BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

BATMOBILE CHASE

Cut to the bow of the White Portuguese, it’s name written in white against the dark hull. The sound of a ship horn sets the port environment. The camera elevates to see a crane lift a pallet of cargo off the vessel’s deck and over to the loading dock below. Armed guards are patrolling as the transfer takes place.

Low string and synthesizer rumbles, uneasy but maintaining an ambience.

A suited man (Richard Burden) approaches from the dock to watch the unload, seeing the workers yell at each other while the crane operator works. He glances at someone and head signals his associates to collect the cargo as we hear the pallet touch down on the dock. Then he walks out of the shot. Burden last appeared during the Indian Ocean scene as the Westerner seeking the Kryptonite. Connecting him with the mercenaries indicates that Lex was having the World Engine site searched for any other fragments of Kryptonite.

Behind the Scene: This scene was shot long before the Indian Ocean sequence. Burden’s character was not originally meant to be there until, while filming this sequence, Snyder had the idea to make Burden the operative who discovers the large fragment.

“[Richard Burden] got to come down with us. You’ll see later, we see him at the dock when the Kryptonite’s being offloaded from the ship, and I was like, ‘Oh, you could be the guy who discovers [the Kryptonite]!’ Even though he’s just a stuntman who was there for a day, we ended up taking him to Bora Bora, [laughs]. He was like, ‘This is awesome!’”

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

“Okay, see? There’s [Richard Burden] again. It was this moment here where he points up at the thing that ended him up in Bora Bora five months later. It was in reverse. We shot that like, ‘Okay, so now you’re with us the rest of the journey.’”

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

Men unhook the ratchet straps securing the cargo — a wooden crate and a container marked with the warning text, “Rocket ammunition with explosive projectile.” Two henchmen carry away the weapons container while Burden beckons a forklift truck towards the wooden crate.

Rumble from the low synthesizer.

Aerial view of the dock. Down below, the forklift wheels the crate away from the White Portuguese towards the nearby trailer of a truck, surrounded by an escort of black vehicles. In the foreground is a dockside container crane, and the camera ascends to reveal Batman at the top, cape flowing in the wind as he watches the operation unfold. We push on him, obscuring the events unfolding through his black silhouette. This is Batman’s first present-day appearance in-costume since the branding scene, having been devoted to detective work as Bruce Wayne between then and now.

Fade into a fast variation of Batman Theme A repeating on percussion over a rising string figure joined by intense choral elements, reaching a crescendo as we close on Batman. Then dropping silent.

Behind the Scene

DC film/TV director and storyboard artist Jay Oliva tweeted his storyboard of this shot.

Two men help guide the forklift’s cargo inside the trailer, then push the crate deeper. As they slide the crate in, we focus on the LexCorp sticker to remind us who is really pulling the strings here and give us a clue of where the Kryptonite is located.

Through Batman’s scope, we see two thugs carry the black munitions container into the trailer after the wooden crate. Red targeting brackets track Knyazev as he follows his men inside. He signals and yells, “Move out!”

Percussive beat for dramatic effect.

Wide rear shot of Batman against the evening sky. We circle around him, revealing the barrel of a Remington 700 rifle aimed down at the operation below. Zack Snyder confirmed this references panels from The Dark Knight Returns to imply he is about to assassinate someone, which is thematically appropriate when his whole purpose here is to pursue the means of assassinating Superman.

Another percussive beat to accompany the image of Batman with a rifle.

Low-angle shot of Batman from beside his scope, and we pull back to rack focus to the barrel to emphasise him taking aim as he looks through the sight. Considering the thematic similarities between the two films, this may be a reference to a shot from Terminator 2: Judgement Day, where Sarah Connor aims a rifle at the home of Miles Dyson with the intent of killing him to prevent a dystopian future, making this one of several possible references to that film.

Knyazev reaches up to pull down the trailer door. Just as it closes, Batman fires a shot. Close-up on the exterior of the trailer as Batman’s tracking device hits the metal, flashing a little red light. This indicates a move timed to ensure the device hits the trailer coinciding with the door closing to go unnoticed. Fortunately, and to our relief, Batman has not performed an assassination here, but as we shall see, it makes little difference considering the destruction to come.

Rising tension in the music builds anticipation to Batman taking the shot before a driving (no pun intended) percussive drum beat begins over a grungy, growling low synthesizer when the tracker hits.

