‘BATMAN V SUPERMAN’ Wasn’t Made For Me

Look, I love my job. I do. Writing for Latino-Review is a ton of fun. But I do have some days where things get a little…heated. More often than not, it’s when the subject of Superman comes up. The character has been hugely important to me in my life over the years, and I cannot overstate my fandom for him.

It has lead to all kinds of interesting discussions with folks that disagree with my stances on issues related to movies about him. During the SUPERMAN RETURNS days, I fought with folks who hated it. With the current MAN OF STEEL/BVS films, I find myself butting heads with folks who love them.

But what if I told you there was a common thread in both arguments that proves why BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE simply isn’t for me?

One of the recurring themes I’ve seen come up, whether it be in my defense of SR or my admonishment of MOS is that most fans fall into one of two categories:

There are those that want to see Superman punch something, and there are those that don’t.

Broken down to its simplest form, that is at the core of a lot of the discourse I see online.

I’m the kind of Superman fan that has no interest in whether or not he puts his hands on someone. My appreciation for the character has more to do with his kindness, his optimism, and his unshakable desire to help others. That’s why my favorite parts of MOS were early on, while he was still in hiding, as Clark did several super feats- risking everything to help others (except, you know, his dad). Whether it was the school bus going into the river, standing up for the waitress, or that fiery rescue at sea, there was this incredible being that just wanted to help- and he didn’t have to hit anyone to make a difference.

Does this mean that Superman should never strike another character? Absolutely not. Handled the right way, a battle between him and another super-powered being should be awe-inspiring. Problem is, I didn’t think his battle with the Kryptonians was staged the right way. It was low on drama and emotional stakes, but very high on “cool” visuals. So, ultimately, they left me feeling cold instead of awestruck.

The most moving part of that entire 45 minute slog of destruction porn? Watching Perry White rescuing that intern who was trapped in the debris, risking his own life to do so. Meanwhile, Superman had nothing to do with that moment.

Based on everything we’ve seen so far, in every trailer for DAWN OF JUSTICE, it’ll be more of the same. An angry Superman. Glowing red eyes. Smashing Batman through a building. Scowling. Trying to punch his head off. Threatening him. So we’ll get plenty more of the kind of Superman that leapfrogs over oil tankers that are flung at him- instead of trying to catch them so that they don’t explode into the building behind him and rain fiery cars down on the bystanders hiding nearby- because it “looks cool” to watch Superman and Zod have a boxing match with cars falling out of the sky, and less of the kind of Superman who’d do anything he can to move the fight away from Metropolis.

So the folks that have been dying to see the “Angry God With The Glowing Red Eyes” version of Superman, who fucks shit up…these films are for you.

Those of us who love Superman for his ideals, his humanity, and his desire to help…can comfortably sit these films out, as I will be doing.

To me, what defines a hero isn’t simply that he punches bad guys. It’s the difference between a firefighter racing into a fiery building, and a SWAT dude in riot gear beating a thug up with a nightstick. One just seems inherently more heroic than the other.

Thanks for reading.