BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

DREAMS

Hip-level shot behind Bruce, walking in slow-motion through the long grass, furthering the imagery of Bruce being lost and off the right path. He occupies the right of the frame and carries some flowers in his hand. His deliverance of the flowers may reference Clark’s delivery of flowers to Lois for any number of reasons. The whistle of the wind is shadowed by the distant buzzing of the World Engine.

Behind the Scene

“Ironically, the shot was just Ben with a Steadicam following. Nothing else. No lights, no reflectors, and just one take, maybe two. Took a few minutes to shoot.”

Larry Fong, Twitter, 21 May 2022

We cut to see Bruce from the front, still walking, and we can see Wayne Manor behind him. The house is a ruined, decrepit husk. Note the contrast: While Bruce allowed Wayne Manor to rot, Lex maintained his father’s study in perfect condition. Autumn leaves are falling all about, once again following the imagery of death and falling established by the film’s opening.

“There you see the sort of dilapidated Wayne Manor. I think, mythologically speaking, and probably in the reality of the movie, that’s where Robin died and Joker had something to do with the destruction of Wayne Manor, so…”

Zack Snyder, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Remastered, Director’s Commentary, 00:43:15

“It’s a physical representation of his broken spirit. If you want to be that Shakespearian, you can, I think. Why not? Doesn’t hurt anything. So yeah, absolutely. At the end of Justice League, the whole concept would be that they’re going to rebuild Wayne Manor and make it into the Hall of Justice or whatever. They can meet there and it’s going to be amazing.”

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

Bruce Wayne Motif on one lone trumpet against an eerie ambience.

Another rear shot of Bruce, further away. The graveyard occupies the right of the frame. The buzzing of the World Engine slowly rises in the background.

Cut to the interior of the mausoleum, shrouded in darkness. A vertical line of light splits down the centre of the frame as Bruce pushes the door open. The buzz of the World Engine reaches its peak and tapers off. This sound effect accompanies similar sequences Bruce experiences where he “dreams” in association with his experience of that fateful day.

Batman Theme A on a very quiet percussion.

Slide left to right over Bruce’s shoulders, looking up at a stained-glass window referencing the Guido Reni painting of the Archangel Michael plunging a spear into a grounded Satan, connecting this scene to the previous scene with its Biblical imagery. However, Satan is not present in the window, and the background is burning skyscrapers. Michael’s prominent blue outfit and red cape clearly indicate that he is meant to resemble Superman, and the solar halo behind his head might reference Superman’s dependence on the sun for his power and his multiple comparisons to the Greek sun god, Apollo.

• The Biblical imagery here has been interpreted as foreshadowing the fight between Batman and Superman with a Michael (Batman) and Lucifer (Superman) visual.
• Since Michael resembles Superman here and Satan is not present, it might instead be representing how Bruce sees Superman as a destructive angel.
• It might be foreshadowing Superman’s heroic slaying of Doomsday (the Devil, as Lex calls it).
• Or, one might say this is how Batman sees himself, as he evidently does when he is about to slay Superman, when Superman is the true Archangel who will slay the Devil.
• In the immediate prior scene, Lex’s painting depicts an angel with a sword. Upside-down, the painting would depict the Batman metaphor (the devil with the spear) descending on the angel Superman metaphor.

“There’s a reference to Michael the archangel there, sort of dressed like Superman, but is he Superman or an incarnation of Batman? I don’t know. It’s all fun and interchangeable mythological tropes that I think are really fun to play with.”

Zack Snyder, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Remastered, Director’s Commentary, 00:44:15

Side angle against the wall where Bruce places the flowers in a vase between the names of his parents engraved on the stone wall, the two niches in which their bodies or ashes reside, and his arm retracts out of frame.

Martha Wayne

1946 – 1981

Thomas Wayne

1942 – 1981

However, the camera angle and the placement of the flowers blocks out Thomas’ name as we close in on Martha’s.

The Bruce Wayne Motif plays again, this time layered directly over Batman Theme A on piano.

Bruce steps into frame from the right.

Close-up on Bruce, doing a double-take with his eyes on something below his eye level.

Cut to the lower right corner of Martha’s tomb. Through the cracks in the concrete, we see a dark liquid begin to drip as we hear the distant humming of the World Engine return yet again.

Melodic elements give way to ominous and dissonant string and synthesizer textures.

Cut to Bruce, looking closer and extending an arm.

