“Come At Me, Bro”

Unless you’ve been living under a heaping pile of Kryptonite this past week, you’ve already seen the newest Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer that was released during Comic-Con.

And if you’re like me, you’ve probably had it on constant rotation day-and-night, as you meticulously dissected and over-analyzed every single frame of its pure awesomeness.

Oh, was that just me? Then, you’re in luck!

Here are 8 things that stood out to me during the second Batman v Superman trailer, along with my thoughts on their potential meaning, significance or ties to the comic books.

But first, let’s watch that amazing trailer one more time…

1. Context: Why is Batman So Mad At Superman?

There was a lot of criticism following the release of Man of Steel due to the wanton destruction that occurs in Metropolis during the battle between Superman and General Zod.

I mean, a lot of destruction …too much, really… thousands of people probably died… including Wayne Enterprises employees.

Batman v Superman borrows heavily from Frank Miller’s seminal graphic novel, “The Dark Knight Returns,” in which Batman comes out of retirement to clean up his city, which has run afoul yet again.

In 1986’s “The Dark Knight Returns,” The Caped Crusader and the World’s Biggest Boy-scout battle it out at the behest of Ronald Reagan, who doesn’t like hearing about this, “masked vigilante in Gotham City undermining authority, and taking matters into his own hands,” and requesting that Superman get him under control.

Director, Zack Snyder, seems to have flipped the script a little from Miller’s take, and has used the events at the end of Man of Steel to provide Bruce Wayne with the necessary incentive and motivation to bring an “all powerful being” to heel.

Those familiar with the comic books are aware that Batman is the one superhero that all of the other members of the Justice League fear. He is the only one without super powers, and always the smartest man in the room.

As such, Batman has secretly figured out a way to defeat every super-powered member of the league, should their intent ever shift from the safety of humanity to something more malicious. As a mere mortal, he recognizes the threat that “living gods” pose – and plans contingencies accordingly – should he ever need to bring one of them down.

The beginning of the Batman V Superman trailer seems to clearly show that Superman is being held accountable for the events and destruction in Metropolis after Man of Steel. In the opening frames you see Superman standing before Congress, and greeted by protesters holding signs who likely lost a loved one that day.

Also, among all of the things that God supposedly “hates”… aliens are apparently one of them.

2. This Batman is Brutal

It’s no secret that Batman has some serious anger management issues, and in this movie he appears to be taking them all out on the faces and turkey necks of evildoers across Gotham City!

In Miller’s “Dark Knight Returns,” Batman is brutal, and the same appears to be the case for this Batman. Although Batman has his cardinal ‘no kill’ rule, he apparently also has zero issue with throwing bad guys through a wall and guaranteeing that they will eat their meals out of a straw for the rest of their lives.

In the trailer you hear mention of, “This Bat vigilante is like a one-man reign of terror,” juxtaposed with a shot of a tied-up criminal who had been literally branded by The Batman. You also hear the new Alfred, played by Jeremy Irons, refer to, “the fever, the rage, that turns good men cruel.”

It is this version of Batman that likely provides Superman with the motivation that he needs, to put a stop to a man who takes matters into his own hands, outside of the law …which aligns more closely with Miller’s, “Returns.”

3. Alfred Won’t Be Serving Tea Anytime Soon

Speaking of Alfred, it appears that Snyder may have also borrowed a page or two from Geoff Johns’ best-selling, “Batman: Earth One” in which Alfred is much more than just a butler to Bruce.

Played by Jeremy Irons, Alfred appears to be a more seasoned, gristled and militarily trained companion to The Dark Knight. Alfred has always been the one ally who has helped to keep Batman grounded, and serves as a continual moral compass.

From what I’ve seen in the trailers so far, Alfred will be taking a much more active and aggressive role in Batman’s life, and nocturnal activities …which I am very eager and excited to see.

4. Lex Luthor Has Kryptonite…And A Terrible Hairstylist

Not only does Lex Luthor, played by Jesse Eisenberg, own Facebook (*groan*) and a terrible mop head of hair…but he also appears to have gotten his hands on some Kryptonite!

Here’s hoping that Eisenberg’s portrayal of Lex and his grand plan to defeat Superman is a little more ambitious than simply making money through the poorly conceived real estate schemes that the character has conjured up in the former movies …I’m looking at you Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey.

In the trailer, it seems that Lex has something over Superman, which is evidenced by the scene in which Superman is kneeling before him.

