BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

BATHTUB LOVE

Top-down shot from the fire escape of the street outside an apartment block on the final thundering note of Batman Theme B withering away. The camera gently flies out over the street to reveal Lois exiting a taxi cab in the rain. This top-down shot is a direct reference to an almost identical shot in Zack Snyder’s 2009 cinematic adaptation of Watchmen (1986), where Laurel Juspeczyk arrives by taxi cab to meet Daniel Drieberg for dinner.

Close-up on Lois Lane’s apartment mailbox as she turns the key. She opens it, and we cut to a view from inside as Lois retrieves her mail. Slight jump ahead in time to see her close the box.

Ground-level shot of the landing outside Lois’ apartment. Lois wheels her luggage to the door while another tenant descends the stairs. This indicates she has arrived home after her trip to Africa. We slowly slide forward into the scene.

The sound of a creaky bath tap handle turning transitions us to a medium close-up on the tap of her bath. The water pours and Lois tests the temperature with her hand. This succession of quick shots establishes the array of tasks Lois performs having come home.

Wide shot of Lois’ apartment, sitting on the floor as she removes clothing from her luggage into a laundry basket piece by piece. The running water in the bathroom is felt in the dense rainfall outside the windows that create an uneasy tone. The unkempt state of the space, strewn with books, notebooks, cameras, and papers, reinforces Lois’ attitude as a devoted reporter, building her character in the visuals of the environment. We slowly move right through the scene.

Lois as she retrieves another item, holding it up. We see the white shirt is stained with blood. The music starts here with monotonous strings with a quiet thudding, like metal banging on rickety pipes in the distance, building the atmosphere of the mystery Lois is about to stumble upon.

She looks shaken. She tosses the shirt into the basket and reaches out for the comfort of her wine glass.

Ominous string melody with an underlying pulse from low strings.

She takes a sip and places the glass on the table when she spots her notebooks. She takes the second one down, the same notebook used for her interview with Amajagh. Turning it over in her hands, she sees a charred bullet hole in the leather cover. Lois puts her finger to the hole before she opens the notebook, sifting through before finding that the bullet did not penetrate the middle pages. Evidently concluding that the bullet is still inside, Lois closes the notebook, looking up with an idea.

The strings come in higher upon seeing the charred bullet hole in the leather cover.

Close-up on the notebook, in the bathroom now. Lois is wrenching the bullet out of the leather with a small tool. She succeeds with a clinking of metal.

Silhouetted by the rain-drenched window in the background, Lois collects the bullet in her fingers and raises the object up to the light of the window. It appears to still be intact. Lois curiously turns it in her fingers, observing the thing.

Behind the Scene

“In my storyboards, I draw this really extreme close-up of the faucet. It was kind of a quick last-minute pick-up. … I’ll rogue-out and grab these details every now and then, like I’ll just take the camera and find some quick shot like that. And [Larry Fong is] always very accommodating and very kind to just let me grab the camera and maybe make a shot like that. Those are the kinds of things where we were the only people in the bathroom and he’d be, like, grabbing a piece of foam core and I’ll be grabbing the camera and we’ll just make a cool shot as quick as we can.”

Zack Snyder, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Director’s Commentary 00:24:18

The bath tap is dripping now. Lois is sitting in the tub water in a foetal position, fiddling with the bullet in her hand. She looks troubled and thoughtful.

Cut to the apartment doorknob. With the twisting of keys, the door swings open, and we ascend to see Clark Kent enter, humbly wearing modest clothes and his Bespoke Horn glasses. This is our first shot of non-Superman plain and simple Clark in this film.

Visibly hearing Clark’s arrival and shuffling around in the hall, Lois turns in the water and drops the bullet in a bag with a clink as the music stops. Clark knocks on the bathroom door.

The door opens and Clark enters with a paper bag full of flowers. He smiles at Lois lying back in the tub ahead of him. “Hey!” he says softly, stepping into the room.

“Hey,” breathes Lois, smiling back.

“I was gonna cook,” says Clark. He looks gleefully between Lois and the flowers. “Surprise you.” Apparently, recent events are not bothering him, and he appears blissfully upbeat. This has also established that they are living together.

Lois smiles at him before she turns serious again. After a few moments, she says, “They held hearings about what happened… They’re saying that–“

His enthusiasm gone, Clark shakes his head. “I don’t care. I don’t care what they’re saying.”

Lois looks disappointed.

Clark continues, “The woman I love could have been blown up or shot. Think of what could have happened.” From this, we see that Clark is strongly focused on doing what he believes is right and currently refuses to question that for a second. He is turning a blind eye to the controversy surrounding him in favour of staying positive.

Lois, looks frustrated. “Well, think about what did happen,” she responds, dead serious.

Clark looks concerned. “I didn’t kill those men if that’s what they think, if that’s what you’re saying.”