Cut back to the bleeding stone as he dips his finger in the liquid, presumably blood, and he observes it. This might be a subtle premonition of how the blood of “Martha” will be on his hands if he continues down his current path.

Shoulder shot from Bruce as the stone shatters and a bat-like monster bursts forth in a swarm of bats, grabbing Bruce as it shrieks. Its jaws open wide and sinks two fangs into Bruce’s neck to seemingly tear out his throat.

A very sudden jolt of loud, frantic percussion and strings before stopping abruptly as the sequence ends.

Contrast this with the dream of bats carrying Bruce up into the light. I expect this represents the opposite, where bats were not Bruce’s salvation as he once liked to believe, but are instead the horrific view of what Batman has become. Once a being of light, he is now a monster that consumes the man he used to be. This creature resembles Man-Bat, a supervillain from the comics who was probably used as inspiration here. Whether this iteration of Batman has already encountered Man-Bat is unknown.

“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”

Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, 1886, p146

With the hum of the World Engine trailing off as a final reminder of how his dreams are haunted by the memory of that day, we cut to Bruce sitting up in bed with a start. We hold on him, frozen for a few moments after awakening from the nightmare. Then he turns right to look down at the woman sleeping beside him, presumably one of many, and he sighs with relief.

After a few moments, a depressing, repeating piano melody plays.

Cut to the end table, where he takes a bottle of pills, possibly antidepressants, and downs one or more. Then he downs the rest of last night’s glass of Chateau Margaux from the table. It is very telling that these are the first things he does upon waking up, indicating a deeply depressed mindset.

Wide shot of the bedroom. Clothes are scattered across the floor. The far side of the room is dominated by windows overlooking a dreary, atmospheric lake. A photograph, Cala Lily (1984) by American black-and-white photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, sits above the bed. Considering the unnamed woman, there is a streak of sexual content in Bruce’s life that lacks any emotional connection. Zack Snyder explained these details…

“The Mapplethorpe above his bed I chose to represent the erotic as a drug; that Bruce uses sex to momentarily forget his pain.”

Zack Snyder, Vero, 4 April 2018

“The drug of drugs, the drug of sex, and the drug of alcohol, these are all things he uses to dull the pain that he lives with. That’s why he doesn’t really have a relationship outside of Alfred. He just has a hard time connecting because of this pain.”

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

“You know, my thing with Batman is that he’s not a monk warrior. He uses alcohol and drugs and sex to not think about the pain of his existence, you know what I mean? Like, I think that’s the way he deals with his emotional trauma, and it’s catching up with him a little bit, and I think that’s kind of the fun of the evolution that he goes through over the course of the movie. He finds his balance. That’s kind of what this story is about, Batman achieving balance or re-finding his purpose. I think that’s one of the most important lessons of the movie. I think Superman’s sacrifice is also equally important.”

Zack Snyder, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Remastered, Director’s Commentary, 00:44:31

Medium close-up on Bruce, and we follow him standing and walking to the window, silhouetted by the grey mist beyond.

Low-angle establishing shot of the building’s exterior from above the flowing waters. The lake house is a minimalistic modern building of metal and glass. Bruce can be seen looking through the windows on the far right of the house. Snyder and his crew call this the “Glass House”, which is almost certainly a reference to the saying, “Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.” It is a metaphor for hypocritical people.

Cut to Alfred elsewhere in the house, throwing down some mail on a table. He picks up a wine bottle and looks at it. Taking off his scarf, he says, “Oh. I hope the next generation of Waynes won’t inherit an empty wine cellar.” He takes off his jacket. Under his breath, he mutters, “Not that there’s likely to be a next generation…”

“I’m hoping that the next generation of the Wayne family shan’t face an empty wine cellar. Though given your social schedule of late, the prospects of there being a next generation–“

Alfred, The Dark Knight Returns, 1986

Bruce approaches, raising a gracious cup of coffee and setting it down on the table, which is an interesting inversion of the traditional master/butler relationship that shows how much Bruce sees Alfred as more of a partner than a manservant. “Thank you, sir,” says Alfred as he takes a seat at the table.

Bruce leans on the chair before the laptop on the table and explains, “This is every call made from the Russian’s phone.” He raises two fingers. “Two mentions of business with the White Portuguese and it’s continually transmitting blacked-out data to the personal residence… of Alexander Luthor.” He presses a key, and the screen displays satellite imagery of Lex’s estate

“You think Lex Luthor is the White Portuguese?” Alfred sniffs as he goes through the mail. “I can’t see that he needs the income from imported arms.”

