Batman's return to the big screen comes just four years after Christopher Nolan ended the Caped Crusader's story in The Dark Knight Rises, and it sounds like the filmmaker was a little take aback to learn that Zack Snyder wanted to pit him against Superman in a movie which, according to Empire Online , will essentially portray the character as a villain.Snyder reportedly told Nolan before the director replied:Could this be why Nolan - who executive produced Man of Steel - decided to remove himself from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice? Whatever the answer, Snyder got his blessing to move forward with his vision.