The mercenaries hurry to their cars, followed closely by the camera to build excitement. They splash puddles as they sprint. At the same time, the truck begins moving out, and the vehicles form a convoy:

• At the head of the convoy is the 2014 Iveco Stralis Hi-Way truck.
• Flanking its left is a 2014 Dodge Durango (Dodge #1).
• Flanking its right is a 2015 Dodge Challenger (Dodge #2).
• In the middle of the convoy, another 2014 Dodge Durango (Dodge #3).
• In the left rear, a 2015 Dodge Charger (Dodge #4).
• In the right rear, another 2015 Dodge Challenger on the right (Dodge #5).

A car driving through a puddle sprays dirty water on one of the other vehicles. A security guard pushes open the chain link gate. Just as the semi leaves the dock, a passing tanker truck halts their advance momentarily.

Music terminates.

Cut to a different, more predatory vehicle lurking in the dark. Then its headlights flash on and the engine revs up, and at long last, we get our new Batmobile.

As the lights come on, a very strong Batman Theme A begins with intense choral elements.

A thug (Albert Valladares) in the back right seat of Dodge #4 (driven by Burden) looks out his window at the sudden light.

The Batmobile’s rocket thruster fires up, propelling the vehicle forward with a start.

Cut to the plastic covers beneath a sign that reads, “Nicholson Terminal & Dock Company”. This might have been chosen as a reference Jack Nicholson’s Joker from Tim Burton’s 1989 film Batman, but the company is very real. The lights of the Batmobile illuminate the plastic sheets.

Valladares frantically yells, “Go, go, go, go!” while hitting the driver’s seat.

Batman looks focused inside the Batmobile. We then see the vehicle plough through the plastic sheets and out onto the road, heading straight for one of the cars.

The driving beat from before resumes, intertwined with occurrences of Batman Theme A / Bruce Wayne Motif together and low growls from brass and synthesizer with the occasional repeating figure on higher synthesizer.

Valladares emerges from his window to begin firing a Heckler & Koch MP7A1 submachine gun, and his car moves out of the Batmobile’s path.

Batman’s vehicle collides with another car, Dodge #5, as the Batmobile turns to follow the convoy down the street. We hear the infamous Wilhelm Scream as the car hurtles spinning through the air into a trailer, crushing it.

“Boom. What was cool about that shot was, when we did the first take of that car getting hit, it went up on that container or that little construction office, and it landed directly on top. It was like this crazy coincidence. It just stayed on top of that container, so we were like, ‘That looks crazy,’ so we had to take it down and do it again, only this time we weakened the container so it would crush it.”

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

Pursuing the fleeing convoy, Batman looks down at a screen targeting the capsized vehicle behind him, displaying the words, “Target locked.” He flips the “Harpoon” switch and a hatch open on the back of the vehicle to launch the Batmobile’s harpoon and tether the crashed Dodge #5, dragging it along with a cable like a flimsy toy.

Valladares frantically looks over his shoulder with terror as the Batmobile follows over the train track with its improvised wrecking ball.

The convoy takes a left, and Valladares uses the opportunity to fire at Batman again from Dodge #4 with his submachine gun. Bullets spark harmlessly against the Batmobile’s armour.

Then Dodge #4 pulls off the road behind a concrete barrier to ambush their pursuer. A thug in the front passenger seat (using a M249 SAW Paratrooper machine gun) and another in the rear right seat both focus their fire on Batman now.

Batman taps a button, releasing the cable. The inertia of the abused Dodge #2 carries it through the air over Dodge #4. The thug in the passenger seat screams, “No!”

Then the vehicle crashes down upon them, pinning the car in place.

With two cars down, Batman rounds a corner and continues following the convoy, revving up the engine.

The semi truck and its three remaining escorts race down a road through a Marathon oil refinery. The Batmobile gives chase.

A slow but dramatic Batman Theme B.

Dodge #3 hangs back from the rest of the convoy to delay Batman. The rear cover is suddenly torn open, revealing a threatening mounted Dillon Aero M134 Minigun. The thug in control begins shooting at the Batmobile with it, but the barrage of bullets bounces harmlessly off the black vehicle’s exterior.