Bruce stands up straight again. “Regardless, I’ll need to put a leech in his house, and I’m going to need the suit.” Deep down, he is saying this to himself.

Alfred says, “The Bat interrogated six people and came away with nothing. It was Bruce Wayne that got the information.” Samuel Otten pointed out this can be interpreted as Alfred making a plea to Bruce to avoid the dark Batman path and remain a mere man for once, while Bruce here makes a case (or excuses) to go be Batman again.

Bruce looks disappointed, responding, “Well, Bruce Wayne can’t break into Lex Luthor’s house.”

“Bruce Wayne won’t have to.” Alfred hands Bruce one of the letters. “He’s been invited.” Cut to Bruce taking the letter. Cut to a close-up on the letter…

PLEASE JOIN US

November 1st

7:00 PM

Hosted by Alexander Luthor

Hors D’oeuvres and Cocktails

1835 Park Ridge Lane

Park Ridge, DM 33862

RSVP

Misha Bukowski, Senior Fundraiser

There are a few fun things to say about the details on this letter. Firstly, we know that the date is November 1st, since Bruce seems to attend the event this evening. The 33862 zip code is for Lake Placid, Florida. DM stands for District of Metropolis. Misha Bukowski is Snyder’s key second assistant director on this film, and also worked with Snyder on Watchmen (2009), Sucker Punch (2011), and Man of Steel (2013).

Low brass fades into the flickering Bat Ostinato as we transition.

Cut to a shoulder shot from Bruce, watching a cylindrical automatic door opening around the circular alcove containing the Batsuit. The inner walls of the container resemble chains, which would be very symbolic of our Bruce being essentially enslaved to the Batman persona. This is also our clearest view of the suit so far. Slowly, we close in on the suit. The dark mood lighting around the container imbues it with a threatening energy, turning the cowl’s mouth into a monstrous shriek. The monster from Bruce’s nightmares is staring him in the face, threatening to devour him.

Batman Theme B plays on low strings, layered over Batman Theme A on percussion.

Medium shot on Bruce, and we slowly close to a medium close-up. He simply stares at the suit, longingly, like an alcoholic stares at a bottle — an addiction. This especially works because the last Batman scene was some time ago, and Bruce has been investigating without the suit for some time now. Alfred won their little debate, but Bruce just wanted to be Batman once again. One can interpret this as serious withdrawal.

Cut back to the suit one last time, closing to a medium shot on the cowl.

Wide shot to get Bruce and the Batsuit in the same shot. Bruce turns away, reluctantly, and steps through the armoury, lined with racks for his diverse weapons and gadgets. He stops to look up at the Robin costume in its display case.

Batman Theme B transfers to higher brass.

Cut to a closer look, seeing the charred fabric defaced with a message from the Joker:

HAHAH

Joke’s

on you

BATMAN

This is a reference to the Batman story A Death in the Family, where the Joker kills Jason Todd, the second Robin. Snyder also explained that this is indeed part of Batman’s character. Seeing that he has lost people he cares about contributes to making him the cruel and brutal man he has become. However, this Robin was Dick Grayson, and likely his first and only Robin. The death of his one sidekick adds a lot more weight to the emotional response that Batman has suffered as a result, and also means that Batman does not consecutively replace his child soldiers when one dies or moves on.

“In my mind it was that Robin had died about ten years earlier in some run-in with a young Joker. So that was an interesting thing to me. Sort of a fun backstory to play with. I felt like the whole idea was that there had been loss and there had been sacrifice. In a weird way, [Bruce] sacrificed everything to be Batman. He doesn’t really have a life outside the cave. I thought that including a dead Robin was helping us understand that he’s been on quite a little journey.”

Zack Snyder, IGN, 30 March 2016

Then he turns away from the suit.

Wide shot of the armoury as Bruce climbs the stairs to the next level of the cave, and the Batsuit container closes. No doubt Bruce passes by this case every day when he goes to work, and it says a lot that he displays the Robin suit so prominently — acting as a constant reminder of what he has lost and failed to save. Whenever he leaves the cave in the Batmobile, he leaves angry.

Full shot of Bruce taking a shower, leaning against the walls like he is tired and pained. The walls of the shower vaguely resemble the inner walls of the Batsuit chamber, which might be continuing the symbolism of the chain motif, imprisoning Bruce within the Batman persona.

