Let me just start off by saying I know nothing more about this film than you guys do and have no insider information. I do, however, have complete faith that this film is not going to be the cluttered mess that a lot of people seem to be thinking it will be. I firmly believe that there is a very clear strategy that WB/DC is using here they are simply just not putting their cards on the table ala Marvel Studios.
When Batman was announced, people freaked out. "How can this be a Man of Steel sequel with Batman in it?!" When Wonder Woman was announced, people freaked out. "How can this be a Batman/Superman movie with Wonder Woman in it?!" Now we have Victor Stone aka Cyborg (aka Black Iron Man) in the film and people are once again freaking out and using the "too many characters" rhetoric. Relax, guys, trust me, this movie knows what it’s doing.
I'll be honest, though, I initially was skeptical as to what exactly WB was planning with this film when they announced Batman and Wonder Woman. I will state this upfront, I am a fan of Man of Steel. In fact, that movie took my breath away. I was very much looking forward to a sequel and seeing more of Henry Cavill's Clark Kent character being further developed. Then when Batman was announced at comic con. My initial reaction was "Huh. Well, I didn't expect that. How will this work?" However, shortly after that skepticism turned to pure, adolescent excitement where I gave in to the notion that it's freaking BATMAN AND SUPERMAN together for the first time in cinematic history. And with Snyder behind the camera, you just know we are going to get a battle of epic proportions between the two legendary icons.
Warner knows what they are doing. They are fully aware that Batman + Superman= $$$. This movie will basically market itself. Just imagine the posters, the billboards, the trailers showing Batman and Superman about to face off. This is going to be a cinematic event for the record books.
Therefore, with all that in mind, WB/DC need to capitalize on it. Sure they could have kept this movie solely about Supes and Bats but they would be missing out on an opportunity to open the DC universe. By introducing characters like Wonder Woman and Victor Stone, they are giving those characters a legitimate shot at mass exposure. If the crowd comes out of it saying “Man, Gal Gadot really stole the show in this!” Guess what? We’ll be getting a Wonder Woman film soon after with Lucy Lawless as Hippolyta, Nathan Fillion as Steve Trevor and Idris Elba as Ares (probably).
It’s essentially the same strategy that the Arrow tv show is using. Producers Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim are blatantly using that show as a baseline to introduce a plethora of DC characters to further enrich their world. And you know what, its working. Very damn well. I mean we’re getting a Flash tv show because of this. And you can only
imagine what other DC characters the Flash show will introduce (I’m looking at you, Hal Jordan).
It’s all about exposure, guys. Not too long ago, WB was chastised for not doing anything with the rich DC Universe that they have at their disposal. Now, after all this time they are making serious moves. Arrow is going strong, the Flash is coming, the Gotham show is coming and we have a big event movie coming in 2016 introducing the three most well-known superheroes in the world. The future is very
very bright for live action DC. Just because they are not following Marvel’s method of slowly building characters over time doesn’t mean they aren’t doing it right. And for the record, I’ll bet a pretty penny Victor Stone will be in BvS for a total of five minutes. They just want to get audiences familiar with the character before he inevitably appears in his robotic form in
Justice League.
At the end of the day however this will still be Henry Cavill’s vehicle. Superman is the heart and soul of the DC universe and I am positive that despite Affleck and Gadot’s presence the story will focus on Clark and his continued growth throughout the DC universe. In my opinion, what better way to really test Superman’s mettle than to pit him against two of DC’s biggest icons?
This not meant to be a condescending article, I would just like everyone to take a breath and enjoy the fact that WB is finally giving us what we want: a live action DC universe and they’re doing their best to make sure that their characters are getting a fair shot at exposure. Despite what you may have felt about Man of Steel, you can bet that BvS will be a massive comic book movie event that will give the Avengers a run for its money. The movie is still two years out so Warner is not going to put their cards on the table yet but soon, I guarantee you, all will be revealed and you guys can sleep peacefully at night again in reassurance.
Peace, love and BOOYAH!