So I've been hard on Batman v Superman. I haven't liked the direction they did. So I decided to put my laptop where my mouth is. I decided to write my own version of "BvS" and post it here. I read over it, and it'd need a bit of fleshing out. But this is the type of movie I'd like to see. I made some changes, but I stuck to a few simple guidelines.
1. It's a follow-up to Man of Steel
2. It has to hint at a greater DCCU
3. It has to include the main characters that the original movie does.
4. It has to allow for Suicide Squad
Other than that....here's what I did. It probably sucks, but I figured I should at least write out what I'd do.
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Gotham – 23-year-old Bruce Wayne is testing his new batarangs and watching drone footage of one of his recent trips out into the city. Alfred arrives, telling Bruce of the talk on the news of the Batman. He asks if Bruce is ready to make a bigger show to the public to try and control his image. But Bruce isn’t talking. All he sees is a message on TV from an alien named Zod.
As Zod fights Superman on TV, Bruce is working out harder than ever. He looks exhausted, but he throws another fifty pounds on the bench press. As a Wayne Enterprises building collapses, Bruce closes his eyes and looks at a horrified Alfred. “I’m not ready,” he says. “We need more.”
Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice
Metropolis – Lex Luthor is smiling at the ribbon-cutting of the new LexCorp Tower. It’s the most advanced building in Metropolis, built to withstand “anything or anyone that is thrown at it.” A reporter asks why Luthor denied help from Superman, who was instrumental in rebuilding the rest of the city. “No further questions,” Lex says.
Clark is asleep at his desk. Lois approaches and tells him that Perry wants to speak with him. His story on the LexCorp ceremony is late….again. Clark admits that he’s been working too hard as Superman. That he has to regain the city’s trust. That he’s been working overtime to fix damage, save people, rid the city of crime, help the government. Anything to let people know that he’s a hero not to be feared. He also admits he’s been training – trying to refine the use of his powers. He can’t let things get out of control again. Using his super-hearing, he hears a siren. “If you go, I can’t protect you anymore.” Lois says. But Clark is already gone.
Bruce is sitting in the Batcave. A series of screens are in front of him. “Riddler apprehended by Batman” “Joker and Harley Quinn suspected in robbery” “Mysterious creature spotted in Gotham sewers” But Bruce is fixated on a Metropolis TV screen. “Superman saves 757” He’s studying Superman’s movements. He looks back at a Batman suit. Beside it is a Robin suit. In a separate case is something bigger. Something stronger.
Superman is answering questions. A reporter asks about a Superman statue in Metropolis. Superman says he doesn’t deserve it, that he still has a lot to do to deserve it. A reporter asks about the vigilante in Gotham. Superman says that he respects anyone who is willing to fight for justice, but he’s weary of anyone who wears a mask, lurks in the shadows, and uses questionable methods. Lex shows up and asks when Clark is going to stand trial for the thousands that died in his fight with Zod. Clark hangs his head and flies away. Lex smiles.
Bruce is looking out over Metropolis from a still-under-construction Wayne Tower building. He tells a construction foreman that he’s still denying help from Superman. “It’s the one thing Luthor and I agree on.” Bruce says. Alone with his thoughts, he gets into an elevator, inserts a key, and takes the elevator down to an underground makeshift Batcave. He speaks on a radio to Alfred. He asks if he’s sure he wants to do this. He says he is. He asks if they want his help. He says he can’t afford to lose anyone else. This is his fight.
Superman is flying around the city. He is listening for something. Anything. He stops on the Daily Planet building. He asks Lois about the job. She smoothed it over, but he has to focus on Clark Kent. That Superman has done enough. She hands him his glasses, but he hears something and speeds away. Across the city, Batman is looking at him with military-style binoculars. But Superman has disappeared. It’s too late, Superman already has him in a choke hold.
“What are you doing here?’
“Clark…..Kent….” Batman says.
Superman is taken aback. He lets Batman go and repeats the question. Bruce doesn’t answer. So Clark asks how he knows who he is. Bruce takes his mask off. “You interviewed me about Wayne Tower.” Clark asks why he exposed his own identity. “You would’ve just used your x-ray vision anyway. This way, I’m in control.” Superman asks again why he’s there. “I have to know for sure.” Superman asks what he’s talking about. Bruce turns around. “Goodnight, Clark” and dives off the building. Superman lets him leave.
Across the city, Lex is experimenting on Zod’s body. Mercy Graves tells him that they’ve been successful in reverse engineering some of the Kryptonian tech. That they should be able to replicate the Kryptonian armor “to his specifications.” Lex smiles.