Medium shot on Bruce’s back with scars across his skin. He turns to us as the water pours down around him like rain. This sequence is yet another visual reference to The Dark Knight Returns.

Cut to a wide shot of the driveway behind the glass house, where Bruce is now dressed in a fancy suit and tie. He steps around his car to pull aside its cover, revealing a dark green 1957 Aston Martin DB Mark III, and the camera closes on the winged logo on the front. This is typically assumed to be product placement, but the car actually belongs to Zack Snyder, first produced all the way back in 1957, and is one of only 551 ever constructed. It was gifted from Warner Bros after the success of his movie 300 (2007). More information on the car’s history can be read in this article, which further explains that the car was repainted a dark green for the movie.

“We had a conversation about what car Bruce Wayne would drive if he wasn’t using the Batmobile. The MkIII seemed like a perfect car for him. It’s not trying hard at all, it just is. That’s what I really love about it.”

Zack Snyder, Aston Martin

Wide exterior shot of Bruce driving the Aston Martin out of the tree line on a dirt road through a field of tall grass. We turn left to follow the car as it passes by the husk of Wayne Manor, revealed to have been abandoned and left to decay, just like in the dream. The scene ends on the shot of the manor as Bruce exits left in the Aston Martin.

SCENE OVERVIEW

In a dream, Bruce delivers flowers to the tomb of his parents, wherein we are given a glimpse into Bruce’s inner psyche and a monstrous representation of what he is becoming. Upon awakening, we see the state of his mental health with sex, drugs, and alcohol. He stares longingly at the Batsuit like an addict, and we learn that he lost Robin at some point. From the cloned phone, Bruce has discovered that Knyazev is connected to Lex Luthor and needs to investigate Lex directly. Fortunately, Bruce Wayne has been invited to an event at his house, and he sets out for more detective work.

SCENE ANALYSIS

Regarding the Robin suit, the arms that only cover half the biceps, the ties down the front, and the absence of legs are all reminiscent of the classic depictions. Beneath the rips, bullet holes, and burn marks, you can see the red colour of the outfit, and the texture resembles that of Batman’s. Also like the Batsuit, the gauntlets have three small blades on the sides. The cape looks yellow/gold with black on the outside, probably reminiscent of Tim Drake’s black and yellow cape. Of course, in true comic book fashion, there is a stylised “R” logo on the left pectoral. It even has a small black domino mask. The suit also carries a hooked pole weapon. The downright campy aspects of the suit allude to a brighter, more optimistic time in Batman’s life.

The Glass House is dark, cold, lonely, and full of hard surfaces, creating an appropriately bleak living environment to accompany Bruce’s signs of instability and depression. Snyder discussed its association to Wayne Manor on Vero. BvS: By The Minute pointed out that the minimalist simplicity of the structure, despite being so open and lacking in privacy, could represent Bruce as being the empty shell. Indeed, the real person lives underneath in the Batcave. The Glass House is minimalist in comparison to the grand Wayne Manor, representing how Bruce has allowed his family’s home to fall into disrepair while Bruce Wayne has become little more than a hollow front. Fitting, since Bruce died with his parents, and the Batman was born in his place.

“I think his father commissioned the lake house as a gift to his mother; a place built by her favourite architect, and she loved it. When Bruce turned eighteen, he moved in. He ordered Wayne Manor be left to decompose.”

Zack Snyder, Vero, 5 April 2018

“The cool thing is the idea that Bruce’s father could have had an architect create that house for him… He lives in a world that still has his father’s imprint. So the ancestry, the sense of legacy is there.”

Patrick Tatopoulos, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: The Art of the Film, 29 March 2016, p108

“The glass house reflects the same idea of a very low footprint. The house sits in the middle of nature, as if it’s almost not there; wherever you look, you’re in nature. I was inspired by the architecture of Mies van der Rohe and the house was crafted around the idea that Bruce’s father could have had van der Rohe design it.”

Patrick Tatopoulos, Press Release, March 2016

“Look, this is based on the Farnsworth House, which is in Illinois, weirdly, very close to where we were shooting, but here’s the thing. So, he has a glass house, and anyone can look inside of it, but he owns all the land, so the reality is no one can look inside, even though he has a house that is completely see-through. So, from the inside, you can make the argument, ‘Oh, look, I’m completely wide open!’ but not to anyone because no one’s allowed to look. He owns the lake. He owns the whole thing. It’s another lie.”

