BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

DOOMSDAY

High-angle shot on Lois’ feet, sloshing hastily through a puddle in a dark passageway back in Wayne Station. Ascend to see her still holding the spear, stopping to notice something an aqua light nearby.

High-angle shot over a flooded stairwell in the next room. Lois enters, her shoes splashing. Angelic baroque statues surround the chamber, adding a religious element.

Shoulder shot from Lois, panning down to glimpse the waters, the stairs disappearing into the murky depths. The bottom is beyond our sight, making this a good place to hide the spear.

Low-angle shot on Lois from beneath the waters. Flanked by the angels on either side of her, she readies the spears and tosses it into the shimmering pool, the splash obscuring our vision of her. Hiding the spear like this is preferable to keeping hold of it. At any point, Lex’s thugs could show up to apprehend her (again) and seize the spear, giving Lex the one thing (as far as Lois knows) that can kill the man she loves. This being an abandoned Gotham building, she could also be mugged at any time. Perhaps the spear could irradiate an unprotected human after prolonged exposure. She can tell Clark about it later, as it is highly unlikely that anyone will find it before then, but it is just not convenient to carry it around right now.

This might symbolise the weapon (designed to kill Christ) being cleansed and baptised in holy water, making it a holy weapon which will soon be used to kill Doomsday (which Lex later calls “the Devil”). It may also be another reference to Excalibur, where the titular sword was discarded by Arthur (in black armour — Batman throughout the earlier fight) into a lake in shame from abusing its power. Later, the Lady of the Lake repairs the previously broken sword and raises it (glowing green) from the lake. Lastly, this creates a misdirect with the strong sense of discarding the spear permanently by sending it to a watery grave, creating the illusion that, maybe, Superman is safe now.

“We had this idea of the flooded second floor of the train station because we found this flooded area. You get this notion that you’ve really gotten rid of it, throwing it down into the depths of this watery grave. Also, water is this sort of elemental thing to have to submerge yourself into. Rebirth, baptism, all those kinds of notions are evoked by water, and I think there are pretty obvious parallels there.”

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

Cut to Lex’s timer, buzzing on a metal desk — time’s up. Lex suddenly grabs it forcefully, a computer screen over his shoulder, and glowers. He seems frustrated with the intrusion for a moment before relaxing and giving a knowing nod. Then the timer dings, and we hear a sonic boom.

Cut to the night sky above the hangar, lit up with spotlights. Announced by the sonic boom, Superman flies down from above to rip through the white tarp concealing the Kryptonian scout ship, telling us immediately where we are. Cutting to the ship from Lois submerging the spear subtly connects the emerald weapon with the monster about to be born, disposing of the weapon immediately prior to the birth of its true victim.

Superman crashes through the ceiling down the alien hallway behind Lex, landing hard. The villain gasps casually. As Superman approaches with a Kryptonian drone following behind him, Lex says with a sneer without looking, “‘Late, late!’ says the White Rabbit.” Lex is referencing the 1865 Lewis Carroll novel Alice in Wonderland.

“Forty seconds to animation,” comes the voice from the ship.

Lex has lab equipment and machinery arranged throughout the hallway. At this point, he has become a true mad scientist, and has truly made the Kryptonian ship his own. Surrounded by his sinister work, he turns to Superman and references Elmer Fudd: “Right, wabbit? Hmm. Out of tricks,” he tosses the timer into the liquid of the Genesis chamber behind him, “out of time,” he cocks his head, “and one Bat head short.” Lex’s line, “Out of tricks,” may also reference the old breakfast cereal brand Trix, whose mascot is a white rabbit.

Superman comes to a stop and crosses his arms. Glaring at Lex, the cut on his cheek remains. His shield is illuminated here to emphasise the rising hopefulness of the heroes’ situation.

Goof: Superman folds his arms when we first cut to him, but when we cut to the next shot — a shoulder shot from him — Superman in the left foreground folds his arms yet again.

“Thirty seconds to animation.”

