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10 Interesting Behind-The-Scenes Facts And Trivia From Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice


Released in March 2016, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had all the makings of billion-dollar superhero blockbuster. After all, the title alone bore the name of arguably the two most iconic superheroes of all time, not to mention the fact that the film also featured the first theatrical appearance of Wonder Woman and, as such, DC’s Trinity.

Be that as it may, BvS proved to be incredibly polarizing among fans and critics alike, and from a financial standpoint, came up far south of Warner Bros.’ expectations. Still, that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of fascinating tidbits worth exploring from the other side of the camera.

With that in mind, here are 10 interesting behind-the-scenes facts and trivia from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice:

  1. Ben Beefed Up…

    It wasn’t really until the early 2000s that undergoing a massive body transformation pretty much became a prerequisite for starring in a superhero movie. Nowadays, actors routinely sculpt their physiques to god-like levels for such roles, and in the case of Ben Affleck, his Bat-body included an additional 20 lbs. of solid muscle. Additionally, the actor managed to trim his body fat down to eight percent. In fact, the day after Affleck was cast as the Caped Crusader, he began working out two hours a day in preparation for his impending skirmish with the Man of Steel.

  2. …And So Did Henry

    Henry Cavill was in phenomenal shape in his own right when he starred in the film that launched the DCEU, Man of Steel. So phenomenal, in fact, that he decided he was happy with his new, chiseled look, and that he would keep up his fitness regiment even after filming. Because of this, by the time filming for BvS began, Cavill was still in relatively close to his peak MoS physique, allowing him to put on twice the amount of muscle mass this time around with relative ease.

  3. The ‘I Am Legend’ Connection

    In the 2007 zombie apocalypse film I Am Legend, many fans noticed a billboard in one scene that featured the Superman shield inside of the Batman logo, seemingly foreshadowing a movie that wouldn’t arrive for another nine years. However, this wasn’t a mere coincidence. The idea for a film pitting the Caped Crusader against the Man of Steel was first pitched in 2001. The script, which was written by Akiva Goldsman, saw Bruce Wayne’s fiancée killed by the Joker, sending him on a brutal rampage that would eventually put him directly in Superman’s crosshairs. That film was ultimately shelved, but Goldsman would go on to work on – you guessed it – I Am Legend, which starred Suicide Squad’s Deadshot actor, himself, Will Smith.  

  4. Bring On The Cyborg

    When Diana receives the email from Bruce containing the metahuman files, one of them is a clip in which we see Dr. Silas Stone effectively transform his disembodied son into Cyborg using a Mother Box, which he refers to as U.S. Gov object 6-19-82. This number is significant for two reasons. First off, it’s a clear reference to Tales of the New Teen Titans #1, featuring Cyborg’s origin story, which was released in June 1982. Second, it’s also a nod to the movie Superman II, which hit theaters on June 19, 1982.

  5. Credit Where Credit’s Due

    Many longtime Batman fans know that the character was co-created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, debuting in the pages of Detective Comics #27 in 1939. However, you’d be forgiven if you only associated the Caped Crusader with Kane, since he refused to publicly acknowledge Finger’s hand (no pun intended) in the character’s creation until long after the latter’s death. As such, anytime Batman appeared in media, be it comics or movies, Kane was credited as the sole creator. That is, until BvS. Thanks to the tireless efforts of biographer Marc Tyler Nobleman, DC Entertainment finally began crediting both Kane and Finger with the creation of Batman, and BvS was the first theatrical film to reflect this in the opening credits.

  6. Dawn Of… A New Hope?

    When Lex Luthor is locked up in Blackgate at the end of the film, his prison jumpsuit bears the alphanumeric code “16-TK-421.” In stark contrast to the aforementioned Cyborg Easter egg, this has nothing to do with comics, though. It’s actually a reference to A New Hope – specifically, when Han and Luke steal Stormtrooper uniforms and an officer asks, “TK-421, why aren’t you at your post?” BvS and 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens had a friendly social media rivalry while both films were still in production, hence the reason for the seemingly random nod to an entirely different franchise.

  7. DC V Marvel: Dawn Of Royalty Checks

    The Russian mercenary that works for Lex Luthor, Anatoli Knyazev, is more commonly known to comic fans as the Batman villain KGBeast. However, even though he’s never referred to by name and receives relatively minimal screen time, co-creator Jim Starlin took to Facebook in 2017 to note that he received a royalty check from DC Entertainment far exceeding anything he ever received from Marvel Studios for the use of his co-creations. That includes the combined appearances of Drax, Gamora and Thanos – one of whom is essentially the main antagonist of the entire MCU. 

  8. Superman V Superman?

    Although Ben Affleck plays Batman in the DCEU, he’s also played the Man of Steel… Sort of. In the 2006 movie Hollywoodland, Affleck plays George Reeves, who’s perhaps best known for portraying Superman in the 1950s television series Adventures of Superman. Coincidentally, Hollywoodland also stars Diane Lane, who plays Martha “Why Did You Say That Name” Kent in the DCEU, and she and Affleck’s respective characters even have an ongoing romantic relationship in the film. (That must explain the animosity between Bruce and Clark.)

  9. V Versus Vs.

    Ever wonder why Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice uses “v” in the title instead of the more common “vs.” as the abbreviated form of the word “versus?” As it turns out, there’s actually a pretty clever reason for this. When court cases are filed, they’re always listed as “claimant” v “defendant,” indicating that the first party is taking action because they have a grievance with the second one. These cases also always use “v” instead of “vs.,” so essentially, the title Batman v Superman is, in and of itself, a reference to Batman taking action in order to settle a dispute with Superman.

  10. The Lexes That Almost Were

    Perhaps even more polarizing than BvS as a whole was Jesse Eisenberg’s eccentric take on the villainous Lex Luthor. Well, just in case you’re wondering what could have been, here are the other actors who were considered for the role before it ultimately went to Eisenberg: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Bradley Cooper, Joaquin Phoenix, Adam Driver, Jean Dujardin, Bryan Cranston, Mark Strong and Billy Zane. If only, if only…

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