BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

MUSEUM GALA

“So apparently, Superman–“ says the voice of former Daily Show host Jon Stewart at the end of the prior scene, making a cameo as himself:

Cut to Stewart on his show on television as we pull out to a shoulder shot from the slacking waiter (Marcus Goddard) whose feet are on the table.

“–doesn’t want us to think of him as American anymore, and really, why would we? I mean, aside from the red and blue costume and… I don’t know, the fact that he has one-third of the USA’s initials on his chest! I assume the only reason he’s not wearing the Declaration Of Independence as a cape is… he thinks it’s too on-the-nose.”

• From this we learn Superman has had interactions with the press to an extent, though likely through transcribed interviews, possibly with Lois Lane, since we know he is camera shy.
• This is likely a reference to the controversial Superman story The Incident in Action Comics #900, which made headlines for Superman renouncing his American citizenship.
• This is yet more of an attempt by the media to make Superman a political figure, though Stewart does have a point, albeit a poorly-worded one. The motif of Superman as a distinctly American character or American symbol is present throughout the story.
• As Vikram Gandhi said a few minutes ago, “We have always created icons in our own image. What we’ve done is we project ourselves onto him.” This is precisely what Stewart is doing here.
• This is a distinctly American-centric close-mindedness. Stewart treats the letter “A” as if America owns or invented it. He sees something nationalistic in something universal — a symbol of hope.

Then we hear the catering manager (Dan Welcher) call, “What is going on back here?!”

Startled, the waiter hurries to his feet. We are in a back room. The manager approaching the multiple slacking waiters as they frantically stand from their seats and put on or adjust their white jackets.

“Guys, come on, let’s go!” urges the manager.

Goddard’s waiter lifts a tray of champagne glasses from a table while the others waiters work in the background.

“Get yourselves together and get out there. Get those glasses on those trays. We got thirsty people out there.”

We follow Goddard’s waiter carrying his tray into the museum, where crowds of well-dressed guests are socialising amid display cases of ancient artefacts. The waiter passes by the museum curator (Graham Beal, credited as James Harmon), who takes a glass from the tray, and we break off to track him through the crowd, passing by a marble statue of Alexander the Great, which Zack Snyder had in his office and Michigan gym, and it appears in a few of his Vero photos.

The music that begins here is Dmitri Shostakovich’s Suite for Variety Orchestra: VII. Waltz No. 2, often mistakenly attributed to Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2/Jazz Suite No. 2 instead of Suite for Variety Orchestra. This is one of Shostakovich’s most famous works. It plays as background music for the gala, presumably played over speakers. There does not seem to be any significance to this piece with respect to the film, but it completes the upper-class atmosphere of the event.

The curator finds Diana, now wearing a shimmering gown and speaking to several other guests. He asks of them, “I wonder, would you excuse us?” To Diana, he says, “There’s something I’d like to show you.”

“I’m sorry,” she says to the other two guests, bidding them farewell to accompany the curator away.

We follow their stroll out of the cavernous central hall into a side hallway, watching them through glass display cases. One contains an ancient Greek sword and shield, yet another of the references following Diana that allude to her true warrior identity.

As they walk, the curator says to her, “Now, some scholars insist that it never happened, but I believe it’s the action perfectly in keeping with a king who was also a psychopathic killer.” Since he is talking about Alexander the Great, it is appropriate that his statue can be seen between them in the background as they leave the main hall. “For me, it’s the culmination of forty years curating. And I can’t believe it, but I’ve finally got it here. It’s the sword of Alexander. It’s the blade that cut the Gordian Knot.”

“I used to have that Alexander the Great in the gym. That statue. In my Warner Bros office I had it in the corner. It’s made out of Styrofoam, so it doesn’t break the floor or anything, so that’s good news.”

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

We circle around the two as they come to a glass case containing an aged sword. As we push on it, a careful eye can spot Bruce approaching from down the hall in the right frame, his reflection appearing briefly in the glass to stand above the ancient weapon, before we close to fill the screen with the blade.

The curator finishes, “It’s a triumph.”

“Yes,” says Diana.

“Enjoy.” Then he leaves her alone, stepping away.

“Thank you.”

