After decades and decades of waiting, Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will finally bring its two titular heroes together on the big screen for the first time - and they will be wrapped in great conflict with one another. But while the idea of the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel clashing is new for cinemas, the truth is that the famous allies have fought many times in the past, as you'll see outlined in this handy video:
The YouTube channel Comics Explained has launched a new episode of its running series, with the focus this time being on he history of conflicts between Batman and Superman - presumably timed for release with the brand new footage from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that was released this past weekend. The beginning of the video details the path that DC Comics took to even just have the two legendary superheroes meet up for the first time (in a friendly capacity), but it's the second half that dives into the key times that they have been at odds.
As the video points out, Batman and Superman spent many, many years as allies - cooperating in missions for issues of "World's Finest" - but a big turning point was Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. The story found Superman arriving in Gotham to try and get Batman under control at the behest of the President of the United States of America. Using a special armored suit and taking advantage of the fact that Supes had recently been weakened by an atomic blast, the Caped Crusader and the Man of Tomorrow go toe-to-toe.
There have been many conflicts between Batman and Superman since The Dark Knight Returns was released in 1986, but it's this story that has clearly been a great source of inspiration for Zack Snyder and the production of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Like in Frank Miller's book, Ben Affleck's Batman is an older, seasoned crime fighter who uses a special armored suit to try and take down the perceived menace that is Superman. It's not expected that the film will be a direct adaptation of that classic miniseries - as the movie features a younger Superman and will pick up certain important plot pieces from Man of Steel - but there has been a good number of hints suggesting that the books were an important inspiration.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is now in post-production after spending most of last year filming - and because of the extended trailer we just got this past Saturday, it will probably be a while before any more new footage is released. Still, stay tuned for more updates, and get ready for the blockbuster to hit on March 25th.
