If you’ve been keeping up on the news and marketing for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, you’ve no doubt noticed that while both stars are DC’s pop culture icons, the Dark Knight has been painted in a more flattering light than the Man of Steel. Well, now it’s been made perfectly clear who the hero of this film will be in the DCCU's public eye thanks to these new promo posters. First, let’s take a look at Superman:
Heroic Hollywood found these new posters, which look similar to the posters that came out shortly before the film’s first trailer was screened at IMAX theaters two months ago. The image of Kal-El is a still taken from Man of Steel, but the words are more of what we heard the talking heads saying in the teaser trailer. "False God" is once written in large letters, and the assertion that he was responsible for Metropolis’ destruction. Adding insult to injury is not just the Bat symbol etched over Superman’s emblem, but also the claim that Lex Luthor is the city’s savior. If only they knew what that bald industrialist was up to behind closed doors. Suffice to say, despite Superman’s mission to do good and protect his adopted people, a vocal group of people are doing their best to stick it to the Kryptonian.
Next up is Batman, who is evidently being sought out by the Gotham City Police Department for "criminal acts of vigilante justice."
However, it looks like the city’s citizens don’t hold any ill will towards Bruce Wayne’s masked persona. As you can see, he is being lauded as a "hero" and "Gotham City’s dark protector." One person even put a halo over his head. Batman is cool, but I’m not sure I’d go as far as to call him an angel. The GCPD logo is also crossed out, essentially serving as a middle finger to the officers who patrol the streets of the DC universe’s most depressing city. Commissioner Gordon can’t be pleased about this. It’s important to remember that these are promo posters and not quite official marketing materials, but there is a very clear picture painted here.
While Batman and Superman will presumably overcome their differences by the end of the film, Warner Bros has been really been pushing the ‘v’ angle of this film, not just by the two heroes fighting each other, but how they’re perceived by everyone. Yesterday’s plot synopsis even talked about the world wrestling with "what sort of hero it really needs." While I’m sure that Superman has his share of supporters and there are people that would like to see Batman behind bars, it’s looks like the Caped Crusader is winning in the popularity polls.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will hit theaters on March 25, 2016.