Batman pulls the trigger on a joystick and begins firing the Batmobile’s forward mounted machine gun turret, ripping Dodge #3 to shreds before a rear wheel collapses. The SUV loses balance and begins tumbling down the street before the Batmobile drives through the wreckage in a blaze of fire.

“I’m sure these guys are fine. They’re gonna be a hundred percent okay. They’re not at all dead, those guys in the car there. They’re a hundred percent fine. We should have done an A-Team shot of them like, ‘Augh…’ on the side of the road, getting up like, ‘Ugh, that hurt…’ But they’re fine. Just for the PG-13 of it all.”

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

A train horn blares as the truck travels under the train overpass over East Milwaukee Avenue. The Batmobile follows when Batman notices a thug shooting him from the passenger seat of Dodge #1 in the adjacent line, yelling as he fires his weapon.

Soundtrack breaks into a more subdued, repeating string and synthesizer pattern.

The truck emerges from under the bridge and takes a sharp left turn down Hastings Street. Dodge #2 turns after it, followed by Dodge #1. Batman turns hard on the wheel and drifts around the corner in pursuit, the two cars flanking the left and right of the truck yet again.

The trailer opens, revealing two thugs with machine guns and Knyazev carrying a FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missile launcher, having retrieved it from the weapons crate set up earlier. He begins aiming the weapon while the other two men fire their machine guns.

Repeating string figures to highlight the new threat, leads into a percussion break.

Seeing the advanced weapon, Batman turns to get behind Dodge #1. From his targeting interface, Knyazev can no longer get a lock on the Batmobile.

A Gotham City Gas tanker truck comes down the road, and Dodge #2 hastily switches lanes to avoid a collision. The tanker is a sign of things to come.

Down the road, the semi makes a sharp left turn onto another street, the three men in the trailer fighting to stay balanced.

Batman is closely tailing Dodge #2, taking a sharp turn off Chene and up Guoin Street.

String figures give over to a more subdued drum beat.

Down the road, the semi and Dodge #1 pass by another Gotham City Gas tanker, which then drives into the road, blocking it.

Seeing this, Batman pulls on the controls and turns right, trying to pass Dodge #2. The vehicle’s driver is distracted by the manoeuvre. Then he sees the tanker ahead and shields his face in panic. The car ploughs right into the tanker, consumed in a tremendous fireball.

Batman Theme A hits hard with another dramatic chorus.

Batman squints in the light of the blast. His route blocked, he is forced to drive through a building’s brick wall and up a ramp, into a warehouse.

Chorus backs off to make way for another synthesizer figure, giving a break in the intense action.

At the semi, Knyazev gawks at the billowing fire. The semi makes another right turn into the Russel Industrial Centre as Knyazev looks around frantically. “Where is he?!” he yells. He and his associates glance around.

Inside the large warehouse, Batman steps on the accelerator and fires the rocket thruster.

A moment later, the Batmobile bursts through the second-floor wall of a building, emerging directly above the semi in slow-motion, flattening a portion of the rear of the trailer. At the very least, one of the thugs was flattened.

Brass, choir, and strings join back in while Batman Theme A is played repeatedly on percussion in a blaze of destructive glory.

Coming in for a landing, the Batmobile knocks Dodge #1 off the road, tumbling away. Batman seems to lose control before careening into three grounded wooden boats, shattering them. Then he collides with a much larger vessel, breaking the supports, and the hull collapses on top of the Batmobile.

Music cuts out, providing a sudden and abrupt pause in the action with the possibility that Batman has been crushed.

The semi makes another right turn. From the roofless trailer, Knyazev and one other thug have survived the collision. Knyazev watches.

Cut back to the crashed boat. After a pause, bullets tear through the ship’s hull from within, and the Batmobile flies out unscathed and unstoppable. It speeds down the road after the truck.

Percussive drum beat continues, the Batmobile’s theme billowing on undeterred.

While the thug beside him fires a machine gun, Knyazev finally has a clear view. He aims and fires the rocket launcher at Batman’s vehicle.

Hearing a missile warning, Batman flips a switch, firing off a hail of flares, intercepting the missile and detonating it prematurely in a fireball. The Batmobile drives right through the roiling fire, undeterred. At this point, one might presume that, with the escort dealt with and anti-tank rockets useless, nothing can stop Batman’s assault.

“Batman used missile countermeasures. They are on modern tanks now. I used reference that Zack had found of a Russian tank using them if I remember correctly.”

