Matt Reeves – director of The Batman (2022) – chose to portray a Bruce Wayne that questions the impact that he is having on Gotham City. Whilst he begins the story symbolizing fear and vengeance, by the end of the film he is a symbol of hope. Walking out of the cinema, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I should have already seen this theme explored in a Batman tale released over five years ago. A story where the very icon of hope – Superman – comes into the life of the Dark Knight. Unfortunately, the reality of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was very different. What if we rewrote the plot of the movie to better explore its themes, and more accurately stay true to both the character of Superman and Batman.
I want to be clear, this is not an excuse to hate on Zach Snyder; I actually thoroughly enjoy the visual style that he is known for. Furthermore, this is by no means a way of implying that I have a better idea than anyone that worked on this movie. With the amount of moving parts and differing interests involved in the production of a movie, it is honestly a shock that any films are good! I am obsessively interested in storytelling and the structure of narrative; as a result, this post is a kind of writing experiment to practice plotting a narrative. As a result I gave myself a criteria that I would have to follow.
- Must be a direct sequel to Man of Steel, and respond to the criticisms levelled at that film
- Must include a serious fight between Batman and Superman
- Must introduce Wonder Woman, and help set up a Justice League movie
- Must have another villain that offers a physical challenge to Superman
- Must introduce Lex Luther
Without further ado, here is the beat sheet that covers the rewrite of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I would love to hear your own rewrite ideas, what you thought of The Batman, and any other movies that you’d like to see a rewrite of.
ACT 1 : The Ordinary World
Will Clark and Batman join forces to investigate?
Opening Image: Superman on Cover of Time magazine. The title of the article reads “Hero or Horror?” By the end of the story, this question will be answered.
The magazine is moved away from the reader’s face, revealing Clark Kent – glasses, suit, does not look comfortable – sitting in a huge waiting room.
“Clarke Kent. Mister Luthor will see you now.”
BEAUTIFUL ASSISTANT
Theme Stated: Clarke is interviewing Lex Luthor about his City Cleanup efforts after the battle with General Zod when the topic moves to Superman. Luthor states the theme.
Tell me Clark, what makes a hero? Superman might save a monorail of people, but Lex Corp creates a vaccination that saves millions. Is Superman really a hero?
LEX LUTHOR
Set-Up (Bruce Wayne): An arms deal in Gotham. A noise. Heading out to investigate, the quivering thugs are quickly taken out by Bat-Drones. Unlike Nolan and Reeve’s Batman, this is a Batman in a fictional universe that has Superman. As a result, he needs to have a more heightened level of tech.
Terrified, the last remaining thug pulls out a small shard of green stone – KRYPTONITE. From the shadows behind, Batman – much more old and grizzled than we’ve ever seen him on screen, throws the last thug to the ground and gets to work dismantling him. The Dark Knight does not pull his punches; he is on the edge of going over the deep end.
What is Batman/Bruce Wayne missing?
Hope.
Batman goes through the weapon caches and discovers that it is all Krypton Tech. He stores the shard of Kryptonite in his belt before answering a call from Alfred.
More alien tech sir? Remnants from the World Machine?
ALFRED
I think it is about time for Bruce Wayne to visit the Metropolis branch of Wayne Industries.
BATMAN
I’ll make the arrangements, Master Bruce.
ALFRED
Set-Up (Clark Kent): Flashes from the final battle of Man of Steel. Superman snaps Zod’s neck. Clarke wakes up in a cold sweat. His ghost is the moment he had to take a life. This action is what drives our protagonist.
He walks around his tiny apartment alone before looking out over the lights of Metropolis. Not sleeping is clearly a frequent event for Clarke. From Clarke’s super-hearing perspective, we hear the cries for help erupting throughout the city, then the country, then the world. Clarke covers his ears and blocks out the voices. No use. He puts on the red and blue tights before flying out the window. His naivety is on display. There’s always someone new to save.
What is Superman/Clarke Kent missing?
Pragmatism.
Sleeping on his desk, Clarke does not notice the bustling environment of the Daily Globe. Despite her protests, Perry White tells Lois Lane to drop the story she’s on as he is putting her on the Bruce Wayne story and his new found philanthropy. Lois and Clark are not together in this film as Clark is concerned for her safety.
Catalyst: Batman is interrogating a man – related to the thugs in Gotham. He gets a name from the man: Vale. However, he’s interrupted before he can get any more information. It’s Superman.
You got what you wanted, now let him go. Vigilantism has no place in my city.
SUPERMAN
Don’t get in my way, boy scout.
BATMAN
The two heroes have a scuffle. Batman has developed the shard of Kryptonite into a ring which he uses to land a few solid hits on Superman. Superman removes the ring from Batman and towers over him.
If I wanted it, you’d be dead already.
SUPERMAN
I’m not afraid of you.
BATMAN
Superman uses his heightened senses to scan for any signs of lying.
I know.
SUPERMAN
Before leaving, Batman reveals that someone is shipping in Krypton tech.
Debate: Clarke is left with a dilemma, go and investigate how criminals are using technology from his home world, or continue his nightly, endless routine of saving people. The thematic question is asked dramatically: what does it mean to be a hero? Will he be reactionary or will he take a more active role in stopping crime?
We cut between two scenes: Clarke has dinner with Ma Kent, whilst Lois sits down with Bruce Wayne. Ma Kent – after implying that Clarke should be with Lois – tells a story about staying true to who you are. Bruce tells Lois – there’s a bit of flirtatiousness between the two – that he has had enough of hiding in his “cave” and wants to impact society.
Break into 2: Not being able to sleep once more, Clarke researches the name Vale, and discovers a missing Professor from Gotham City that was working on cybernetics. With Lois heading to Gotham to continue her expose on Bruce Wayne, Clarke goes with her.