On the Kent Farm, Clark doesn’t know what to do. He knows he’s about to get fired. He doesn’t know how he can lead a double life. Ma Kent tells him that he’s done enough. That she didn’t raise Superman – she raised Clark Kent. That he deserves to have a life too. Clark gets a call from the Planet asking about a story. Clark hugs his mom and is in Metropolis before he knows it, punching out a story so fast that the keyboard is shredded. Perry White comes out of his office. He’s impressed. But an explosion across town happens. Lois looks at Clark, and she distracts Perry so that Clark can speed out.
He gets to the LexCorp facility on the edge of town. There’s a huge fire. He puts out one fire when another explosion happens. He uses his X-Ray vision and sees a figure moving at super-human speed. Another explosion distracts him as the creature leaps up and takes him to the ground. There’s a quick fight but Clark is able to struggle away. Again, he flies over the facility. He looks for the creature, and it leaps at him again. Clark is able to float high enough so at the creature can’t get him. Superman decides to stay above and try and neutralize him with his heat vision.
Batman is watching from a rooftop. Sees Clark floating above a LexCorp facility, using his heat vision. It appears he’s causing the explosions. He cannot see any creature. People are running away, terrified. Batman sighs and tells Alfred it’s time. He disables his communicator and summons the Batwing.
Superman is able to hit the creature with a blast of heat vision, and it falls harmlessly to the ground. He puts out the remaining fires with a quick blast of freeze breath, and he goes to check out the creature. But before he can, he’s attacked by a heavily-armored Batman. Superman tries to talk to him, but Batman is relentless. Punch after punch after punch. And it’s hurting Superman. It feels like Zod all over again. Batman is just as strong and a much better fighter. But it only takes one good punch from Superman to send Batman flying. His suit is heavily damaged, so Batman starts with the gadgets. Electric batarangs, explosives, missiles from the Batwing, etc. Nothing is effective. Clark is still diplomatic, even though his mouth is bleeding from the first barrage.
But Batman won’t listen. He attacks again, throwing punch after punch. But Superman is adapting. He’s injured but Batman’s suit is falling apart with every Superman strike. Finally, Batman throws a punch that shatters his armored glove and Bruce’s own hand. Superman verifies that his hand is broken. Bruce hobbles back, expecting Superman to go in for the killing blow, but Superman looks at him with sad eyes. He explains that he was trying to fight a monster; that he doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt.
“What monster?” Batman asks. Clark looks back and the creature is gone. Clark quickly scans and sees it right behind Batman, its eyes beginning to glow red. Superman speeds passed Batman and stands between him and the creature as a heat vision blast strikes Clark in the chest. Batman is shocked and orders the Batwing to attack.
Over a PA, Lex’s voice is heard. “What do you think, Superman? Can you beat him again?” Clark stands up, very injured, and looks at the creature, who is distracted by the Batwing. The creature is a monstrous version of General Zod.
Zod/Doomsday uses his heat vision to destroy one of the Batwing’s wings, before leaping up and ripping it in half. He lands to turn his attention back to Superman before he’s hit by a blue blur. Superman is flying at full strength, carrying Doomsday out of the city to the edge of town. At the LexCorp facility, Bruce is shaking his head. He turns his communicator back on. “You were right. I think he’s one of the good guys.”
“He is,” a voice says from behind Batman. It’s Lex, in his own Kryptonian power-suit. “But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t destroy him. I was surprised when I saw you attack. Your tech is impressive but mine is better.” Lex laughs and Bruce shakes his head.
Doomsday and Clark are fighting in an industrial district. Doomsday is using everything he can to fight Superman, but Superman is fighting distracted. He’s terrified that there will be collateral damage like the last time they fought, and he’s losing the fight because of it. Doomsday throws a gasoline truck at Clark, who jumps to avoid it, but the truck crashes into the corner of a building. The explosion is massive and causes the building to start to collapse. Clark uses his x-ray vision to make sure no one is inside before it lands.
Doomsday uses this distraction to run towards lights by the water.
Lex sees the explosion across the city and smiles. Bruce realizes that Lex is the real enemy, and he lunges at him. The two have their own fight. Lex’s tech is superior (especially since Bruce’s is mostly destroyed and he’s fighting with a broken hand), so Lex spends the fight wondering aloud why they’re fighting when their real enemy is Superman. Lex has the upper hand, and punches a part of Batman’s armored mask off. Enough for Lex to see who’s underneath the mask.
“You’re kidding me,” Lex says. He can’t believe Bruce Wayne is under the mask. Before Lex can do anything, a sword comes through the side of his armor. Lex screams in pain and falls to the ground. Wonder Woman is standing behind him. She pulls her sword out and looks at it, as if startled by her own strength.