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

This scene highlights the brutal contrast between the psychology of Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne. Clark has a healthy and loving relationship with Lois with whom he can be vulnerable and lean on for moral support, whereas Bruce wakes up beside a random woman or prostitute and immediately downs some pills with booze. Indeed, he still has Alfred, but he refuses to be vulnerable with him, treating him only as a partner in their vigilante operation, especially since we later learn Bruce has been keeping secrets from Alfred regarding his true goals.

“Mostly the Bruce moments, and I think that’s the difference between having Lois be this pillar for Clark, you know? Bruce has Alfred, but it’s not the same. He can’t really talk about his fears — or he doesn’t want to anyway — about his damage. Both of these guys are doing their best to examine the pain that they’re both in. That’s why you see in the one scene, he sits up, he takes some painkillers and drinks some wine, and he literally has anonymous sex with someone.”

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

The first music track in this scene is Dreams, playing over Bruce’s Man-Bat nightmare. It layers Bruce and Batman’s themes as he visits at Martha’s grave, as her murder was the event that created Batman from the young Bruce Wayne, physically referenced by the bat monster breaking out of the tomb. This track is not on any commercially available version of the soundtrack except the ominous piano melody at the end, which is the beginning of They Were Hunters on the Deluxe Edition.

The second track is Fundraiser Invitation. It is one of the few Batman-centric tracks to not feature the Bruce Wayne Motif in any capacity. This is to establish that even though he physically is appearing on screen and at the event as Bruce Wayne, he is acting as Batman — there to investigate Lex and obtain information, not to socialize and keep up his Bruce Wayne image or represent Wayne Enterprises as its CEO. This track is not on any commercially available version of the soundtrack.

BEHIND THE SCENE

The exterior dream sequence was filmed in Orion Oaks County Park, 2301 Clarkston Road, Lake Orion, Michigan. The small cemetery and the mausoleum were constructed for the film. Batman News and OLV provided several detailed photos of the set. A distinctive lone tree on the grounds was photographed by set photographer Clay Enos, production supervisor Matt Hirsch, camera loader Jule Fontana, art department assistant / model maker Liz Ritenour, additional second assistant director Maggie Callis [1/2/3], and set costumer Kate Abraham. Filming evidently occurred in October 2014 around the 25th and 26th.

The interior set was most likely filmed on a sound stage at an undetermined time. Art director Lorin Flemming designed the mausoleum, and you can find detailed photos of the structure’s interior and conceptualisation at her website. While filming this scene, Zack Snyder invited Ray Fisher to the set, and this was the first time the Cyborg actor met Ben Affleck.

The “Man-Bat” creature was not CGI. It was a costume created by the Super Suit Factory (whose work can be found on their Facebook) and Onyx Forge Studio (whose work can be found on their Facebook, Instagram, and official website, wherein the monster is referred to as the “Crypt Creature”). The monster is portrayed fittingly by Richard Cetrone, one of Ben Affleck’s stunt doubles throughout the film. It began as concept art by production designer Patrick Tatopoulos, and Onyx Forge owner Steve Wang modelled a maquette to explore the creature further. Wang sculpted the suit alongside Miyo Nakamura and Brian Wade (who would later work with Zack Snyder on Rebel Moon).

The Glass House was constructed and filmed at Otsikita Lake at a former Girl Scout camp off Caley Road, Metamora Township, Michigan (Source). County Press first reported the site as a filming location on 12 January 2014, and the Flint Journal confirmed the site for “Sage and Milo” on the 17th, by which time construction was underway. As residents speculated, the location was officially confirmed for Batman v Superman in early March. You can find more information on the technical details of the building here, and Google Street View has several photos of the house. It was inspired by the Farnsworth House, designed and constructed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, which Snyder most likely visited with assistant location manager Adam Boor around 22 October 2013 when he posted this photo of the building. Mies van der Rohe also designed the building at 111 East Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois, where the Daily Planet entrance was filmed. Snyder visited the house while shooting Man of Steel in 2011 near the Kent Farm location. He described his tribute as “a black version of the Farnsworth House.” Some photos of Otsikita Lake were taken by director of photography Larry Fong, set photographer Clay Enos, and additional second assistant director Maggie Callis [1/2]. Zack Snyder posted several photos of the house and his Aston martin in the driveway [1/2/3/4]. Art director Lorin Flemming designed the house, and you can find detailed photos of the structure’s conceptualisation plus a construction time-lapse at her website. Set costumer Kate Abraham posted this photo of the lake on 29 June.