The phone suddenly rings, and Lex says, “Ah, that’ll be the cook. Excuse me.” He excitedly hops over to the work table. “Uh, Gotham roast. Well done.” The way he so casually talks of Superman’s own mother being burned alive right in front of him is especially sadistic, utterly confident that his new creation will make him untouchable in the face of Superman’s rage. He leans into the radio and joyfully feigns a concerned look. “Hello. Break the bad news.”

“I’d rather do the breaking in person,” says Batman on the other end. Earlier, Superman said he would take Lex in without breaking him, while here, Batman cannot wait to break Lex, drawing more contrast between the two.

Lex does not look happy anymore, his smile vanishing. After his routine atrocities and cruel acts throughout this film, it is rewarding to see the tables turned on him for this moment. His smug demeanour is gone.

“Twenty seconds to animation.”

“You’ve lost,” says Superman, sternly. This line is pure, classic, traditional superhero.

Looking at Superman now, Lex’s expression displays subtle signs of anger. He takes a step forward and tries to look dignified. “I don’t know how to lose.”

“You’ll learn,” responds Superman, yet another example of his subdued sense of wit.

Defiant before Superman, Lex chuckles. “Haha! I’ll learn!” he says with a mocking tone. Then his demeanour breaks a little again as he waves a finger. “I don’t hate the sinner.” He points at Superman. “I hate the sin.”

“Ten seconds to animation.”

While Superman continues scowling at him, Lex concludes, “And yours, my friend, is existing.” Recall, earlier in the film, in response to the question of, “Must there be a Superman?” Finch merely responded, “There is.” Now Lex is about to rectify the problem of Superman’s existence.

Superman says nothing. Then the ship’s voice begins a countdown from eight seconds.

Lex walks right up to Superman, totally unafraid, ranting, “I cannot let you win. I gave the bat a fighting chance to do it, but he was not strong enough. So, if man won’t kill God…” Lex cocks his head again and hurriedly steps away.

“Two… One…”

Lex steps toward his creation in the Genesis Chamber and yells, “…the Devil will do it!” This may be a reference to German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s famous words, “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him,” from his work The Gay Science (1982). Considering the allusions between Superman and God, and now Doomsday and the Devil, Lex is correct that “the Devil” will kill “God” by the end of the film.

Cut to a large egg-like sac in the middle of the chamber. We hover around to watch a series of injectors begin jabbing the thing, filling the gruesome object with electrical energy. The excessive use of lightning here again draws parallels to how Frankenstein was given life from lightning, which would certainly fit what this scene is going for.

Rear shot on the pillars surrounding Superman’s statue in Heroes Park. Ascend right to reveal the scout ship hangar across the plaza, Superman’s statue in the left foreground. The structure is on fire with electricity.

Wide high-angle shot of the plaza. A blackout radiates outward from the crash site, and the buildings of Metropolis go dark one by one.

Shoulder shot from Jenny Jurwich on the screens lining the Daily Planet walls showing helicopter footage of the spectacle. The lights go out and the screens fizzle to black.

Jenny darts her head around, submerged in blackness while the Planet staff yell and panic, illuminated only by the flashing lights beyond the window. “Perry!” she calls.

Visible sporadically through the flashes, Perry turns from the windows to the crowd, raises his hands, and yells authoritatively, “Alright. Stay calm, everybody!”

Jenny continues peering around frantically.

Shoulder shot from Major Carrie Farris (Christina Wren, reprising her role from Man of Steel) looking at wall-mounted television screen where CNN reporter Anderson Cooper (making a cameo as himself) says, “We’re getting reports there are total blackouts in the north and to the northwest of the city.” Pan left to the next screen over Farris’ other shoulder, where satellite imagery depicts Metropolis going dark.

Wide shot of the conference room. On the far side of the desk, Calvin Swanwick stands, focused on the screens. Behind him is the emblem of the National Military Command Centre. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Greg Violand) looks concerned while the Secretary of the Air Force (graphic designer Tom Whalen) turns to Calvin.

