Tag Archives: Batman vs. Superman

My Crazy Superman Theory

In today’s world, it is hard to just look forward to a movie without finding anything out about the story. In fact, you don’t have to scour the internet to find out a lot about most of the big blockbusters. Leaked footage and photos come out on a daily basis, and random Hollywood reporters are siting anonymous sources with this story detail or that. Sometimes they prove pretty accurate, like when everyone knew that Benedict Cumberbatch was Khan. Other times they are way off. The point is, the only thing that seems to stir up more excitement and speculation on the internet than the latest superhero films is the next iPhone.

So, I have two choices. I could sit here and rant about how perturbed I get when every detail ever is already leaked about a movie, or I could join in the speculation fun. I am joining in the speculation fun. If people can postulate that Jared Leto’s Joker is actually Jason Todd, then why can’t I sit here and ponder on a Superman theory for the upcoming Batman v. Superman film? Now, all of this is speculation, but it could potentially be right on, so read with caution. If you are trying to avoid spoilers at all costs, maybe think real hard about reading any further. After the picture, I am going into my theory…

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For those of you that are still here, let’s have some fun. Well, maybe fun isn’t the right word for it, considering the nature of my theory. Calling it my theory is probably not totally fair either. To be fair and honest, I have adopted this theory and raised it into my own, after hearing it on the Superman Forever Radio podcast, episode 92. In the episode, the host, Bob Fisher, mentions the rumors that Doomsday may be in this new film. We know, according to the plot synopsis that some kind of threat rise relatively quickly and we see that they are doing something with Zod’s body, and that could mean Doomsday. As Mr. Fisher points out, Doomsday was created in the comics for one reason, and one reason only: To kill Superman. His fear, then, is that Warner Brothers is planning on killing Superman at the end of Dawn of Justice. Which he is audibly upset about. So was I…until I thought about it some more.

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The more I thought about, the more it started to make sense, and it started to grow on me. For those of you who don’t know, Superman is my favorite, always has been. For me to say that any movie that ends up with Supes dead is going on me is a big deal. I don’t want this to be the case. I want to continue to see him on the big screen, or I did, but now I am all sorts of confused. What if this really progresses the story better? What if the Justice League will be better because he died, than they would be if was part of their ranks? These are all the questions in my head right now. I’m not even thinking of the business side of things. The practical side, like the fact that there is no stand alone Superman sequel scheduled yet, and it’s not even rumored until 2020, after everything else comes out. That date isn’t even close to official, either. It’s all rumor and speculation at this point. If Batman and Superman were going to continue to be the two pillars of this new cinematic universe, wouldn’t we see a Superman film sooner? Unless there are no plans for a sequel because Superman dies. I’m not even thinking about that in my theory. I am just thinking of it from a story standpoint.

At the end of Dawn of Justice, we should be seeing the beginning of the Justice League. We should be seeing them come together and starting on the path that will m,make them a team greater than any other. At the beginning of the movie, we see Batman and Superman at war. Somehow, we need to get from there to the beginning of the Justice League. I don’t think just introducing a major threat like Doomsday is going to do it. At best, they may work together to beat the monster, but the team dynamic would be stressed at best after that. Somehow, somewhere in the battle, they are going to need some kind of defining moment, something that stands out that brings them together and makes them so unified, that they become the Justice League, that they see they have to stick together. They need an Agent Coulson moment. If you remember back to The Avengers, they were a mess right after the hellicarrier scene. Loki had ripped them apart, and they were better at fighting each other than the bad guys. It did not look good. When Coulson died though, it was a turning point for them. They started coming together and working with each other, because Coulson died. They saw his sacrifice and knew they had to get past their differences and become a close-knit unit. For the Avengers to become the Avengers, Coulson had to die. That’s why Fury doesn’t tell the Avengers when Coulson doesn’t stay dead.

DC may be thinking that the Justice League needs a Coulson moment, but they have to be different from Marvel. One thing that has made it hard in the Marvel movies is that it has never felt like any of the main characters have ever really been in danger. Maybe it’s because we already know that they have all signed on for so many movies, or maybe in the back of our minds we remember that we are really just watching a Disney film, where the good guys never die or lose. That’s ok, I am all for happy endings, as I have mentioned before. DC and Warner Brothers may see this as an opportunity, though, to be different. They may decide they want to get our attention and let us know as an audience that in this Superhero world, the heroes can die and they will be in danger. That could make for more interesting stories coming up.

