BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

BURN HIM

In the dark, we hear Jenny Jurwich say, “And so, we are left to wonder” — cut to Jenny reading an article to a co-worker at the Daily Planet — “if Superman was aware of the threat and did nothing, was he then complicit in the Capitol tragedy?”

The camera ascends over the office cubicle wall to see Perry walking down the next aisle. Pan down to see him pass by Lois’ desk. “Still no Kent?” he asks, sounding somewhat worried, hinting at a concern for the disobedient employee that you might not have expected considering Perry’s regular cynical and even nihilistic attitude. Evidently, Clark has not been to work in some time. We can assume that Perry is afraid Clark had attended the Capitol hearing when the bombing occurred, but a bold theory is Perry knows Clark is Superman and genuinely wants the Man of Steel back.

Nearby, we can hear Jenny say, “His disappearance raises questions,” as if responding directly to Perry’s words, especially considering Clark and Superman are the same person.

Lois at her desk looks back at Perry and responds, “No.”

Cut to one of the television screens showing CNN with a report titled “Was Suprman Involved?” A reporter discusses the subject, saying, “There are still so many unanswered questions. Chief among them, whether Superman was involved in the planning of this attack. I mean, here’s an individual who has unlimited power, yet did nothing to stop the bomber just a few feet away from him.”

As she says this, the report shows a riot in progress. They parade an effigy of Superman through the street, burning it for the world to see. The crowd yells in rage and prejudice. It is day now.

Wide shot pushing in on the television in a new location aboard a ferry, where a group of what looks like sanitation workers are standing around the a wall-mounted television, watching the same news report. The news ticker below the CNN report says that demonstrators are clashing with police and that the Metropolis mayor will instate a curfew as of 10:00PM, further indicating just how intense this hatred has become.

Reverse shot from beside the screen to get a look at their faces. They all look a little troubled at the very least. One shakes his head, indicating disappointment, likely in the media’s demonising of Superman. These might be the oil rig workers saved by Clark in Man of Steel, but we would have seen them earlier had Snyder included the long take version of the ferry sequence with Clark.

The reporter finishes, “It just doesn’t add up for investigators.”

The reporter’s script is setting up Lex’s reference to the Problem of Evil later on. Is Superman good but unable to stop the bombing? Then he lacks unlimited power. Does he have unlimited power? Then he is not good and must have allowed the bombing. This is the exact narrative Lex wanted to concoct, and of course, the real answer is that Superman is neither all-good nor all-powerful. He is just a guy trying to do the right thing with those powers he does have.

As the reporter finishes speaking, we hear the rioters begin chanting, “Burn him! Burn him! Burn him!”

High-angle shot on a television in a rundown apartment, a young boy sitting on the floor. His toys are scattered around. He stands up, eyes fixed on the screen as the chanting continues.

“Burn him! Burn him! Burn him!”

Low-angle medium shot of the kid, his mother behind him, and we realise these are the same mother and son who Clark met earlier when he came looking for Kahina Ziri in Gotham, so this must be the same apartment. The kid turns to her, and she shakes her head.

“Burn him! Burn him! Burn him!”

Return to the Daily Planet television, pushing in as the news camera zooms on the burning Superman effigy. We see now a bag over its head.

The chants intensify: “Burn him! Burn him! Burn him!”

All goes quiet. Low-angle establishing shot on snowy mountains beneath a cloudy sky, scattered with trees. Pan down to see a caravan amid the snow and foliage. Horses are visible in the right background being led away. Clark trudges up the hill, and we track him in a handheld shot. No flight. He even has a backpack of supplies with him. Once again, he is taking a journey as a mere man, not a Superman. He is growing a beard, so at least a few days have passed since we last saw him. The cut to here answers the question of where Superman is.

Cut to an old goat herder (Sal Lopez) looking down at the newcomer from the caravan, and says, “Dile que por veinte Americanos, no lo vimos,” Spanish for, “Tell him that for twenty Americans [US dollars], we didn’t see him.” A younger herder (Marcel Shihadeh) is over his shoulder.

Clark takes long strides up the snowy climb, hands in his pockets, when the younger herder says, “For twenty American he didn’t see you. Same for me.” They are offering their silence in exchange for $20, assuming Clark does not want anyone to know he has been there.

Clark does not say a word, glancing sideways to give them a cold look and quietly continuing his hike up through the mountain. This bribe offer comes as yet more negativity thrown in his face.

