Zack Snyder is a controversial director whose interpretation of the DC universe has left some fans reeling and begging for anything remotely resembling the MCU. On the other hand, Zack Snyder is a director who understands his vision and sticks by it no matter what. While that doesn’t make for an easily digestible superhero movie, it does make for a fascinating reinterpretation of DC’s most iconic characters.
More importantly, Snyder knows how to put together a movie – especially when it comes to action. Batman V Superman is an acquired taste at the end of the day, but the movie’s fight scenes are far and away some of the best in the DCEU – if not the very best. Batman is a violent vigilante and Superman seems at odds with his place in the world, but Dawn of Justice does not hold back building up to the titular showdown.
7 Batman’s Insurgency
The Knightmare sequence is arguably the most divisive aspect of Batman V Superman. While set up for Justice League, the Knightmare doesn’t have much of a narrative role in the movie. Batman already has a reason to want to kill Superman. His (K)nightmare just pushes him over the edge without any real intimacy to the motivation.
If nothing else, the action seen in the Knightmare is unique for Batman (if only because he breaks his main rule). In the Knightmare timeline, Batman leads an insurgency against Superman and his Parademons. Bruce fights primarily with guns, shooting and killing his enemies. The action is frantic and ends with Batman imprisoned before having his heart ripped out by Superman.
6 Batman At The White Portuguese
Part of what defined Zack Snyder’s Batman is the fact he’s so far gone. This is a Batman who lost his first Robin to the Joker (according to Zack Snyder) and has fairly recently started branding criminals – effectively sentencing to death. As Alfred explains, a good man has become cruel. This is seen in action when Batman ambushes the White Portuguese.
In atypical Batman action, Bruce Wayne ruthlessly slaughters Lex’s men, even if just through collateral damage. While a spectacle, the battle at the White Ambush highlights that Batman is a hypocrite at his core (albeit one with some amazing gadgets). The fight also places emphasis on the Batmobile’s durability by showing it crashing through multiple buildings unscatched, making it all the more shocking when Batman drives straight into Superman… denting the Batmobile in the process.
5 The Final Battle
Using Doomsday as the final villain in a franchise’s second Superman movie isn’t a smart move on paper and ultimately results in Batman V Superman ending on a lesser note than it would have otherwise. If nothing else, the actual final battle is well choreographed and marks a phenomenal introduction for Wonder Woman into the DCEU.
Seeing Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman all come together against a common foe is a treat – especially since all three characters have their own unique fighting styles. Wonder Woman’s weaponry helps her get a leg up on Doomsday, Batman’s gadgets are a suitable distraction, and Superman’s raw power saves the day. While premature, Clark giving his life to kill Doomsday is a powerful moment in the context of the movie.
4 Batman Vs KGBeast
After Batman and Superman put their differences aside, Bruce agrees to rescue Martha Kent as penance for nearly killing a good man. While Batman is still incredibly violent in his confrontation with KGBeast (visibly killing a few men if not irreversibly ruining their lives), he’s at least justified: these are cruel men who are about to kill an innocent woman. Batman’s beatdown of KGBeast and his goons also feels deeply cathartic.
For arguably the first time in Batman V Superman, audiences are seeing a Bruce Wayne who acts like a real hero. Violent, but heroic at the end of the day. Batman’s fight choreography is also fairly impressive, with some solid martial arts thrown into the mix. Batman finishing off KGBeast and his men isn’t as charged as the titular battle with Superman, but it’s a great sequence.
3 Superman Vs Doomsday
One of the best aspects of Man of Steel is getting to see Superman let loose against Zod. The only time Superman gets to fight at full power in Dawn of Justice is when he’s battling Doomsday in an abandoned Metropolis. In stark contrast to the battle against Zod, Superman doesn’t have any collateral damage to worry about and leads Doomsday straight into outer space.
While the fight choreography on Earth is frantic, the heart of the battle is rooted in Superman leading Doomsday into outer space. Nuked by the United States, Superman takes the blast full on. Doomsday survives while Superman floats on the cusp of death, ultimately reborn by the sun in what feels like an homage to Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns.
2 Man Of Steel From Bruce’s Perspective
For all its faults, Batman V Superman has an absolutely incredible opening. Bruce’s funeral monologue masterfully transitions into Man of Steel from his perspective. Bruce races down Metropolis as he can only catch glimpses of Superman’s fight with Zod from the end of Man of Steel. It’s a chilling sequence that puts into perspective what Superman is like for those on ground level – those he isn’t actively saving.
Bruce Wayne watches people he knows get slaughtered due to Kryptonian carelessness, but he doesn’t run away. Bruce runs into action as if he were Batman, saving lives and trying to rescue those in danger. Batman V Superman’s opening makes it clear that Bruce Wayne is a hero at heart and that Superman is a threat on some level, even if he doesn’t intend to be.
1 Batman V Superman
The titular battle between Batman V Superman is easily the highlight of the movie. Dawn of Justice gradually builds up to their confrontation, with Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent both reaching their breaking points. Batman genuinely wants to kill Superman, but all Clark wants is Bruce’s help in finding his mother. Batman doesn’t want to hear this, however, and prepares a sneak attack that has Superman breathing in Kryptonian gas.
Superman suffers a lethal beatdown, but he fights back with a vengeance – slowly regaining his power throughout the fight. Unfortunately, Batman gets the leg up on Superman and beats him into submission. As Clark readies himself for death, he begs Bruce to rescue his mother. In a rare moment of humanity, Batman realizes the monster he’s become and puts an end to the madness.