Jay Oliva, Twitter, 23 August 2018

Batman Theme A on a mighty chorus, further bolstering the dramatic carnage as flames do nothing to stop this onslaught.

The truck takes a right corner, and Batman follows with a tight turn, only to find Superman standing in his way, the Batmobile’s headlights gleaming on the Man of Steel in slow-motion.

Behind the Scene

DC film/TV director and storyboard artist Jay Oliva tweeted his storyboard of this shot.

As you can see from Larry Fong’s video, it was Zack Snyder who held the spotlight filling in for the headlights of the Batmobile.

Batman Theme A is replaced with what resembles a dramatic choral rendition of Bruce Wayne Motif.

Batman looks awed at the unexpected sight for a moment before stepping on the breaks.

The vehicle collides with Superman’s knee. He does not budge an inch, but the Batmobile careens out of control and crashes, igniting some oil tanks. After everything the Batmobile has just endured, bouncing against Superman like this only highlights how hilariously outmatched Batman is. Samuel Otten pointed out that this might be visual foreshadowing of Batman’s future downing in the Batwing at Doomsday’s hands, as both vehicles are totalled by a Kryptonian.

Sudden break in the monstrous soundtrack coinciding with Superman’s abrupt end to Batman’s rampage.

Again in slow-motion, Superman approaches the Batmobile, his flowing cape blown back in our direction and almost making it look like he is flying.

Percussive beats.

“As far as I remember, there was going to be a beginning and an end. The Batmobile needed to be this vehicle of destruction that just was unstoppable and create all this mayhem until it comes into contact with the Man of Steel, so that juxtaposition had to be really evident, that it was blasting through semi trucks, it was going through walls. Just wasn’t even hesitating when it was smashing through this stuff, and at the end when it runs into Superman it stops dead and is damaged. The might of the Batmobile had to be on display so it was really significant when it hits Superman at the end.”

Tim Rigby, Batman v Superman: By The Minute, 13 November 2020, 20:11

Inside the Batmobile, the cockpit fills with smoke. A damage alarm is beeping urgently. Batman looks around frantically. He stops struggling when he hears the sound of footsteps against the vehicle’s chassis and looks up from the controls.

Shoulder shot from Batman to see Superman through the smoke, reaching down and ripping the two halves of the canopy off the vehicle. He looks down at Batman for a moment before tossing them aside.

Wide ground-level shot of the scene as half the torn canopy clatters by us. Left with no escape, and yet fully aware of just how helpless he is, Batman rises and stands defiantly before Superman. The leaking smoke finally ceases, and the two titans are finally together on screen the big screen for the first time in cinematic history. Samuel Otten pointed out that Superman here stands in Batman’s way both literally and figuratively, an obstacle preventing him from carrying out his goals. Otten also mentioned how Batman rising from the smoke-filled cockpit could also be symbolic of him rising up from Hell to meet the Heavenly Superman.

Dramatic percussion, strings, and vocals sound to herald the moment before terminating to let dialogue take over under a quiet, ambience rumble.

Behind the Scene

DC film/TV director and storyboard artist Jay Oliva tweeted his storyboard of this shot.

Looking disgusted, Superman warns with a stern tone, “Next time they shine your light in the sky, don’t go to it. The Bat is dead. Bury it.” Samuel Otten pointed out this might tie into Bruce’s later explanation to Alfred regarding how he feels Batman has left no meaningful impact on Gotham by fighting crime in Gotham, which in turn reinvigorates him to confront that which makes him feel helpless, like Superman here. Then Superman turns his back to the vigilante, finishing, “Consider this mercy.”

Ominous growl from the music as Superman makes his threat.

Batman watches Superman turn away.

With Superman’s back turned, Batman suddenly says in his synthesised voice, “Tell me.”

Superman stops in his tracks, turning his head to look back over his shoulder at Batman.

Another growl.

Totally calm, Batman asks, “Do you bleed?” This question positions Superman as something so “other” than he cannot relate to humanity, or even an animal, showing how far Batman has dehumanised him as something unworthy of moral consideration.

Superman glares at Batman for a moment. Superman abruptly shoots into the sky, and we pan up to see him disappear into the night.