Cooper goes on, “Federal authorities are trying to determine if this is part of a larger terrorist attack…”

As he says this, Calvin removes his glasses.

High-angle shot above the Genesis Chamber. A Kryptonian drone swims in the murky, orange-lit waters below, and within the chrysalis lurks a foetal shape, twisting within the abominable machine.

Watching his plan unfold, Lex breathes rapidly with anticipation and excitement. He cheers, “Ancient Kryptonian deformity!” Then he turns to Superman behind him and raises his bandaged hand. “Blood of my blood.” He removes the bandage to reveal the cut on his hand, finally answering Superman’s earlier question, “What have you done?”

Cut to the creature in the sac, its grotesque face pressing against the translucent membrane. It roars, muffled in the amniotic fluid.

Deleted Dialogue

In behind-the-scenes footage for Doomsday’s birth, we can see Jesse Eisenberg yell the line, “Obeys only me!” before turning to Superman to say, “And born to destroy you!” This was likely removed to put emphasis on the blood connection and avoid questions of why Doomsday subsequently attacks Lex.

Lex gestures to Superman and says, “Born to destroy you!”

Superman looks disturbed by the horrific spectacle below. He turns to glance at Lex, putting together what the villain has done.

Dramatically, Lex performs an introductory gesture at the monster. “Your Doomsday.”

We turn to follow his gesture, looking down into the chamber to see the Kryptonian drones back away from the sac, and the creature finally tears through the membrane as amniotic fluid pours from the widening tear. Doomsday, the name derived from the same monster from the comics, wipes the gelatinous fluid from its face as it stands to its full height. Then it roars up before snarling a growl.

“I will honour the man you once were, Zod. Not this monster you’ve become.”

Jor-El, Man of Steel, 2013

Superman looks horrified by the sight.

Doomsday growls and roars further, but more quietly as it seems to take in the sight of the little man standing arrogantly before him.

Lex is dwarfed by the monster directly in front of him as more goop slides off the creature. Grinning maniacally with confidence in his victory, Lex growls, “Now God… is good… as dead.” This may be fulfilling the Nietzsche reference, “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him,” but may also be referencing the expression, “God is good.” Both may be combined.

The monster suddenly lets out an angry roar, blowing hot breath.

Lex closes his eyes as the monster’s breath blows his jacket open. He seems completely unafraid and confident.

Behind him, Superman enters a fighting stance, looking ready to jump into action.

Then the creature flails and roars wildly. Zoom backwards to a shoulder shot from Lex as the beast shrieks at him before suddenly throwing a punch at his creator.

Doomsday’s enormous fist is intercepted mid-air by Superman, now hovering between Lex and the monster. Superman has saved the villain from his own folly.

Superman grapples with the monster’s huge fist. Over his shoulder, Lex looks confused, whether by Superman’s saving him or the monster disobeying him. This is a direct parallel to what Lex said earlier: “No man in the sky intervened when I was a boy to deliver me from Daddy’s fist and abominations.” Here, Lex’s own blood has turned on him yet again, and it is Superman who saves Lex from the fist of an abomination — one of Lex’s own making. To save even a villain’s life from his own folly is a pinnacle act of heroism. Normally, superheroes typically ignore whatever tragic past or trauma that incited a villain towards their villainy, but here, despite every horrible thing Lex has done, Superman has shown that he cares. He could not save Lex from his abusive father, but he can save Lex now, even if the billionaire may never understand.

With a grunt, Superman throws Doomsday’s fist aside. The beast falls back, and Superman presses the attack with a punch, forcing Doomsday into the mess of cables against the wall of the chamber, collapsing onto all fours.

Then Superman flies at Doomsday for another strike, but suddenly the monster is stranding straight and catches the Man of Steel’s smaller body in its giant hand. Then the beast leaps up, crashing through the ceiling amid the mess of biomechanical machinery.

Cut to the upper exterior of the container. Doomsday bursts out from the white tarp, up into the air above. With an aerial punch, he sends Superman flying across the plaza, and we snap zoom to follow his trajectory. This kind of camera work is again reminiscent of the cinematography used in Man of Steel to depict grandiose action with realistic camera movements.