The actual sword is fictional, but the Gordian Knot is a known legend. In the city of Gordium in ancient Phrygia, an ox cart of special significance was tied to a post via cornel bark, so tightly that an oracle declared that whoever could untie the “Gordian Knot” would rule over all Asia. After entering the city, Alexander the Great cut the Knot with one swift move of his sword, using simplistic brute force to overcome a problem. There are many points to be made here…

• This is precisely fitting for Batman’s goals in the film, later emphasised by his words, “the world only makes sense if you force it to.”
• Further corroborating this relation, in the reflection on the glass, just as we approach, Bruce can be seen standing perfectly over the sword, also standing in the right background. This subtle introduction of Bruce to the scene before his main appearance may associate him visually with the sword, positioning him as Alexander.
• Lex, who certainly is a psychopathic killer, is referred to by his full first name of “Alexander” once in this film, possibly tying the reference to him.
• When Superman does not kill Batman and Batman does not kill Superman, Lex (literally Alexander) seeks cuts his metaphorical Gordian Knot (Superman) with the Sword of Alexander (Doomsday).
• Samuel Otten pointed out that this might foreshadow how Superman is later placed in a no-win situation that he breaks out of with an unorthodox solution, namely discovering the goodness in Batman, the very man who wants to kill him.
• The Gordion Knot is also mentioned in Watchmen by Ozymandias when he discussed Alexander the Great and how he followed the conqueror’s footsteps across the world. Ozymandias also applied the Gordion Knot solution to saving the world. To prevent World War III, he executed a catastrophe that killed millions to unite the world against another threat.
• In this film, Superman has to die for humanity to see him as the truly human hero he really is, a blunt solution to the problem of humanity turning against him.

“That’s all good and Chris Terrio’s a big fan of the Gordian Knot symbolism, as am I. We often talked about how to layer it the with the Spear of Destiny / Holy Lance symbolism as well.”

Zack Snyder, Vero, 3 April 2018

Since the waiter entered the room with the guests, this has been one giant shot with no cutaways or edits.

Behind the Scene

Editor David Brenner explained that this shot was originally even longer, following the waiter from the kitchen and into the main room…

“The opening shot was constructed with a much longer introduction. A oner, starting close on a tray of champagne glasses, we follow a waiter out with the tray into a museum gala… an art curator takes a glass off the tray and we follow him as he interrupts Diana Prince from a conversation, and walks her through the party giving her an elaborate introduction to the Sword of Alexander…. and finally we come to the sword. This beautifully timed shot was one of the first things we had to cut because, as I said we were well over 3 hours and I guess the shot itself had little to do with story…”

David Brenner, ProVideo Coalition, 10 April 2016

“It was actually a longer shot. I just thought it was cool. We knew we were going to have this big Diana moment. I just thought it’d be cool to not do a big dramatic introduction and just let her live with us, as opposed to… Playing with editorial, we got to play with the camera, trying to see her and it’s like walking with them as opposed to me forcing the point of view on you, except for now when Bruce comes in.”

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

“The shot starts on champagne glasses with the camera leads the waiter. Then there’s a cut and we’re behind him — I believe we shot it without a cut (we wrap around him). The bigger deal for me is that we were in an expensive museum and weren’t allowed to hang lights anywhere.”

Larry Fong, Twitter, 30 November 2025

Low-angle shot of Diana from within the glass case. Over her shoulder, Bruce walks into view, eyes set on her, having tracked her down.

He looks at the sword. “It’s a fake,” he says, likely trying to impress her with his knowledge. “The real one was sold in ’98 on the black market. Now it hangs–“

“Over the bed of the Sultan of Hajar,” says Diana, finishing his sentence. We immediately know from this that she has known about the sword since long before the curator introduced her to it. With Bruce thrown off by her educated response, she turns to smile at him and says, “Excuse me,” and she steps away to leave.

Bruce, no longer as suave as he was, follows and takes her by the arm as they walk back to the main hall side-by-side. Diana is surprised by the sudden grab, but goes along with it, brushing him off as a non-threat as Bruce says, “Excuse me, Miss. The other night, you took something that doesn’t belong to you. Stealing’s not polite.”

“Is it stealing if you steal from another thief?” Daina asks, denying him the moral high ground.

Bruce glares at her for a moment, as if offended that she would compare him to the people he puts in jail. She does not return his gaze. Looking forward again, Bruce finally asks, “Who are you?”

“Someone interested in the same man you are.”

Now they stop. Bruce moves to stand in front of her, letting go of her arm. “Is that right?” he asks.

More serious now, Diana says, “I believe Mister Luthor has a photograph that belongs to me.”

“Did you get it?” he asks, sounding legitimately curious.

“As it happens, no, I didn’t. The data you copied has military-grade encryption.” Diana moves off right past Bruce without another word.

Bruce turns after her, audibly grabbing her arm yet again. Over her shoulder, he drops his voice somewhat to say into her ear, “You know, I bet with that dress, nine out of ten men would let you get away with anything.” Here, he is accusing her of using her own charms to manipulate men, an assumption possibly built on experience with the coming mention of women like her.

Beat before she asks, “But you’re the tenth?”