Also, we see what appears to be Lex Luthor in possession of General Zod’s body.

Can we assume that he uses Zod’s tissue to “reverse engineer” Kryptonian DNA and discover Superman’s weakness to Kryptonite?

5. Robin is Dead. But Will We See Carrie Kelley?

In one of the most exciting and tantalizing shots from the trailer, we see what appears to be confirmation that the (Jason Todd) Robin is dead in this universe — and that, same as in the comics, it came at the hands of the homicidal Joker.

Bruce appears to have a statue in the Batcave in memory of Robin, in which the words, “HAHAHA, Jokes on you Batman” are tauntingly spray painted in green across the front.

We also see another shot in which Bruce receives a newspaper clipping in the mail with the words, “You let your family die” scrawled ominously across the front. This is also likely the Joker taunting Batman, and reminding him of how those close to him (and his crusade) can be killed or hurt.

This leads me to believe that Bruce Wayne gave up the cowl years ago after Robin was killed, but the events at the end of Man of Steel effectively bring him out of his self-imposed retirement …which ties perfectly back into Miller’s, “Dark Knight Returns” …and I must say, is a very clever and new way to do so.

If this is the case, will we finally see the Carrie Kelley version of ‘Robin’ on the big screen?! Speculation is that actress, Jena Malone, has been cast in the role. A perfect choice, in my opinion.

6. Metropolis and Gotham Are Sister Cities

While watching the trailer, it appears that Gotham and Metropolis are right across the Bay from one another.

It’s hard to say for sure, but during one of the big battle scenes in which (I presume) the Batwing is approaching an epic battle, it seems that the two cities are close neighbors and may be why Clark Kent is so interested in “The Batman” from Gotham.

By the way, if that IS the battle that occurs between Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman …Batman clearly has no sense of irony!

7. Wonder Woman!

Finally! Although we only see glimpses of Diana Prince (aka: Wonder Woman), played by Gal Gadot, what we do see in the trailer is pretty bad-ass. 🙂

It’s also my understanding that there is a romantic relationship between she and Bruce Wayne in the movie (yay!).

The trailer certainly hints at some flirting, and Diana appears to be at a Wayne party or event with Bruce. If I were to speculate, it’s likely going to take both Batman and Wonder Woman teaming up to defeat Superman.

8. Who The Hell Are The ‘Red Capes?!’

Honestly, I don’t know what the hell is going on here.

If this were the comics, I’d assume that we were looking at an alternate timeline or Earth, and perhaps that’s what it is. Maybe it’s a ‘doomsday‘ (see what I did there?) envisioning of a world in which Superman has more malicious intent, because it’s the only way that I can explain going from Gotham and Metropolis to …the Wild West?

Perhaps this is the vision that Lex Luthor convinces Washington will happen if Superman’s power goes unchecked, and he (Lex) is given the resources by the government to stop him (pls see Amanda Waller).

There is an underwater scene, which I presume is part of the Kryptonite recovery …but will we see Aquaman here, too?

During the trailer, Lex Luthor mockingly teases that, “The Red Capes are coming! The Red Capes are coming!” One can only assume that these are devout followers of Superman (you can see his crest on their arm patches), judging from the messianic imagery that we see throughout the trailer, and what would likely happen if a living God came to Earth.

Time will tell, but I’m certainly curious.

Final Thoughts

These are just a few of the significant items that stood out to me as I watched (and re-watched) the new trailer for Batman v Superman.

Based on some of the references I made during this piece, I see a LOT of potential for cross-over between the new Suicide Squad movie, along with the recently announced Batman movie that Ben Affleck will star in, direct and is co-writing with DC Comic’s own, Geoff Johns.

We already know that Batfleck will make an appearance in the Suicide Squad film, therefore it stands to reason that Jared Leto’s Joker will make an appearance here. We’ve already seen the allusions to him, so it would just be a matter of whether or not he’ll make an actual cameo …or if he’s just referenced for the future. My money is on the latter.

I, for one, am extremely excited for this movie. The homage to Frank Miller’s classic tome, the potential to see Carrie Kelly, and the epic battle between a man, and a God …it just looks amazing so far!

If this is done right – and by paying respect to canon – Superman will be defeated. Judging from the way the trailers have hyped his “God like” status, he needs to be …if only to humble and prove that he can be defeated, which paves the way for the Justice League to happen.

But what about you? Did something stand out to you that I missed? If so, feel free to share you thoughts in the comment section!