None of this, as I thought about it, really convinced me that I liked this idea. I still would have rather had Superman live, than die, but then I thought how the story could progress, if WB doesn’t mess it up. Superman battles Doomsday. Batman and Wonder Woman clearly recognize that he is the most powerful, so they leave him to battle Doomsday, plus Batman probably figures out that there is some tie between Doomsday and Superman, so he blames Superman on some level. This battle between Doomsday and Superman goes very differently than the end battle of Man of Steel. Superman has learned from that battle, from his mistakes, and now he is much more controlled and he is controlling the fight so as to protect as many innocents as possible. As Batman witnesses the fight, and realizes that Superman is the real deal, he decides to try to engage. Wonder Woman too. As they get to the scene of the battle, Doomsday delivers the deathblow, and Superman goes down. He is weakened now, so Wonder Woman and Batman (and possibly Aqua-Man and the Flash) are able to engage the monster, and together they take him out. The result is that the world sees the heroes come together and unite, and they see the greatest her fall. Batman realizes that not all the metahumans or aliens are dangerous. He helps Wonder Woman form the Justice League in Superman’s memory. It could be a very powerful moment. It could be a death that means something. If done right, Superman could become the most important member of the Justice league. It’s one thing to say you are willing to give it all you have, and Batman might think it is especially easy for someone like Superman, but it is another thing to go out and give everything, all you have. When Batman sees Superman do that, he gains a whole new respect for him.

Or, Warner Brothers and DC could just blow the whole thing. That is also a possibility. What do you think? Could we see the end of Superman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice? Or am I just taking crazy pills? Let me know in the comments below or on Facebook, or email me directly at [email protected].

This Week in Geek for the Week Ending August 9, 2014

This is a new weekly feature here at the geeky mormon.  It will cover some of the big stories affecting the world of Geek each week.  It will include some brief summaries of the story, followed by a link to the original source.  Enjoy!

Guardians of the Galaxy Another Big Hit for Marvel

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Despite the fact that most mainstream Marvel fans had never heard of the Guardians of the Galaxy before this film was announced by the studio, they all showed up in droves.  Many people were predicting that because people had never heard of these heroes before, no one would come out to see the movie.  It would be Marvel’s first flop.  I’ll admit, when I heard that this film was going into production, I was among the group predicting that nobody would want to see it.  It has a talking tree thingy and a raccoon as two of its main characters.  However, there Marvel machine got behind their big budget film and promoted the heck out of it.  And, as an added bonus, the trailers made the film look pretty amazing.  Say what you will, but I believe there were a lot of people who went to this movie simply because it had the Marvel label.  Fortunately, it doesn’t suck either.  It opened with $94 million last weekend, the biggest opening ever in August, and the 3rd biggest of the year. Let’s see if it can hold on to the top spot this weekend as it goes up against TMNT.  I know, it should be a no brainer.  TMNT has gotten horrible reviews, but remember, so did all the Transformers movies, also Michael Bay projects, and they all scored big at the box office.  Click here to see the whole story on the box office numbers for last weekend.

TMNT May be a Bigger Hit than We Thought

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See if this sounds familiar:  Big movie company hire Michael Bay to come in and take an old children’s franchise and turn it into a major motion picture, big budget and all.  He comes in, adds that signature Michael Bay touch, and totally ruins it for original fans of the franchise.  He also ruins an evening for critics across America as they go and have to sit through the movie to review it.  It does not go well for Bay with the critics, and they spend their time trying to warned people about the movie, begging them not to go.  Everybody goes anyway, and the film is a huge hit, spawning numerous sequels.  I know, you’re thinking Transformers, but wrong.  This is exactly what is happening again with Bay’s latest project, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Every review I have read has talked about how awful this movie is and has warned against going to see it.  People read this stuff, I know they do.  People know how awful the Transformers movies have been.  They know what to expect, but the news coming in about the box office so far is demonstrating that nobody cares.  They are all going to see this movie.  The reports are saying that it could bring in around $65 million so far.  Why? Geeks are nostalgic and they just can’t resist a film that might bring back some good memories.  Unfortunately, this will only mean more garbage like this will be made.  Click here to read more about the TMNT opening.

DC Calls off Major Movie Stand Off with Marvel

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The big showdown we were all looking forward to in 2016 has been called off by DC.  They moved the release date for Dawn of Justice back to the end of March instead of May 6 where it would compete directly against Captain America 3.  It was going to be a match for the ages, and a great weekend of hiding out at the theater for hours for geeks everywhere.  This move seems like it is DC waving the white flag before the war could even start, and I think it awfully interesting that it came out right after Guardians’ epic opening.  In addition, DC also announced 9 other dates that will be the opening of other DC films, although they have not announced what they are.  Click here for the story and the list of dates.  As you can see, DC is not competing directly with any Marvel film.