“Where are the others?” Wonder Woman says to Batman. Bruce is woozy. “Others?” “The invaders! We saw the explosions! I was sent here to protect man’s world. Where are the rest of the invaders?
Doomsday reaches a crowded party on the docks. Superman sees him, and speeds toward the monster. He screams, shattering windows, knowing he’s going to be too late. But before he can get there, a giant tidal wave hits the building, washing Doomsday towards a rocky beachfront. Superman looks for survivors, but all he can see are red flashes and everyone in safety nearby.
Superman doesn’t know what’s happening, but he rushes to Doomsday.
While Wonder Woman is distracted, Lex pulls out a device and smiles, but a batarang knocks it out of his hand. Wonder Woman turns around and punches Luthor in the face.
“They’re easier to disable than I thought,” Wonder Woman says. “He’s not Kryptonian. He’s Lex Luthor.” “Why is a human dressed in alien armor? What’s going on here?”
“There’s no time for explanations,” Batman says. “We have to help Superman.”
Bruce surveys the wreckage of the Batwing and injects himself with something for his pain. He then reaches into another compartment and pulls out a weapon. Then he turns to Wonder Woman. “How did you get here? I don’t suppose you have some sort of cloaked aircraft.”
Wonder Woman smirks.
On the beach, Superman and Doomsday are trading blows. Clark looks down, and he’s bleeding. But Doomsday doesn’t seem to be taking any damage. Every time he tries to look for weapons or something to help him, Doomsday punches him. This is a matter of strength, and Clark doesn’t know if he has enough. Clark goes to punch the monster, and Doomsday catches it. And almost looks to be smiling. Superman isn’t strong enough.
“Get down!” a voice yells. Only a man with super-hearing could hear it. Superman falls to the ground, and a beam of energy knocks Doomsday back. Batman and Wonder Woman fall from the sky. Batman picks Superman up.
“Who’s the girl?” Superman asks.
“She’s with us,” Batman responds.
“Us?” Superman says. He’d smile if he had enough energy. Batman stays stoic, unable to admit he was wrong.
With a numbers advantage, Batman tells Superman and Wonder Woman to launch a coordinated attack while he stays back and
takes shots when he can. Superman doesn’t know what he’s doing, but Wonder Woman tells him to follow her lead. She’s a warrior and knows what she’s doing. Bruce says he’ll whisper and help him fight.
So Superman and Wonder Woman attack the creature. Wonder Woman and Batman coach Superman on what to do as they are able to confound the monster. Every few seconds, Batman is able to get a shot in. As Doomsday finally shows signs of weakness, Diana kicks him towards Clark. Both Wonder Woman and Batman scream at the same time, “NOW, SUPERMAN!” and Clark punches Doomsday with all his strength, sending him flying into the air.
Superman looks up and flies after him, grabbing Doomsday and holding him still. As they leave the Earth’s orbit and into space, Superman tells the monster “you’re not welcome on my planet” and hurls him towards the moon.
Superman lands to see Wonder Woman and Batman standing on the docks. “What happened to it?” Batman asks. “The moon, I think. I have no idea if he’ll stay there or if he’ll die.” “Leave that to me,” Batman says.
They both look at Diana, who is walking away.
“Who are you?” Superman asks.
“My name is Diana. Princess of the Amazons.”
Superman is speechless. “And what about that mysterious wave? And the red flashes.”
“That wasn’t me,” Wonder Woman says. “But some heroes like to stay hidden. Maybe you two should take a page from their book.”
Superman smiles and turns to Batman. He’s gone.
A week later, Clark Kent shows up at helipad of the Wayne Enterprises building. He’s holding a newspaper. A couple relevant stories are shown. “Lex Luthor defends innocence in Kryptonian technology case” and “WayneTech spends billions on private space station”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Kent. Mr. Wayne isn’t doing any more interviews”
“I’ll do one more,” Bruce says, inviting Clark into his helicopter. Bruce has a noticeable cast on his hand. The helicopter lifts off.
“He’s alive,” Bruce says. “He’s on the moon and he looks pissed, but he’s alive.”
Clark looks at Bruce and over at the helicopter pilot.
“Don’t worry,” Bruce says. “You can trust Dick.”
“I’ve been doing some digging,” Bruce continues. “This world is bigger than either of us thought. There are forces out there that I’m not even sure I understand.”
“Mysterious warrior princesses. Mysterious tidal waves. Guys that move so fast I have trouble seeing them.” Clark says. “Do you trust them?”
“I think you know it’s tough to win me over,” Bruce says. “But this time, I’m going to do my research. If there are forces of good I wasn’t aware of, what kind of forces of evil could there be?”
“I don’t know,” Clark says. “But I have a feeling we’ll be ready.”