Glaring after him, Batman angrily remarks, “You will.” He will make good on this promise. This is a likely reference to Leonidas’ threat to Xerxes in Zack Snyder’s cinematic adaptation 300 (2006), promising to show the world that even a god king can bleed, so the themes of man triumphing over god are present between both films.

Bat Ostinato as Batman watches Superman leave.

Possibly Deleted Dialogue

In The Art of the Film (81), an altered version of Superman’s words to Batman here is presented, likely from an earlier draft of the script: “Your light in the sky will be my signal. Next time they call you, don’t go to it. Because I’ll be there. No talking next time.”

Cut to the lake. The waters part to reveal a hidden entrance beneath. The Batmobile, led by its headlights through the trees, emerges from the forest to leap over an embankment, soar through the air, and into the tunnel in the lake. The Glass House can be seen on the far side of the lake as the waters close once again. It is an extremely elaborate, but also incredibly intense method of escaping into the Batcave.

Bat Ostinato explodes into Batman Theme A on percussion, rising throughout the dramatic sequence.

The Batmobile speeds down a spiral tunnel deeper underground, sparking to indicate the damage from its recent collision with Superman.

Cut to a large metal hatch, a heavy locking mechanism unlatching to pull the doorway up. The Batmobile comes through, driving right over us.

High-angle shot of the vehicle speeding down a long causeway suspended from the ceiling over a subterranean lake, adhering to the new Batcave’s hanging motif. The Batmobile comes to rest in the garage, trailing smoke.

Having reached its peak, the music comes to a sudden halt.

“It was Zack’s idea that he wanted the Batmobile to come out of the lake. If you have the car coming out of the lake, you don’t know what the origin of the Batcave is. You can’t see it. A vehicle disappearing in water leaves no trace. So we had the concept that the last part of the tunnel is mechanical, that it lifts just at the edge of the water and the water drains off when the cage rises. The tunnel opens and the car can actually jump and land further into the forest so you don’t have any tracks.”

Patrick Tatopoulos, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Tech Manual, 22 March 2016, p146

“You could have a car that goes under water, but that’s a little James Bond for me. We never want to be in sci-fi world with Batman. Whatever happens, Batman is a very real man and everything he has should feel very real.” (Patrick Tatopoulos, Tech Manual, p148)

High-angle shot on the Batmobile, and we watch Batman jump out. As the vehicle rotates on its platform to face the exit, Batman heads for the stairs and removes his cowl, briefly disappearing behind the concrete walkways between us and him.

Bat Ostinato continues, though everything else drops out except a soft Batman Theme A on timpani.

Behind the Scene

This is a Texas Switch. Removing the cowl messes up the black eye makeup, so after Affleck’s stunt double Richard Cetrone exited the Batmobile and passed under the concrete, Ben Affleck continued from there without the makeup.

“We were having a lot of fun with that because we hadn’t had any shots in the film where [Ben Affleck and I] were both in the same shot as Batman. So, I jump out of the Batmobile, rip off the cowl, walk behind a wall, start walking up the steps, Ben’s standing there, and he takes the rest of the way up to the Batcave. We had a ball doing that. We just had so much fun.”

Richard Cetrone, Holy BatCast, 17 April 2017, 01:18:45

“This is a Texas Switch, so it was Rich [Cetrone] getting out of the [Batmobile] and then Ben coming there. Because the cowl, when you take it off, it completely messes you up, so we thought we would take it off with that. That way you could take it off and come upstairs and still be in great shape.”

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

“Run that clip a bit longer and you’ll see what’s called a ‘Texas Switch’. Stuntman Rich Cetrone jumps out of the Batmobile, and is hidden for a moment; then it’s Ben Affleck who continues up the stairs without his cowl on.”

Larry Fong, Twitter, 20 July 2024

Cut to the Bat-computer. Bruce walks in and gets straight to work, standing at the keyboard to begin typing. A satellite map appears across the multiple screens displaying the flashing text, “Searching for transponder signal,” accompanied by a beeping sound.

Batman Theme B joins on French horn and trombone.

Cut to black.

Transitioning from the beeping of the Bat-computer, we hear a truck’s back-up alarm. Fly out from the back of Lex’s black coat to reveal a LexCorp loading station, where Knyazev’s truck is backing up into the dock. The vehicle has been ripped to shreds after the encounter with Batman, but no one seems to be bothered. Armed LexCorp guards are everywhere.

