WhenMan of Steelhit theaters in 2013, many fans criticized the massive destruction of Metropolis duringSuperman(Henry Cavill) andGeneral Zod’s (Michael Shannon) epic battle. We learned last year that Metropolis is actually situated across a bay from Gotham, and part of that destruction spilled over intoBatman’s (Ben Affleck) hometown. The destruction of Wayne Tower during this battle helps ignite the conflict between these heroes inBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and during an interview with Famous Monsters of Filmland, directorZack Snyderrevealed that he stands by his decision to make theMan of Steelfinale battle so destructive.
“I stand by it, because for me, I’ve always said when I was working onWatchmen- and maybe it’s sort of left over from aWatchmenphilosophical sort of thing - that there should be consequences to superheroes' interaction with the earth. And that was kind of the way that we approachedMan of Steel. I wanted a big consequence toSuperman"s arrival on earth. Certainly,Batman v Supermansort of cashes in all its chips on the ‘why’ of that destruction.”
Not long after the then-controversial casting ofBen AffleckasBatman, it was revealed that this version of The Dark Knight will be a weary hero, who has been fighting crime in Gotham for a number of years. The director added that the “discovery” of this story is these two heroes fighting, which has never been done on the big screen before. He also said that their conflict is portrayed in a satisfying way.
“He’s not yet tired of his place in the world. He’s definitely still tooth-and-nailing it. The discovery of the story is that Batman fights Superman. Now move your superhero chess pieces so that can happen. And it can happen in a credible and interesting way. … It’s just incredibly satisfying and fun to dig into these two mythological characters and find a through line that allows them to come into conflict in a way that not only is philosophically satisfying, but also physically real.”
In addition to these new details, Famous Monsters of Filmland has released the cover for their latest issue, which featuresBatman v Superman: Dawn of JusticestarsHenry Cavill,Ben AffleckandGal Gadot. What do you think aboutZack Snyder’s rationale for all of theMan of Steeldestruction? Chime in with your thoughts, and check out the magazine cover below.