Lois puts both hands on the edge of the tub to look at him firmly. “No, I’m saying I want to understand what happened. I’m saying thank you for saving my life. I’m saying there’s a cost.” Note how Lois never says “but” once. There are only multiple true things.

Clark looks hurt now, looking down in thought for a moment, his positive mood totally ruined. After a few moments, he lays the flowers down beside the sink and moves to sit on the edge of the bath beside her, a loving hand on the back of her neck. She reaches her hand up to hold his.

Soft textures joined by a more solemn rendition of Flight from Man of Steel on piano.

Sombrely, Lois says, “I just don’t know if it’s possible.”

“Don’t know if what’s possible?” Clark quietly asks.

After a moment, she replies “For you to love me and be you,” before looking up at him. Indeed, in saving Lois, Clark has jeopardised his image as Superman, even though he is Superman. Alternatively, will society allow him to be himself?

Clark also looks sad. Then he reaches for the flowers and retrieves a rose, handing it to Lois.

Lois takes the flower against herself. Looking at him, she cracks a hint of a smile.

Clark’s mouth twists into a grin.

Lois finally relents to his charms and smiles joyfully at him.

Happy now, Clark stands and steps into the bath, shoes and all, as he takes off his coat to reveal his blue shirt beneath, as if transforming into Superman as he peels away the mild-mannered reporter guise.

“Clark!” exclaims Lois, laughing. She leans back against the far end of the tub in the tumultuous waters. Still holding the rose, she joyfully giggles as Clark tosses aside the coat, “Clark, you’re going to flood the apartment.”

Piano changes to strings, shifting the tone from solemn to soft and content, but maintains the melody.

Clark merely responds, “Mmm-hmm,” and nods cheekily. He knows, but he is too in-love to care.

Then he descends to kiss her, causing the water to overflow as Lois anticipated, splashing onto the end table. The couple kiss passionately.

They separate for a moment as Clark’s glasses come loose. Ground-level shot as the glasses hit the floor, a visual motif of him freed from his disguise to be totally at ease with the woman he can be himself around.

Back to them kissing. Clark leans back, and we pan up his body to watch him remove his blue shirt, exposing his muscled form. Symbolically, Clark is as he truly is, his reporter and Superman personas discarded to expose Clark the man. He leans down into Lois again, smiling at her before taking another, more passionate kiss.

Lois’ hands wrap possessively around him, grasping at his back to show her visually cherishing him, valuing him, and also metaphorically holding onto him. This imagery will become relevant for the dramatic zenith of the film. This shot is also a reference to an identical shot during an intimate scene in Zack Snyder’s 2007 cinematic adaptation of Frank Miller’s 300, where King Leonidas makes love to Queen Gorgo the eve before he sets out for war and death, just as Clark will soon face his mortality as well.

SCENE OVERVIEW

With Bruce, Lois, Superman, and Batman introduced, now comes Clark Kent, presented as humble and sweet-hearted in a casual environment to contrast his prior appearance as an intervening god. Returning from Africa to the apartment they share, Lois finds her first lead to what really happened in Nairomi before pleading with Clark to recognise the consequences of his actions following the hearings, but he is naïvely convinced he did everything right. Ultimately, Clark’s charm wins out and the couple have a moment together to build their relationship, just trying to live their lives outside of their tense jobs.

SCENE ANALYSIS

“He’s just trying to bring his lady flowers.”

Deborah Snyder, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Jusitce Watch Party, 29 March 2020

Of Clark’s two appearances so far, note the stark contrast. When we first see him up close, he crashes through the ceiling as an imposing, powerful, god-like force. Here, he is bringing flowers and offering to make dinner. This is where we see him for who he truly is: a good-hearted, kind, gentle man who, for all intents and purposes, is virtually normal. This scene establishes a child-like goodness about him, especially as he hands Lois the rose.

“I think also, too, at first he doesn’t realise there are implications, he doesn’t realise there are consequences to his actions. He thinks he’s doing something good, but then I think he’s surprised and taken back that, ‘Oh, this is much more complicated.’”

Deborah Snyder, Forbes, 17 August 2016

We also learn that Clark is naïve and trying to avoid addressing these issues, just wanting to relax, stay positive, enjoy his time with Lois, and get her chin up as well. It’s quite adorable. He’s essentially trying to be the Superman that fans want him to be, but it’s not that simple, which is what Lois tries to tell him. This is important because it’s the first time on the big screen that Lois Lane has truly challenged Superman, rather than serving merely as a faithful love interest. That she fears their love makes for a conflict of interest conveys that she’s selfless too, and like many of Snyder’s protagonists, she understands the importance of the bigger picture. As we’ll soon learn, this isn’t even just about Superman, but Lois’ own conscience. Of course, the Man of Steel won’t be able to ignore the slings and arrows forever.