“The idea was that this was a summerhouse on the same property as the Wayne Manor, that this house represented the safe and happy times of Bruce’s younger years. For that reason, Bruce has changed very little of the house except what he needs to function in the current day, such as security systems and a large TV to stay in communication with the world. The furniture is therefore of the best quality, but worn — kind of like the Batman. His earthly needs are spare; he spends most of his time in the Batcave, where he is most comfortable.”

Carolyn Roucks, Set Decor, 9 May 2016

“[The Kent farm location] was right near the Farnsworth house, which was the Mies van der Rohe-designed house that was the inspiration for Bruce Wayne’s house in Batman v Superman. So, where we photographed this is very close physically to that house. It’s like a landmark, and we went and visited it on the weekend when we were shooting and I thought how cool it was and it made me think, ‘This is kind of like a house Bruce Wayne might live in,’ so it was an interesting physical connection between where the Kent farm is and where the house that inspired what would be Batman’s house.”

Zack Snyder, Man of Steel Watch Party, 20 May 2020

The Glass House sequences were likely filmed on the 22nd to the 24th of October 2014. Scooper Scott Atkinson got several photos of the Batmobile, which he felt bad about in hindsight, but considering its only scene at the location was pure CGI, I cannot confirm its purpose. During filming, County Press documented the community’s thoughts. Mike Abeare, an employee of Greg’s Pizza Co & Lounge, was tasked with delivering 35 pizzas to the site, though some dramatic elements make me question his story. Base camp was set up nearby on Caley Road, of which Pacman Cherveny recorded some footage. The site was deserted by 28 October 2014, presumably after dismantling the Glass House. The structure was rebuilt for Zack Snyder’s Justice League on a soundstage at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden, whereby the exterior was largely green screen.

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. A 360-degree virtual tour was once available before being removed, 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.

“[Robin’s weapon] was Zack saying, ‘Look, maybe we should just make it look as if it’s been broken and smashed.’ So we deconstructed it in order to film it.”

Doug Harlocker, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Tech Manual, 22 March 2016, p135

The Robin suit was constructed on short notice. The first mockup was a cannibalised stunt Batsuit. The arms and legs were amputated, the cowl was decapitated, buttons were added down the front, the “R” logo was attached to the left pectoral, and a small domino mask keeps with traditional depictions. It has gauntlet blades like Batman, but the belt was slightly modified. Aging and specialty dressing tells the story of how Robin was murdered and set ablaze. Key specialty costume designer Douglas J Stewart was a major contributor in designing the suit, and was happy to post the aforementioned details to his Instagram, plus photos of the armoury and ceiling.

“Here is our first full mock-up of the Robin suit from Batman v Superman. This was a request that came flying in hot. Timeline = dreadful. We ended up cannibalizing a practice, stunt batsuit. Chop chop chop. The arms and legs must go. Modifications made to boots, belt, and gloves. Cowl. Well, a cowl was chopped in half for the neck. That cowl bit the dust. Then it was painted and dressed as we all saw it in the Batcave. ‘Joke’s on You, Batman’ Robin suit. Untold story was ‘This is all that Bruce had left, after the Joker killed Robin.’”

Doug Stewart, Instagram, 22 February 2020

“Built for Batman v Superman on location in a matter of days. This is a great example of “use what you got.” We cannibalized a Stunt (practice) suit. Chopped it up, wrapped it on a beefy mannequin. “Kit bashed” from a box of “costume” parts to find buckles and fasteners… moulded and cast what we found worked best. Chopped up a cowl for the neck, modified a pair of boots and gloves. Changed up the belt (using what we have) then painting this guy. Was a bang bang few days but we made it happen. Ivory Stanton, Tony Acosta, and I were hands on the whole ride. The joker scribble was from Tony’s hands if I remember correctly. We had a good time!

Doug Stewart, Instagram, 26 February 2024
Doug Stewart, Facebook, 26 February 2024

With a photo of his team at work, Stewart says the process of setting up the Batsuit in its container was harder than dressing the actors, and required five people. According to Zack Snyder, his original concept for this sequence was that the Batsuit would ascend from below. In that concept, we would see the Robin suit over Bruce’s shoulder as he looks at the Batsuit.

On 14 September 2013, singer Justin Bieber pranked the internet with an Instagram photo of himself posing with a supposed script for the as-yet untitled “Batman vs Superman.” This incited tremendous suspicion (and concern) that he would play the Boy Wonder in the film.