Wide rear shot on Clark continuing up the mountain, as if returning defeated to Olympus. The old herder enters the frame from the left to watch him leave, his stick in hand as the younger man comes up beside him. The old herder says, “El ve que el pico no es pasable,” translated in subtitles as, “He can see the mountain’s not passable.” He finishes, “Ha venido a morir,” translated as, “He’s come to die.” A mournful conclusion to the sequence.

This is undoubtedly symbolic. Ahead of Clark is a seemingly unsurmountable problem — the incredible, unfathomable weight of the responsibility on his shoulders. To be Superman is an impossible burden to bear. But Clark can scale that mountain because, unbeknownst to the herders, he is not human, and yet, he will die. He will overcome the problem with inhuman strength of will, yet his humanity will be solidified by his mortality.

We next hear a reporter say, “Now, one FBI official–“

Wide shot of Lois, bare-foot on her apartment couch as the news plays out, pushing forward on her. The empty space in the frame leaves most of the couch unclaimed and Lois alone to emphasise Clark’s absence. This cut contrasts the cold environment of the mountain with the warmth of the apartment the two share together. Clark needs to realise that he belongs here with Lois.

Lois turns to the table beside the couch, where a photo of Clark and her sits, and she stares at it. She clearly misses Clark.

The reporter (Jay Towers again) on Metropolis 8 News continues, “–familiar with this case told me they found, quote, ‘a jackpot of bomb-making materials inside Keefe’s apartment.’” At this point, the immense prevalence of the media should be starting to become slightly grating, and understandably so. The media now dominates everything, every conversation. A narrative of controversy and pessimism is constantly being spun, and almost everyone is glued to the television.

Rack focus to the television now as Lois takes notice, turning back to the screen. We can see Keefe’s apartment has been closed-off and FBI workers are removing boxes from the premises. The report is titled, “Metropolis’ homegrown terrorist.”

Towers continues, “What they need to determine now is whether he had any help in the planning and execution of the bombing, and they haven’t ruled out the idea that Superman was a co-conspirator.”

Then Lois sits up straight and focuses on the television. At this point, she gets the idea to investigate for herself.

Wide rear shot of Lex on the helipad atop LexCorp Tower, looking out at the sunset above Gotham City, separated from Metropolis by the bay and Stryker’s Island. This shot also resembles this painting of Napoléon Bonaparte by Benjamin Robert Haydon, which is certainly fitting for this genius master planner as his plans come together. We approach him, circling around to a medium front shot.

“This was an image I had drawn. This was taken from a painting, a couple different romantic paintings — Lex looking out at the sunrise. I do love those kinds of images, a lone figure against nature. I think that’s always a striking image, and whenever possible, I try to render those kinds of images. I think there’s a lot of figures against nature in this movie. For instance, you’re constantly seeing Bruce, whether he’s walking through a field, grass, corn, he’s kind of this figure against a field. I always felt like this kind of dark figure against a grassy field or a horizon is very compelling and symbolic. I find that shape very interesting.”

Zack Snyder, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Remastered, Director’s Commentary, 2021, 1:43:15

At the same time, Towers continues in the background, his voice echoing: “Now my sources are telling me they are getting a barrage of anonymous and credible tips with all roads in this investigation leading to the Kryptonian visitor.” The focus on Lex here associates the report with him, hinting he is responsible for these anonymous tips.

Lex seems to nod approvingly, as if he can hear all the world doing exactly as he wants, all according to plan. Then he turns to head back inside the under-construction building. In his hand is his blue stress ball, and he tosses it into the air before catching it again. Symbolically, our “little blue planet” (as Lex earlier described the ball) is in his hands.

“This is this image of Lex with the world in his hand and his plan starting to come to fruition. I really like this notion of this romantic image of him on top of the world, looking out over his domain.”

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

Medium shot on Lois, revealed as she pushes open curtains ruined with red spray paint. Push in on her taking in the environment.

Shoulder tracking shot as she heads into the dingy room, filled with Superman-shaped paper figures hanging from the ceiling by the neck, a possible reference to the plethora of air fresheners in the sloth victim’s apartment in David Fincher’s Seven (1995). We circle around her as she turns to examine her surroundings. Crazy writings cover the walls, along with another drawing of a burning Capitol Hill that covers most of one wall. There is certainly equipment all over the place. It truly looks like the den of a crazy bomber.

Cut to another angle, continuing to circle her to build the chaotic setting.

Waist-level shot beside Lois on Keefe’s desk, covered with tools amid numbered crime scene evidence markers.

Medium shot on Lois again as she turns around, Keefe’s wall of Superman-related newspaper clippings visible behind her.