Superman comes crashing down to the ground, tearing a trail through the pavement before skidding to a stop at the monument steps, half-buried in chunks of debris.

Panting on the ground, Superman slowly recovers, climbing to his feet when Doomsday suddenly lands up ahead between him and the statue.

The creature that was once General Zod slowly stands up straight to glare at the face of his adversary on the monument and snarls with contempt, possibly in familiarity. Then Doomsday turns to look down at the puny real thing standing below, as if to say, “Ah, but look how small you really are,” contrasting the grandiosity of Superman’s public image with the real him.

Wide shot of the monument, Superman in the right foreground while Doomsday turns to face him in the centre frame. A news helicopter circles above, dramatically moving a spotlight across the background. This amazing shot does a great job of emphasising the scale of the threat Superman now faces. The merged forms of the statue and the monster could also be symbolic of how some see Superman not as a heroic figure, but as a monster, so Superman is thus looking at himself as others see him.

Superman looks up at his foe. Undaunted, he suddenly flies at the beast to collide with its stomach, forcing him back against the statue.

The monster goes no further, and grabs Superman with his giant hand to toss him aside like a ragdoll through the black marble surrounding the statue, shattering the monument like glass.

Superman skids into the ground yet again, but before he can recover, Doomsday tears one of the tablets from the ground and steps towards the Man of Steel. On the ground, Superman turns to see the monster coming at him, but is too late to react. Very symbolically, Doomsday piledrives the superhero with the slab; quite literally smashing him over the head with the names of the people he could not save in Man of Steel. As the remains of the black marble fall away, the monster reaches down.

Ground-level shot on Superman’s red boots protruding from under the debris, possibly another reference to The Wizard of Oz, where Dorothy’s house crushed the Wicked Witch of the East and only her ruby slippers are visible from underneath. Later, Lex remarks, “Ding dong, the god is dead,” another reference to that film: “Ding dong, the witch is dead.” One could say Superman is the Wicked Witch to Lex.

Doomsday then grabs hold of one of Superman’s red boots, swings him back through the air, launching him through his own statue, completely shattering it, and sending him flying across the plaza. We snap zoom again to see him smash into distant skyscraper, and the shockwave is enough to shatter a wide area of the structure’s façade. The destruction of the statue is possibly a representation of the loss of that iconic, majestic image of Superman that many had perceived him to be until recently or foreshadowing of his imminent final fall.

“The insult of using the memorial to bash [Superman] with it and the names of those who were lost is like an added insult, and also using him to destroy his own sculpture and his own likeness I thought was a really symbolically interesting weapon against himself.”

Zack Snyder, Batman v Superman Director’s Commentary, 2021, 2:23:16

Cut to the head of the statue lying on the ground, a likely foreshadowing Superman’s lifeless body at a similar angle to his face. Looking up, we see the spotlight of the news helicopter silhouetting Doomsday, shining a light on the monster. It turns to growl at the bothersome chopper.

The monster bounds into the sky at the vehicle, bursting through the chopper in a fireball, and we track his ascent as inertia carries him up towards LexCorp Tower.

Doomsday hits the peak spire, stopping his ascent, and falls to the roof in front of the illuminated LexCorp sign high above the cityscape, landing in sight of yet another news chopper.

Cut to Major Farris, a phone to her ear. “POTUS joining,” she says, gesturing to the conference table.

A speakerphone is on the table. “Mr President,” Calvin immediately says to it.

“What the hell is it, Calvin?” asks the President over the speakerphone, played by Patrick Wilson, who also played Nite Owl in Zack Snyder’s 2009 adaptation of Watchmen and Ocean Master in James Wan’s 2018 spinoff Aquaman.

Calvin looks anxious.

We hear Anderson Cooper saying, “These are live images from the top of the LexCorp tower in downtown metropolis.” Cut to one of the screens, showing the monster standing up straight in front of the LexCorp logo, like a glaring indicator that Lex is responsible for this, and the news footage zooms to get a closer look. “Military aircraft are on the scene.”

