The general reaction to the destruction of Metropolis in Man of Steel made director Zack Snyder and co-writer David S. Goyer feel like a response was necessary in the sequel. As a result, they felt that there was only one natural choice for a DC character that could be used to force Superman to pay for his crimes against humanity: Batman. But where Snyder and Goyer saw story potential, Warner execs saw a shared cinematic universe that could lead to the kind of financial success they had been dreaming about since Nick Fury introduced audiences to “The Avengers Initiative” in 2008.

Shifting the film’s focus from a Man of Steel sequel co-starring an antagonistic Batman, to a backdoor pilot for a Justice League movie, Warner Bros forced in as much set-up to the team-up as possible… then removed 30 minutes from the film for its theatrical release in March of 2016. The result was a film that was was lambasted by critics while simultaneously igniting a groundswell of support from fans that deeply connected to the film’s tone, philosophy, and approach to the characters.

Join Nick and Scott as they come to terms with the highs and lows of BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, a film with a lot of good ideas but ultimately struggles under the weight of too many conflicting expectations.

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