Cut to see the crate withdrawn via forklift from beside the truck, descending below the torn metal to draw our attention to the beeping tracking device that has managed to cling to the vehicle still. In the background, Lex directs the forklift with his hands, commanding it to approach before halting it right in front of him, again exercising his powers for the pure satisfaction of it.

Cut back to the Batcave. The Bat-computer has completed the trace and located the transponder signal at LexCorp Research Park, which we can see from satellite footage.

Batman Theme A and Batman Theme B cut out, building on Bat Ostinato, a bit of musical foreshadowing that Batman will eventually get what he was after.

Medium shot on Bruce, closing to a medium close-up as he looks at the screen.

On the crack of wood, close-up on crowbars wrenching open the lid of the wooden crate. It is lifted open, and we pan up to see Lex place his hands on the rim. The container within sits on a bed of straw.

Codex Motif to emphasise the Kryptonite’s presence, still layered over the Bat Ostinato.

Lex opens the lid, and green light illuminates his face.

The music terminates abruptly when Lex sees his prize.

Mercy and Knyazev stand beside each other nearby. Mercy steps forward to approach her boss, and we see a mercenary and LexCorp guard in the background looking over the damage to the truck.

The Krypton Motif comes in under a slow, partial variation of Lex Luthor Theme A.

When Mercy stops to look at the Kryptonite below, Lex looks up from the emerald mineral, at her.

Then Mercy looks up at Lex from the Kryptonite and smiles at him triumphantly, the Kryptonite reflecting in her glasses, perhaps to represent what she cannot unsee.

Lex Luthor Theme B on low keys, then on strings.

Lex continues looking at her and sighs. There are two valid ways to interpret this simple detail. Either way, Lex has just enough familiarity and appreciation for his faithful aide — the one person genuinely devoted to him — that he feels disappointed that he is about to lose her, and is steeling his resolve.

1. Lex allowed her to get too close, literally. She knows too much, and is too innocent to condone what he is about to do, so he concludes that she is a liability.
2. For the next phase of his plan, Lex needs a sacrificial lamb to avoid suspicion over his absence from the Capitol bombing. By placing his top aide in harm’s way, it appears more as though Lex was simply delayed.

As if emphasising Lex’s dark intentions, we hear the ominous sound of lightning, leading us to the next scene.

SCENE OVERVIEW

SCENE ANALYSIS

Some of the imagery in this scene may reference the comic Batman: War on Crime (1999) by Alex Ross and Paul Dini.

This scene is approximately 7m10s down to the frame. The action sequence is 4m3s from the frame we cut to the Batmobile and the last frame on Batman after he says, “You will.”

This scene plays a major role in the movie, accomplishing many essential goals…

1. It allows Batman to exhibit his destructive and reckless brutality.
2. It sets up the first in-costume meeting between Batman and Superman to draw out their conflict.
3. It sets up the fight between the two characters: “Next time they shine your light in the sky, don’t go to it.” – “Well, here I am.”
4. It allows Superman to put his resentment for Batman on the back-burner as we return to the controversy and approach the Capitol bombing.
5. It introduces us to the incredible new Batmobile.
6. It explains why Batman is using the Batwing instead of the Batmobile when it gets trashed.
7. Batman needs to learn where the Kryptonite is in order to steal it, so he obviously needs to pursue it while he has the chance. The alternative is to assume the Kryptonite is at LexCorp, assault the building, plough through all the guards, and hope it is still there.
8. We need to see that Lex has smuggled the Kryptonite into the country with Knyazev’s help, and we need to see Lex acquire it.
9. Batman wants the Kryptonite, so he necessarily needs to pursue it when he gets a good opportunity. He is doing the thing he logically needs to do.

The first track in this scene is Chase. It is a medley of nearly all of Batman’s themes and motifs, rearranged in a way that tonally fits the scene, conveying his rage in sync with the movements of the Batmobile and beats of the spectacle. This track corresponds to Do You Bleed? in the commercially-available versions of the score with minor changes.

The second track in this scene is Do You Bleed. It is mostly just a musical backdrop for the scene. The frantic, explosive Batman music in the beginning reflects the Batmobile barely making it back to the Batcave in one piece. The latter third of this track is extended into the next scene. This track is not on any commercially-available version of the score.