Most sexual scenes in movies play up the eroticism of the moment, leaving out the genuine romance and heart needed to convey emotional passion, while other scenes create a sanitised and utterly sexless romance often without any physical aspect whatsoever. The latter is very common in superhero movies, having been criticised by directors like Steven Soderbergh, Pedro Almodovar, Paul Verhoeven, and Richard Linklater. In this scene, however, not only has Snyder captured unapologetic sexuality in a superhero film, but has also struck a perfect balance, displaying the deep physical intimacy between the two characters while also highlighting the playfulness of the interaction and the affection they have for each other. It thus shows a truly healthy relationship in how comfortable they are with each other and how they enjoy being together — a kind of chemistry almost never seen in this genre.

“I really wanted to establish right away this kind of normal life for these two, this kind of domestic intimacy. Lois just taking a bath is the kind of thing… only couples when they’re with each other in this intimate way that doesn’t establish any kind of formality to their relationship other than how they deal with each other. I really wanted that to be front and centre because I felt like they’re just a normal couple, other than the fact they have to deal with these kinds of world issues. I wanted them, on their personal level, to feel very connected and very kind of normal. And this is stuff that we do, Debbie and I, all the time. I’ll bring you flowers to the bathroom! Of course, the problem is Henry [Cavill] is not quite as ripped as I am.”

Zack Snyder, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Watch Party, 29 March 2020

“I really wanted to get a sense of Clark and Lois. Their sort of domestic relationship is real. They live together, they’re a playful couple, and they are physical. I don’t want to say that it’s a danger, but it’s often that you imagine these two — Lois and Clark — as not intimate and not having a normal relationship, but I thought it was important to show that they could be like us. They’re just trying to love each other and just trying to live their lives.”

Zack Snyder, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Director’s Commentary 00:26:17

This is a reprieve from the recent serious events of the film, and it’s pleasant to see Clark and Lois simply enjoying their relationship and being happy. It gives weight to what is lost later on.

The first music track in this scene is “Bullet.” It once again serves as solely ambience. Lois’s theme from Man of Steel did not return for this film, though its curious and upbeat nature would likely not have fit anyway. This new piece creates a similarly inquisitive effect, but with a more appropriately solemn tone, since Lois is rightfully disturbed by what she lived through in Nairomi. The prior track “Branding” combined with this track correspond to “Vigilante” in the Deluxe Edition of the released score.

The second music track is “Bathtub Love,” consisting of a solemn, then romantic take on “Flight” from Man of Steel. This track is not in the released score.

BEHIND THE SCENE

“That was actually horrible trying to protect my modesty and unflattering garment while the demigod stood above me. I had lost self esteem for two weeks after that. It’s true. I’m hideous.”

Amy Adams, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Press Conference, 18 March 2015

“This was back in Detroit, of course, and Lois’ house was in Detroit too. This was great, but the set was a set that we shot on stage, but that over-the-railing shot was just downtown Detroit, and then [the apartment] was on stage. We built their loft as a big set. It was a great set, actually. We always thought that Lois’ apartment is probably a little too nice for a journalist, but she’s really good, I guess. She’s really got Perry. Perry’s really paying her too well. He’s got a soft spot for her. It’s a pretty cool apartment.”

Zack Snyder, Full Circle, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice commentary, 29 April 2023

The exterior of the apartment shared by Lois and Clark was filmed at the Wright-Kay Building, 1500 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan. The shooting date for the top-down shot is unknown, as no one seemed to document the event.

Lois and Clark’s loft was a set likely constructed at the late Michigan Motion Picture Studios along Centerpoint Parkway, Pontiac, Michigan. The sequences here were shot in June or July 2014 when the crew were filming in Pontiac. Art director Lorin Flemming designed the apartment, and you can find detailed photos of the set and conceptualisation at her website.

Deleted Footage

In deleted footage, Clark had to fix the leak in the ceiling in the apartment below caused by their overflowing the tub in this scene. It sounds like key second assistant director Misha Bukowski played the angry neighbour in a cameo.

“There was a sequence we did — I don’t think it’s in the movie at all — but it was that — I can’t remember exactly — but the water had gone to the apartment below them. Did we shoot it? I can’t remember if we shot it, but Clark had fixed the roof of the apartment below because they were mad. It was in the script for sure. We might’ve shot a little piece of it. I can’t remember.”

Zack Snyder, Full Circle, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice commentary, 29 April 2023

“There was a scene — we shot it, I can barely remember it — it’s the scene where Clark went down to the apartment below to fix the leak in the ceiling from them spilling the water out of the bathtub. Misha Bukowski — we called her Mrs Bukowski — because she lived below and was always banging her broom on the roof and would be like, ‘Hey, what’s going on up there?! You guys are making a lot of noise!’ It was a lot of shooting. Bukowski, the nosey neighbour who lived below Lois and Clark, who’s angry that water kept spilling out of the tub every night, coming into their bathroom. Not everything made it into the movie. She turned out to be a superhero too! No, I’m just kidding. She wasn’t. She was nobody!”

Zack Snyder, Full Circle, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Q&A, 29 April 2023