taking a closer look though, it kind of makes sense. For reasons already established, Batman is angry with Superman. He then encounters Superman again, resulting in the Batmobile being smashed and Superman straight up flying away at the beginning of their confrontation. He sets up a trap to catch Superman, and when Superman walks right into it, it is completely ineffective. This is the last straw for Bats. He's pissed. He engages in a fight with Superman that is way less one-sided than it should be due to the fact that Superman doesn't want to harm him. Finally, he wins, with Superman on the ground and a Kryptonite spear in his face, when he hears this shouted at him: "Save Martha!" When I hear the names of people I know, even if I am aware that they aren't the ones being referred to, I tend to think of them. It only makes sense that Batman would as well, and the fact that he obsessed over his parents' death beyond what is healthy assisted in this switch of thought. As he begins to think of his mother, he grows less angry and more sad. Still using his dying anger and lack of ordinary thought, he demands an explanation for the use of that name. When Lois arrives and explains things to him, he comes to his senses and begins to understand that Superman, between the apparent love for him from innocent people and his desire to help people, is one of the good guys. Unlike movie-fans, Supes gets this and teams up with Batman to save the day. It all makes perfect sense.
#1: The Ending of Dawn of Justice
Totally kidding, it destroyed the suspense for Justice League and made no goddamn sense. All they had to do was not show the dirt on Superman's grave beginning to levitate and the movie would have left so much more awe in its final moments.