SDCC is Still a Big Bully, Sues Salt Lake Comic Con

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As we have all heard by now, SDCC is not happy with Salt Lake Comic Con because of the use of the term “comic con”. As SDCC was going on, the event organizers sent a cease and desist letter to Salt Lake Comic Con.  I shared my thoughts on the action here.  Salt Lake responded with big no on the request from SDCC, so the convention giant has responded in typical jerky fashion by filing a lawsuit with a US District Court.  If they win, it will set a precedent that will cary over into disputes with other events throughout the country that use the term “comic con” in their title.  Salt Lake is not just fighting for themselves, but for the little guy conventions everywhere.  If they win, it will be a victory for all cons not associated with SDCC.  If they lose it will be a big blow to the same conventions. There are currently around 24 major conventions throughout the country that use “comic con” in their name.  The full story can be seen by clicking here for the article in the Salt Lake Tribune.

That will do it for the news this week.  Do you have any stories that should be featured here?  Let me know, tweet the link to me or add it to the comments here or on Facebook.  Did I miss a major story?  Again let me know.  Thanks for reading.

Batman vs. Superman vs. Captain America

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We all saw the date on our calendars, set roughly two years from now.  Two major superhero blockbusters set up to square off against each other on one weekend.  Once Warner Bros. announced that they would be moving Batman vs. Superman: The Dawn of Justice back a year to 2016 and that it would be May 6, many began to wonder if Marvel would move Cap 3 to a different date.  This week, Marvel confirmed that they would not be changing the date, but instead would set up what is bound to be one of the biggest movie showdowns in recent memory.  It leaves the rest of us wondering: Which do I see?  Or, do I decide to just see both in the same weekend.  Or, by that point, will either really be worth my time? Decisions, decisions.

It’s a bold move by Warner Bros. and DC.  Let’s be honest, Marvel has been building quite the hit machine.  The success they have had at the box office has been astounding, and their movies have all been pretty high quality.  There’s not a Green Lantern stinker in the bunch.  DC, on the other hand, has been left out in the cold.  They had success with Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, and Snyder’s Man of Steel, but it seems like they are almost late to the game.   Marvel has been quietly (or not so quietly) building a strong group of characters on the big screen, while it looked like DC could only successfully develop the big two, Batman and Superman.  They had one effort in there with Green Lantern and it was so rotten, that it was probably a good idea to just walk away from it.  Marvel has even beaten DC to the punch with a team based movie that didn’t suck.  Avengers and its success started all the same questions about a Justice League movie and if it could be done.  Unfortunately, it took Marvel 4 years to get to Avengers, and DC is already so far behind that they can’t take 4 years to develop their team in the same way.  Just for fun, by the way, Marvel is now ready to have a second team movie success with a non-major team.  Seriously, other than pretty serious geeks, most people had never heard of Guardians of the Galaxy until now, and it is set up to be a huge success.  Why, because Marvel has been a machine lately.  Everything they have done has been so good and so crowd pleasing that they can now gamble on titles like Guardians and knowing they will be successful.  This is what Warner Bros. and DC is going up against.

But will it still be this way in 2016?  Right now is the golden age of Superhero movies.  I don’t think there has ever been a time when there have been so many big budget superhero flicks, and so many that have been taken so seriously.  Our culture is a culture of fads, however, and one has to wonder how long this particular fad will last.  Looking at it, there have always been superhero films, but this particular run probably started with Iron Man in 2008, so it’s been 6 years already.  How long will the frenzy continue?  All signs point to no time soon, but that’s what a lot of people thought about pogs, and we all know how that turned out.  It was over as quickly as it began.  Or how about alien summer blockbusters?  The 90s was full of those.  Will Smith made his living in the 90s off of big budget alien movies.  That trend is now over.  Trends in movies come and go, and realistically speaking, as much as I want this one to go on forever, it won’t. Will it last until 2016?  I don’t know.  Captain America 3 will take place after Avengers 2, so it will be the 5th movie appearance for Cap.  Will people still care?  I suppose a lot of that will have to do with what happens to the character in Avengers 2 and what else is happening in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  For Warner Bros. and DC, this might be a good thing.  We have never had a Superman/Batman crossover before, and the fans want it.  At least they want it right now, in 2014.  We’ll see if anyone is wanting Superhero movies in 2016.  Chances are they will, but Batman v Superman may just be different enough from what we have seen in the past to draw more people to it instead of Cap 3.  We may be tired of Cap by round three, or we may be deeply invested in the character.

In any case, May 6, 2016 is shaping up to be quite the weekend.  I’m thinking we book the babysitter now for both Friday and Saturday night, and just plan on spending 5+ hours in the theater getting our geek on.