In a scene on Capitol Hill in the new movie “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” there are numerous fictional senators waiting to hear Superman testify only to be blown up by the evil Lex Luthor.

But Sen. Purrington looked familiar to those on the Hill because it was Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who is also a devoted fan of Batman comics and has used the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel to help further causes he has supported in the Senate.

It’s not the first time Leahy has gotten in fisticuffs with a DC Comics villain. The Senate’s most senior Democrat has been in five Batman films. In 2008’s “The Dark Knight,” Leahy confronted Heath Ledger’s Joker saying, “We’re not intimidated by thugs,” only to be threatened at knifepoint.

“He scared the heck out of me with the knife,” Leahy said. “I didn’t have to act.”