BEHIND THE SCENE

The White Portuguese was shot at the Nicholson Terminal and Dock Company, 360 East Great Lakes Street, River Rouge, Michigan, along the Detroit River. The location was first reported by OLV on 12 May 2014. It was formerly a location for Transformers: Age of Extinction, The Double, Real Steel, and Kill the Irishman. The building from which the Batmobile dramatically emerged was demolished at some point in 2015 between April and November. Filming was around 4 September 2014. The car the Batmobile punts was filmed for real, but the second shot of the vehicle flying into the office was done with springs. Set photographer Clay Enos took these two beautiful photos from the location. Specialty costumer Tony Acosta got a photo of Base camp, set up nearby. Additional second assistant directors Maggie Callis got [1] and Ryan J Pezdirc [1/2].

The Batmobile mounted minigun sequence was filmed at the Marathon Petroleum Corporation site at 12800 Toronto Street. The company logo can be seen on the oil containers in the film. MLive.com first reported the location, and it was possibly filmed on 3 September. Set photographer Clay Enos posted a Twitter photo of furnaces and pipes with the sly text, “The plain of Marathon.”

Afterwards, the Batmobile chases the convoy West under the elevated railway over Milwaukee Avenue before making a sharp turn South down Hastings Street when the truck opens and mercenaries fire at the Batmobile. The chase then turns onto Piquette Avenue. This sequence was filmed on the night of the 16th of September, and the fake gunfire was heard by concerned citizens living nearby. The shoot and its bright lights could be glimpsed from Rivard Street. On Instagram, @shelbymurphy88 got a photo of what seems to be Zack Snyder talking to the stunt crew, @shiva_honey posted footage of the sharp turn and gunfire, and additional second assistant director Maggie Callis got this photo.

The Batmobile takes a sharp turn off Chene and onto Guoin Street. Down the road, the exploding oil tanker was shot at 3049-901 Guoin Street, where a fake wall was built into the garage door of 1370, and a Gotham City Gas billboard was built on the wall of 2679, above where the tanker emerges in the film. The explosion was fully practical, and multiple tankers were brought in for retakes of the blast, each with visible telephone numbers: 335-012-8643. The sequence was filmed the night of the 15th. The stunt Batmobiles were parked on the empty lot at 2674 Wight Street, and a destroyed tanker was left on 2200 Franklin Street. Director of photography Larry Fong photographed the sky above.

The boat destruction, missile explosion, and Superman encounter were shot at the Russell Industrial Centre, a textile warehouse on 1600 Clay Street, Detroit. The location was likely scouted on 19 July based on this photo by key second assistant director Misha Bukowski. The location was closed from the 2nd to the 18th of September for the duration of filming. On the 7th, a notice was posted warning locals that shooting for Sage & Milo would occur on the 9th to the 12th and that heavy pyrotechnics would be employed on the 10th for the missile explosion. The boats were destroyed for real using a proxy stunt car affectionately nicknamed the “Smashmobile”. One YouTuber took this video of the Batmobile performing the leap from the wreck of the (CGI) boat with a tracking shot of the damaged truck with Knyazev, and this video of two models getting prepped. Director of photography Larry Fong posted a small behind-the-scenes clip to Vero of Superman’s entrance. Base camp was nearby at 2611 Chrysler Drive. Bananadoc got many photos of the boat set and the roof from which the crew filmed the explosion. Local resident Jimmie Nitrez got some good photos. Additional second assistant directors Maggie Callis [1] and Ryan J Pezdirc [1/2] got photos.

Zack Snyder showed off the new Batmobile again on 11 September. On 13 September 2014, while filming the Batmobile chase in Detroit, Snyder tweeted a photo of the GCPD arresting a Stormtrooper with the Batmobile to combat a rumour of the vehicle getting stolen, later crediting Star Wars cosplayer Arturo Delgado for the fun. Delgado also tweeted a photo with Zack Snyder and the GCPD cops. Channel 7 documented the shoot here and here, and Autoblog got many clear spy shots of the Batmobile.

“For the Batmobile chase the desire was to try and film as much as possible in camera with the real Batmobile and practical effects. Where necessary we would augment the real Batmobile an example being the backfire from the large central exhaust pipe and the rear mounted cable/harpoon. When the scene required a stunt that would damage the real Batmobile we would use the proxy version (that we affectionately referred to as the “Smashmobile”) to collide with objects and replace the Smashmobile in post with the CG Batmobile.