Following Cooper’s words, we cut to a mounted shot from the wing of the rear chopper in formation of Boeing AH-64 Apaches, approaching LexCorp Tower from between the Metropolis skyscrapers below.

Connecting that imagery, we cut to a mounted shot on the hood of a police cruiser, looking in on two officers driving in formation with several other cop cars. Their sirens are all blaring.

Martha is waving her arms in the air to flag down the arriving officers. The destroyed mercenary vehicles are burning nearby, and we immediately know we are outside the warehouse. As the cars come to a stop, Martha doubles over breathlessly.

An officer rushes from his vehicle to her, asking, “Are you hurt, ma’am?”

“I’m okay,” she responds, face lit up with the red and blue lights from the vehicles.

We hear a loud buzzing, and the two characters turn to see the Batwing rise into the air further down the dock, heading in their direction with its headlights. They look up as the Batwing flies soars over them. Smiling now, Martha seems to wave goodbye, and the vehicle speeds off into the night.

Ascending crane shot on the rear of a Turkish Airlines Airbus A330-303 parked at the airport, LexCorp Tower visible in the Metropolis skyline in the distance.

We hear Anderson Cooper explaining, “This thing emerged from the Kryptonian crash site just moments ago.”

Cut to the passenger cabin, where Diana Prince stows her luggage in an overhead storage space. Then she glances down, noticing the spectacle on the television built into the seat ahead of her. Behind her is the Turkish Airlines logo on the wall, one of the film’s instances of product placement. According to TheWrap, Turkish Airlines spent “in the mid-eight figures” for this sponsorship. Fake commercials for Gotham and Metropolis destinations were created for viral advertising.

Cooper goes on, “Thankfully, the workday is over in the downtown core. It’s nearly empty.” This is a reminder to the audience that the vast majority of Metropolis citizens are not in any immediate danger.

On the television, Doomsday stands menacingly against the LexCorp logo. Now invested, Diana takes her seat across from the screen, watching intently. She shows concern.

“Now, military aircraft. Those are Apache helicopters. They have now just arrived. The images that…”

Connected by Cooper’s description, we cut to LexCorp Tower, where the Apaches take positions around Doomsday. The monster growls before they suddenly fire a barrage of bullets and missiles at the beast, who roars in rage.

As the sign explodes, Doomsday leaps off the logo to land on the helipad below. The damage brings portions of the tower down behind him.

Doomsday turns hurriedly examine the debris. Snarling, he reaches for the giant letter X from the logo, swings it around, and tosses it at one of the helicopters, destroying it. The beast roars angrily.

Another explosion suddenly goes off in the monster’s face, engulfing him in flames. He gets hit again, then over and over. He hunches over, head in hands as if in pain. Explosions continue to ineffectively pester him as an orange glow begins to grow out from inside him through his ribs, brighter as the blasts keep hitting him.

Then Doomsday roars to the heavens, throwing his arms wide as a fiery electrical blast explodes out from the creature. It expands to incinerate the structure and the helpless choppers.

Low-angle long shot of LexCorp Tower among the skyline to see the blast spread out far across the sky in a dome, filled with orange streaks of lightning, blowing away the rooftops of the adjacent skyscrapers. This phenomenon, which the crew dubbed a “boosh”, accompanies a power growth in Doomsday, furthering his evolution. His placement on LexCorp Tower, the tallest building in the city, guarantees the safety of the city’s populace — our second oddly convenient reassurance.

“So, this was the first ‘Boosh’. I know that’s weird. Everything superheroes do that’s big and powerful; we call it ‘Booshing’, even when Wonder Woman [does it] we call it ‘Booshing’. The notion was that [Doomsday] would charge up and do that. That’s how he would eventually destroy the world.”

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

Cut to the television on Diana’s flight, depicting the scene on the helipad as the blast grows outward, and the camera fizzles out, leaving Cooper in the CNN studio, finger to his ear. “We’ve, uh… We just lost connection with Metropolis 8 News. Now, it’s not clear what just happened.“

Diana looks further concerned before switching to a thoughtful expression, perhaps with a hint of guilt. It has become increasingly apparent that this situation cannot be ignored.