Medium rear tracking shot on Lois heading back out the way she came, through the curtains and into the kitchen. The open apartment door, lined with crime scene tape, comes into view on the left, where a police officer knocks and says, “Alright, Lois. You gotta go.” This indicates Lois got access to the scene through a cop she knows personally who helps her out.

She turns to look left off-screen, raising her hand to shush the officer.

Cut closer on her as she moves ahead, and we circle to a shoulder shot as see picks an orange from the fruit bowl on a cabinet. She examines it, and we pan up to see her look thoughtful. Developing a hunch, she suddenly puts it back in the bowl with a thud and marches over to the fridge. She opens it. Pan down to see its contents, full of uneaten food and drinks.

Low-angle on Lois from beside the fridge, looking inside as she says, “He didn’t know he was gonna die.” Then she slams the fridge closed and leaves fast. “He just bought groceries!” Evidently, Lex and Knyazev overlooked one important detail.

Cut to Jenet Klyburn walking through STAR Labs, a phone to her ear, saying, “The wheelchair and the bullet from the desert were made from the same metal.” With that, Lois now has physical evidence that Lex provided the explosive wheelchair and set Wallace up.

Cut to Lois walking away from her taxi, hurrying up some steps with her phone to her ear. It is once again daytime. She replies, “I know. The desert, the hearings, everywhere Superman goes, Luthor wants death.”

Jenet asks over the phone, “But Luthor goes through all of that trouble,” cut to Jenet, now in what looks like a storage room, “creates a bomb out of a wheelchair, and then alters it to reduce the blast?”

Cut to Lois, coming to a stop at the top of the stairs beside a Daily Planet sign to tell us where she is. “What do you mean?” she asks.

Cut to Jenet, pushing to a medium close-up to emphasise the significance of her words. “The inside of the chair was lined with lead.”

Cut to Lois, pushing in as she slowly lowers the phone, everything coming together in her head. Addressing her thoughts to Clark, she says out loud, “You couldn’t stop it. You couldn’t see it.” Recall that Lois has been seeking to metaphorically put back Superman’s halo, and now she has proven that there was nothing he could do to prevent the Capitol bombing. Then she continues into the Daily Planet, hurrying out of frame.

SCENE OVERVIEW

As anti-Superman sentiment rises throughout the world at Lex’s whim, Lois investigates Wallace’s home and learns he did not anticipate his sudden death. With more help from Jenet, she learns that Lex was the true bomber. In this dark time, Lois has once again pulled through with information that could exonerate Superman and bring down Lex Luthor, so a tiny ray of hope remains.

SCENE ANALYSIS

The sequence of the angry mob burning an effigy of Superman may be referencing imagery from Adventure Comics #457 (1978) by David Michelinie, where a xenophobic crowd burn a Superman effigy.

This scene neatly lays out the result of Lex’s manipulation of the world — from mass riots and media further inflaming controversy to glimpsing Clark’s nature-bound exile — while Lois unravels how his plot works. It is yet another scene with a multitude of sequences edited together thematically…

1. At the Daily Planet, the questions of where Clark and Superman are have been raised as we observe the growing anti-Superman sentiment.
2. So we cut to where Superman is — a cold and quiet wilderness contrasting against the droning controversy, and we feel Clark’s exile.
3. So we cut to where Clark should be — the warm apartment he shares with Lois, where she is watching the news and gets the idea to investigate Keefe’s home.
4. At the same time, Lex stands atop his tower as the media says exactly what he wants them to say, carrying on from the same broadcast.
5. Cut to Keefe’s apartment, where Lois discovers he never expected to die at the Capitol.
6. At the Daily Planet entrance, Lois realises Keefe’s explosive wheelchair was Superman-proof.

The implication is Lex knows about Superman’s X-ray vision and lined the bomb with lead so Superman could have never seen it if he was looking. It was a no-win situation. This way, not only does Superman get a weighty monologue about how he never thought something like this could happen, but we also learn that Lex was not dumb enough to forget about one of Superman’s major powers.

If the workers seen earlier in the scene watching the riots are indeed the oil rig workers saved by Clark in Man of Steel, then the people in the first sequence had all crossed paths with Superman at some point, as Clark had met the mother and her son in the dingy Gotham apartment earlier. These people we have seen before have come back around to react to the intense vitriol being hurled at Superman, reinforcing their personhood by reinforcing their presence in the film, rather than merely serving as tools to be forgotten by the plot after one appearance.

Musical analysis coming soon.