Lastly came the category of shots that were unachievable with either vehicle and those comprised of a mix of putting the CG Batmobile into live action plates and full CG shots. One complication for the chase was that while it appears as a continuous chase in the film it was filmed over multiple weeks in various locations throughout Detroit. To try and maintain the sense of continuity we would look for ways to integrate details from the previous cuts/locations into the backgrounds of subsequent shots. Additionally we needed to remove iconic Detroit landmarks and add additional gritty industrial detail to the background to help it feel like Gotham.”

Bryan Hirota, Art of VFX, 11 April 2016

Possibly Deleted Footage: According to Detroit News, the Batmobile was filmed speeding along Vernor Highway under the train tracks beside Michigan Central Station (where the Batman/Superman fight was shot). It may have been a deleted sequence from this scene.

“It’s really important that we have [real] locations and cars that work; that everything isn’t just [CG] virtual world. The key is keeping it grounded. We shot this practically as much as we could, down to the explosions, to the car flips. There’s something really exciting about that. And then when we needed to, we enhanced it with CG, [but] those moments you can’t tell what’s real and what’s CG, that’s when it’s most exciting and most effective.”

Deborah Snyder, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Tech Manual, 22 March 2016, p10

Click here for a featurette on the creation of this scene. BvS: By The Minute did an interview with stunt coordinator Tim Rigby across three episodes that I recommend viewing here, here, and here. According to him, the previsualisation for this scene was as simple as several grown men on their hands and knees using toy cars to plan out the sequence, which they found very comedic. Stunt performer Gene Hartline drove Knyazev’s truck.

“There was a full size Batcave built on one of the stages at the studio in Michigan. It looked great but only covered 180 degrees and for the shot where the Batmobile returns needed more like 360 degrees of coverage and had to be much larger. Scanline extended the environment by creating the cavernous space that housed the Batcave and continued the ramp that extended out past the hydraulic door through the tunnel and to the large doors that let the Batmobile in or out through the lake.”

Bryan Hirota, Art of VFX, 11 April 2016

The Batmobile began as a sketch by production designer Patrick Tatopoulos on a napkin in a coffee shop. From this simple silhouette, an epic vehicle began to grow. The design is more aggressive and predatory than past iterations, yet still retains a militaristic element, armed with missile launchers, grappling hook, and the gun turret that Snyder wanted to be a very visible. The bat motif is represented in the wing-like opening of the canopy doors. It was designed with modularity in mind, allowing for new components to easily be added in the future. The built vehicle is a fully capable stunt car.

“It is phenomenal. This thing is so bad-ass and it runs like you would not believe. It sounds incredible. The Batmobiles done in the past were super cool, so how do you top it? But it really is a work of art. It’s militaristic, it looks battle-beaten. It’s just a magnificent vehicle in so many ways.”

Deborah Snyder, Press Release, March 2016

The Batcave was constructed across two soundstages at the late Michigan Motion Picture Studios along Centerpoint Parkway, Pontiac, Michigan. Production designer Patrick Tatopoulos in the Art of the Film and Tech Manual described it as “oppressive” with how the roof of the cave is very low, as though you “barely have the space to live in there.” The blocky, minimalistic, concrete aesthetic of the Glass House above is reflected in the design, which is arguably a reflection of Bruce’s anti-social attitude. The intention with the architecture was to make everything suspended from above to be “reminiscent of the concept of a bat,” and work tables in the lab are attached to a gantry system on the ceiling for moving them around. You can see the official Batcave behind-the-scenes featurette on YouTube. Warner Brothers and Google Maps collaborated with Territory Studio to create a 360-degree virtual tour of the Batcave set which is sadly no longer available, but you can still see videos of the tour. The sequences here were shot in June or July 2014 when the crew were filming in Pontiac.

The LexCorp Research Park cargo dock was shot at a cargo dock on the West side of 2011 Centerpoint Parkway, Pontiac, Michigan, a former General Motors building. During his time there, director of photography Larry Fong posted these photos to Instagram. On 12 May 2014, Jesse Eisenberg said he would begin filming in exactly one month, so this was likely one of his first scenes shot for the movie, and interior LexCorp filming was scheduled for around the 12th and 13th of June before rescheduling to the 16th and 17th.