SCENE OVERVIEW

Back inside the derelict building, Lois disposes of the Kryptonite spear in a flooded stairwell, a move which will serve the heroes in the big finale and place Lois at the emotional climax of the movie. Elsewhere, Superman arrives at the scout ship to confront Lex. Having failed to kill or permanently ruin Superman, the villain unleashes his final trump card, a Kryptonian monster grown from General Zod’s corpse. It proves unstoppable, absorbing any damage to create powerful shockwaves. The calamity is being viewed by Diana from a flight about to leave Metropolis.

SCENE ANALYSIS

The Kryptonite spear needs to resurface later to be employed against Doomsday. Disposing of the spear in the pool keeps it below ground, ensuring it can survive Doomsday’s boosh. Since Batman could not possibly find it in the rubble after the blast, Lois is there to highlight the spear’s location, allowing Superman to find it. This necessarily places her at the scene to personally witness Superman’s death. So, all of this thwarts questions of the characters forgetting about the spear, avoids the impracticality of Lois keeping it, explains the spear’s later resurfacing in the narrative, and finally involves Lois in the emotional climax of the movie.

This scene has introduced the world to Doomsday, an ancient Kryptonian abomination that Lex has grown from the corpse of General Zod. His inclusion in the film was set up from the moment Lex began bribing Barrows for the resources he needed to open the scout ship, and that has led us here to Lex’s final trump card.

The time spent with the high-ranking military personnel in the Pentagon tells us that this is not merely some random supervillain fight, but something that concerns the world, not just Superman. We cut back here several times before the film is done, and each time reinforces the scale of the calamity with a layer of believability. This is big, and Superman has clearly met his match.

I love this scene for its atmospheric terror. The rumbling music builds so much tension as the reality of this catastrophic new threat sets in. The imagery is reminiscent of classic monster movies like Godzilla (1954) or King Kong (1933), the latter depicting the titular rage-fuelled monster climbing a skyscraper while military aircraft try to shoot him down.

Musical analysis coming soon.

BEHIND THE SCENE

The original concept for this scene was different. The battle originally went to a bridge, wherein Doomsday causes damage to a helicopter, whose pilot Superman saves. Zack Snyder’s friend, storyboard artist, and director Jay Oliva confirmed that, due to criticism of Man of Steel, the final battle of Zack Snyder’s Justice League was changed to an abandoned ghost town by the studio, so it follows that the same was true here years before.

Zack Snyder mentioned during the BvS Watch Party that the idea for the flooded stairwell came from a flooded area they found at Michigan Central Station. He later confirmed in the director’s commentary (2:15:16) that the pool was built on a soundstage at the late Michigan Motion Picture Studios, Pontiac, Michigan. The sequence was shot in June or July 2014 when the crew were filming in Pontiac. Set photographer Clay Enos tweeted a photo of the set.

The original scout ship interior set was demolished after Man of Steel filming, so a new set was 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.

Heroes Park was shot at an outdoor green screen set at the late Michigan Motion Picture Studios along Centerpoint Parkway, Pontiac, Michigan. The statue was (partially) real but built from artificial materials and ready around 9 June 2014. It was taken down on the 20th after serving its purpose and replaced with the fake debris. Bananadoc has photos of the prop department setting the flowers.

Diana’s plane was shot at the Turkish Airlines wing of O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois. Shooting occurred on 14 November 2014, and was the last thing filmed in the state before the crew relocated to New Mexico. According to their source, TheWrap reported it cost millions of dollars to organise the shoot, but they also mistakenly wrote the airport was in Detroit, so take this with a huge grain of salt.

The Pentagon conference room was filmed in the Wayne County Building, 600 Randolph Street, Detroit, Michigan. It is the same location used for the Capitol interiors. Filming most likely occurred around late August 2014 when the crew were filming at the location.