He whispers on, “I’m guessing I’m the first… to see through that babe-in-the-woods act. You don’t know me, but I’ve known a few women like you.” The term “babe in the woods” refers to a naïve and/or innocent person who is inexperienced with their new environment. Bruce is establishing himself as a man who will not bend, but he also recognises that there is more to her than she lets on. Also, in referencing the other women he has known in his life, this potentially implies Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Talia al Ghul.

Diana turns to face him and smirks. “Oh, I don’t think you’ve ever known a woman like me.” Indeed, being an immortal Amazonian demigoddess, she is absolutely right. She smooths his bow-tie and finishes, “You know, it’s true what they say about little boys: born with no natural inclination to share.”

Now Bruce grins, clearly amused by her sharp tongue and somewhat flirtatious responses. He is finally realising that they are equals in this encounter.

She continues, “I didn’t steal your drive. I borrowed it.” She leans forward and whispers into his ear, “You’ll find it in the glove compartment of your car.” Then she turns to leave again, heading into the crowd as she bids him goodbye with a loud, “Mister Wayne.”

The Diana Prince motif plays as Diana walks away from Bruce, again associating her with a mystery tone. This overlaps with Waltz No. 2.

Bruce watches her leave before looking down thoughtfully. The scene ends on the beeping of Bruce’s leech device.

Cold, hollow, almost metallic ambience as we cut to Bruce in the Batcave trying to decrypt Lex Luthor’s data.

Close-up on Bruce’s leech device, displaying “Connected” on its little screen.

Shoulder shot from Bruce sitting at the Bat-computer, push in on the large screen switching to display the words “Initiating Decryption” as Bruce puts the device on the desk.

Medium shot pushing on Bruce as we hear him type. Then we hear a beep.

Return to the computer, now displaying the decryption progress for “LEECH_01” starting at 1%. A few seconds later and another beep as it reaches 2%. Knowing that the Bat-computer can break such an advanced encryption certainly speaks volumes about Batman’s technological resources, and the time required says a lot about Lex’s.

Return to push closer on Bruce, eyes fixed on the screen. Hold for a few seconds. We hear the hum of the World Engine, building before cutting to black on the machine’s buzzing, once again reminding us of the traumatic experience for Bruce on that fateful day.

SCENE OVERVIEW

At a museum gala, Bruce has tracked down Diana to retrieve the drive she stole from him. Now with a speaking role, Diana gets some development with a look at her personality. Bruce has learned that she is not his enemy, which will lead to a later interaction as Bruce pursues knowledge of her further and sets up their personal relationship, but for now, he has reacquired the drive and can access the information he seeks that will lead him to his true goal.

SCENE ANALYSIS

Diana’s quick-witted responses to Bruce’s words show her ability to one-up him verbally. Suave and smooth though he might be, Bruce has met a woman who does not so easily fold to his subtle intimidation, his flirtations bouncing off her nonchalant hide, and his confident demeanour rises and falls throughout the scene before looking legitimately impressed by her. This helps put both characters on even terms to build their understanding of each other and prepare us for their coming alliance.

The museum is dominated by Greek and Roman motifs, along with religious murals and stained glass windows, a thematically fitting location that also makes the perfect meeting environment for the affluent.

BEHIND THE SCENE

“Shot 2 is a reverse, Diana takes in the sword and Bruce enters into a 2 shot. No coverage here… so the task here is just to choose the best take. She comments on the fact that the sword is a fake, turns away and then we cut to shot 3. That’s a long Steadicam shot that takes them from the sword case to the floor. It starts medium wide on them and then naturally gets closer as they move forward. It’s the only coverage until just before they stop and Bruce turns to face her. So again, that was about choosing the best take. From that point on, that master shot becomes a single of Diana, and Bruce is in a reverse CU. They talk about Lex. Then Diana moves to leave him but he catches her arm and swings around… so her angle becomes a very close 2 shot where he whispers to her. Can’t cut away from this. Finally she breaks off, faces him, and then the scene finishes with 2 reverse close ups. Generally, it’s a scene with not many cuts, that starts with scale focuses down to a very intimate point, and then settles in to something still close, but with a little more air.”

David Brenner, ProVideo Coalition, 10 April 2016

This scene was shot in the Detroit Public Library, 5201 Woodward Avenue, Detroit. The scene was shot on the 11th and/or 12th of August 2014. Base camp was set up in a parking lot on the South side of the Library. Art director Lorin Flemming designed the set, and you can find detailed photos of the layout and conceptualisation at her website. A variation of this scene was used in Gal Gadot’s audition for the role of Wonder Woman to test her chemistry with Ben Affleck.

“And, by the way, this was the scene we tested. It was a version of this that we tested between these two. I think I watched it a few… We were looking for it again. I wanted to watch the audition. I don’t think we ever put it out. I’ve talked about it a fair amount.”

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