Why Did Batman & Superman Fight in ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’?

When speaking of superheroes, the two that likely first pop into your mind are Batman and Superman. They are team members and friends in the Justice League, but they are also diametrically opposite in terms of their powers and methods, which puts them at odds sometimes. So, why did Batman and Superman fight in ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’?

Batman feared that Superman, with all his power, would be a threat to humanity if he was left unchecked. Then Lex Luthor came into play and manipulated Bruce into rage and hatred towards the Man of Steel. Meanwhile, Lex kidnaps Clark Kent’s adoptive mother to force him into a fight with Batman.

That’s the simplest way to explain the battle that happened in ‘Batman v Superman.’ Both Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent differed in approach and methodology, but they were manipulated into fighting one another. That being said, the story does have more depth and is a bit more complicated than that. Let’s explore what happened a bit more.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice brief synopsis

The plot of the DCEU movie ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ is basically summarized entirely in the title.

After Superman’s battle with Zod in ‘Man of Steel’ caused insane amounts of collateral damage and lives lost, Batman felt like such power couldn’t be left unchecked. He feared that if Superman was left unchecked and had no method of defeating the Man of Steel, he would become a huge threat to humanity.

Worry became rage and hatred after some clever manipulation by Lex Luthor, leading to Batman using Kryptonite from Zod’s spaceship to go into a preemptive battle against Superman. Meanwhile, the Man of Steel was coerced into fighting Batman in the most brutal ways.

Eventually, Superman holds back, not wanting to kill Bruce Wayne, but right when Batman has the killing shot at Supes, he comes to his senses and realizes how rage and hate made him a monster. He chooses not to kill Superman but rather help him deal with Luthor.

Eventually, Superman makes the ultimate sacrifice of giving his life for the greater good, but now, Batman realizes the Earth is much more vulnerable without its superpowered protector. 

Hence, he stumbles upon the idea of forming a superhero team, starting with Princess Diana, aka Wonder Woman – essentially marking the dawn of the Justice League, as the title suggested.

Why do Batman and Superman hate each other?

I wouldn’t say Batman and Superman hate each other. If anything, Batman hated Superman while not really thinking clearly. I think the better phrase to use would be that Batman and Superman were at odds with each other. But why was that the case when they were both heroes, doing good deeds for the betterment of humankind?

Well, Batman and Superman are diametrically opposite when it comes to their methods, powers, and personalities. Bruce Wayne’s superpowers are his brains, technology, and combat skills – not some metahuman power like Supes.

Bruce is cunning but very dark in his methods, so he’s often dubbed a vigilante, not a hero. Superman struggles to understand Batman’s morals and the darkness behind his actions, which puts them at odds with each other.

On the other hand, Superman always tries to do the right thing and has high moral standards. However, when it comes to deciding what’s right and what’s wrong, he really doesn’t take opinions – he just does what he thinks is right.

If you combine that with such otherworldly, nigh-immortal power that he possesses, it’s obvious why Bruce Wayne was worried about him. Imagine if Superman’s sense of right and wrong became twisted, and no one was there to stop his actions. Even if Batman WAS there, Bruce knew that he didn’t have the tools to deal with Supes.

Basically, that was the gist of their conflict. After Batman saw how much collateral damage was left behind after Superman fought Zod in ‘Man of Steel,’ he felt like he needed to do something to ensure the god-like metahuman was somehow kept in check. 

On the other hand, Superman had no intention to fight Batman, as he knew that, if he wanted to, he could demolish Bruce Wayne in a split second. Clark just didn’t understand the darkness behind Bruce’s actions, not to the point where he’d pick a fight with him.

But then, a third party got involved and completely shifted everything. Due to this individual, Batman went from worry to rage, and Superman went from hiding to confrontation in no time. Here’s what happened.

How was Lex Luthor involved in the fight between Batman and Superman?

Oh, you knew this guy had to do something. As soon as we talk about Superman, you better believe Lex Luthor is already there trying to plot his utter destruction. It was actually Lex Luthor that got Batman and Superman to actually fight, hoping that Bruce Wayne would indeed find a way to kill his long-lasting nemesis.

He manipulated Bruce Wayne into hating Superman, blinding him with rage due to the destruction that Superman left behind. He was also the one to find and provide the Kryptonite Batman eventually used in battle. He was the one to convince Bruce to see Superman as nothing more than an alien threat that needs to be eliminated.

On the other hand, he did something even worse to Clark Kent. He kidnapped both his girlfriend, Lois Lane, and his adoptive mother, Martha Kent, forcing Superman out of his self-inflicted exile. Lex threw Lois off of a building, and Supes barely managed to save her.

When he confronted Lex, he revealed that he had Martha, and if Clark wanted to see her alive, he would have to kill Batman within an hour. Superman tried reasoning with Batman and explaining the situation, not wanting to fight at all. ‘If I wanted it, you’d be dead already.’ – he said to Batman, revealing he’s aware of the power disparity, but is not there to fight.

But Bruce was having none of it. He was completely blinded with rage and hate and proceeded with his plan to attack Superman. Clark, holding back not to kill Batman in battle, was forced to fight, knowing his mother’s life was hanging by a thread, and Bruce wasn’t willing to listen to reason. All of that is because of Lex Luthor’s careful manipulation.

Who won the fight between Batman and Superman?

In the end, Batman could use the Kryptonite he had to subdue Superman. Just as he is about to deliver the final blow with a Kryptonite spear, Superman says, ‘Save Martha.’ Bruce stops in his tracks, as it was his mother’s name as well, for just long enough that Lois Lane had time to come and explain what Clark meant by that.

And, just like that, Batman finally woke up to realize what a monster he had been. For the first time, he saw Clark as a human, not just an alien threat, and he decided to help Supes save his mother.

Ultimately, the ensuing fight against Lex Luthor’s genetically modified monster led to Superman’s death due to being weakened by Kryptonite and stabbed. It was a heartbreaking moment for everyone, especially for Bruce, as he realized what an atrocious thing he had done.

Did Batman and Superman make amends?

Now that Superman was gone, Batman realized that Earth was left without its most powerful protector and that the real threats may arrive, shattering life as they know it. At Clark Kent’s funeral, Bruce asks Princess Diana to form a team of superheroes to protect Earth in Superman’s place, which essentially starts the Justice League.

As the movie ends, we see dust particles around Superman’s grave levitate, indicating he might not be dead after all.

So, Batman and Superman couldn’t make amends completely in this particular movie, as Superman died before they could achieve it. However, Bruce made up for what he had done in ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ by saving Superman, essentially making amends with Clark and accepting him as a hero and friend.

What’s your opinion on the rivalry between Batman & Superman? Let us know in the comments below!

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