BEHIND THE SCENE

Based on physical evidence and quotes, the Daily Planet was shot in a retrofitted office space at 2000 Centerpoint Parkway, Pontiac, Michigan, in the late Michigan Motion Picture Studios, a former General Motors building just across the street from the location used for LexCorp. Those with a keen eye for set design may notice a significant number of changes since Man of Steel, implying the building has been heavily remodelled. Updates were inspired by old photographs of the Chicago Tribune. A row of televisions across the walls makes current news updates a constant presence in the scenes here. Lois and Clark can see each other from the placement of their desks. Electrician Erica Kim got a photo from inside. The location was sold to Williams International in 2017, when the studio held a garage sale for props.

The protesters burning the Superman effigy were shot in the parking lot of Broadhead Naval Armory along East Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, right across Gabriel Richard Park from MacArthur Bridge where Arlington Bridge with Calvin and Lois was shot. Tim Reinman and Tim Malin took photos of the shoot. Shooting took place on 29 September 2014. The other locations in the sequence are unknown.

The rundown Gotham apartment complex was shot at 475 Peterboro Street, Detroit, Michigan. The boy and his mother watching the riots on television was likely shot on 1 October 2014. In late October, one base camp was set up in the parking lot behind the Masonic Temple on 500 Temple Street, which can be seen in the foreground of the apartment’s establishing shot. Another base camp was constructed in the parking lot of 3160 2nd Avenue right beside the Peterboro building.

The ferry was shot on the Lake Express passenger ferry on 10 November 2014, which was moored at Navy Pier, 600 East Grand Avenue, Chicago. This was the same day Bruce’s helicopter arrival in Metropolis was filmed. The vessel’s current whereabouts can be tracked on MarineTraffic.com. While filming this sequence, base camp was set up under North Stetson Avenue. Director of photography Larry Fong took this stunning evening photo of the Chicago bay over Lake Michigan and this humorous photo of set photographer Clay Enos.

The LexCorp helipad was shot at an outdoor green screen set right beside the Heroes Park set at the late Michigan Motion Picture Studios along Centerpoint Parkway, Pontiac, Michigan. The helipad itself was constructed for real, raised slightly above the ground. The helipad sequences were likely shot around 20 June 2014 due to the presence of the LexCorp helicopter. On Vero, Zack Snyder and Clay Enos have photos.

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.

Wallace Keefe’s apartment was shot at the Phillips Manor Apartments, 51 East Willis Street, Detroit. Both the exterior and the basement were shot here. Filming took place on 30 September 2014. D3T0N8R and @TReinman took several photos. Snyder confirmed in the director’s commentary (58:22) that the wheelchair was a donation, and they made some modifications.

STAR Labs was filmed inside Wayne State University Department of Chemistry, 5101 Cass Avenue, Detroit, Michigan. The sequences here were shot around mid-August 2014. Base camp was set up in a parking lot on the South side of the Detroit Public Library, 5201 Woodward Avenue. Jena Malone (Jenet Klyburn) was first associated with the film on 8 August when she was spotted near the set with Zack Snyder, and her casting was confirmed on 17 October by the Hollywood Reporter, playing up the idea that she would portray Carrie Kelley (Robin) from The Dark Knight Returns (1986). On 30 July 2015, Kellvin Chavez of Latino Review “revealed” she would be portraying Barbara Gordon (Batgirl), which became the dominant rumour until the release of the director’s cut on 28 June 2016.

The Daily Planet entrance was shot at 111 East Wacker Drive, Chicago, Michigan. It was used to shoot the Harvey Dent fundraiser in The Dark Knight (2008), and later the Daily Planet lobby in Man of Steel. A Daily Planet sign was added to the railing beside the stairs, and Metropolis vehicles were brought in. Locals shot video footage of Amy Adams and Zack Snyder rehearsing the shoot, filming the scene, and Adams stopping to finish her line. @iansmoods on Instagram posted this video of the shoot from across the river. Note how the extras wait for Lois to step out before walking by, and the sheer scale of the camera rig needed for such a simple shot. However, Lois’ outfit is different (presumed to be Clark), she has no bag anymore, and the Daily Planet sign is missing from the railing, but the extras are all the same, so this may have been a rehearsal. Base camp was set up under North Stetson Avenue. Shooting took place on 11 November 2014.

The lobby of 111 East Wacker Drive was also furnished with the Daily Planet globe and logos on the floor and walls, which all went completely unseen in the final film, suggesting there may have been interior footage shot. This would make sense as a casting call for “newspaper employees” was sent out on the 5th, set for this day. Also on 11 November 2014, Amy Adams was seen filming with a different bag and a slightly altered outfit in another location, plus more shooting later that evening.