BvS "...a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent": Does this not worry anyone else?

I think you're over-reacting.

 

When it comes to this movie, we should hope for the best but expect the worst.

 

Truthfully, I love the aspect of this Batman being "older and wiser" than Clark. Perhaps that is nothing more than the biased Batfan in me talking, but nevertheless Bruce has always appeared to be slightly older than Clark anyway. It just feels right that Batman would have a few years head start on Superman when you stop and think about it. Superman should be the inspiration for all of the other "superpowered" heroes that come afterwards. However, one thing we see at the end of MOS is that Kal's abit cocky.... I think Bruce is the perfect mentor in keeping him honest. A sort of "Who guards the guardians?" type of role. Kal probably feels that he's a complete indestructible force when stacked up against mere earthlings. Both Bruce and Lex are going to give him an education that even gods can die at the hands of human beings. That said in regards to the age, we're only talking about a decade inbetween them which isn't that long to honest. Most people wouldn't consider someone ten years older in the "fatherly" range. That's more of a twenty year age difference.

 

batman and superman should not be on same intellectual level

clark was trained on a farm

 

This.

I can only see a number of outcomes.

It's a Superman/Batman movie, rather then a true sequel.
Thus, it's more of a stand-alone and doesn't develop its characters as much.
Or, it's a true sequel, which happens to feature Batman (optimal, IMHO)

There are several routes that I think will lead into a good movie.

• Goyer and Snyder learn from their mistakes
• Affleck "fixes" Goyer's script
• Snyder encourages more scenes straight out of the comics.
• They both ease up on the seriousness.

This can lead to a movie that is fun to watch and less demanding of criticism. The more a movie is viewed as a big-scale drama, the more it will be held to that standard.

• Jonah signs on and 'fixes' Snyder/Goyer's script.

• Goyer looks at Zack's stuff more critically, and this motivates him to work harder on his own part of the script.

And they get a better editor

Or Zack decides to do the Last Photograph and leave Affleck with MOS2 t:

 

I don't think they need to ease up on the seriousness, they just need to add a little bit more levity in addition to it. Forget feeling depressed or overwhelmed, having a bit of fun and comedy helps develop characters and helps make the audience like and care about them.

 

The do it in the comics when talking about their first meetings. Superman at the beginning sees the world in black and white. He also has some ego about his powers. His interaction with Batman teaches him to see the grey and have more faith the the potential of man.

At the same time

Bruce get's to be pulled out of his darkness so that the The Dark Knight Return Batman doesn't happen. Being equals doesn't mean thinking the same. Just because you are smart doesn't mean you have nothing to learn. Maybe Batman shows him that something like Zod need not happen again.

 

No, you do not "hope for the best, but expect the worst" that's just absurd. CB fans are some of the most knee-jerk pessimistic people that I've encountered. As for the quote, no, it doesn't bother me at all. If Clark were already established, there'd be nowhere for his character to go, which is boring.

 

This.

This Bruce Wayne has probably seen a lot and fought off many bad guys by this point. Of course he should know a thing or too more than Clark.

However at this point in both of their careers(especially Superman's) there will be some fundamental differences I see them both clashing over where one is right about something and the other is not and vice-versa.

One example is how they would handle situations where a villain is wrecking havoc somewhere and lives would be in danger. You see, Batman would approach it from a "look before you leap" standpoint. He would be analytical about it, he'd be the type to come up with an strategic solution to take out the bad guy while sitting in his Batcave in Gotham or within the Batmobile or wherever. However with Superman, he "leaps before he looks" in a single bound and perhaps thinks faster than a speeding bullet in that situation. He'll go in all guns blazing and try to take out said bad guy quickly and save said person ASAP.

Neither method is correct and neither method is wrong. With Bruce's method, more people are likely to die because he didn't show up on time but the bad guy would eventually be taken out with a great cost(think everything Jason Todd says in Batman: Under the Red Hood). With Clark on the other hand, he'll be more likely to fall into traps and get someone or himself hurt when his abilities are used against him, a good example of this which made me realize this was Injustice: Gods Among Us, the comic. In the first couple of chapters, Joker kidnaps Lois and when Superman goes to save her he breathes in Scarecrow's Kryptonite-Infused Fear-gas and I hope most of you know how that turns out, it's very sad for Superman.

For those who know what I'm talking about, what would've happened if it was Batman who walked in? I think things would've gone very differently. However this characteristic isn't always a bad thing. Given the level of opponents Superman faces who mostly have equal or greater strength and power set like Zod, Darkseid, Doomsday etc you gotta do what you gotta do before lives are taken.

I see them clashing over stuff like this. Bruce would tell Clark to step back and see the bigger picture and understand what your enemy is trying to do, however Clark would tell Bruce to grow a pear and get away from the computer and actually do something for once.

In the context of the movies, after what went down in Man of Steel, I think it'll be Bruce initially who's the wiser one telling Clark he needs to be more strategic etc and then later towards the end of the movie, Clark would be the one telling Bruce to get out of his chair and take action.

 

From the way Superman was portrayed in MOS, being 'wiser' than him really isn't saying much.

 

That would imply that we already know his level of intellect. They just didn't have the scenes to display it in the movie, like Batman's detective skills in Nolan's series. But it's not to say that it isn't there.

 

the wolverine is the best example of a film that is dark and serious yet also has some levity to it but doesn't become a comedy

i dont want some film like thor was where it desperately wanted some comedy so they gave us a darcy

 

This.

I really hate the idea of a Batman older and wiser by about a decade next to a Year One Superman. The news that they were going that route is the main factor that killed any excitement I had for this film (though I didn't have that much to begin with). It really bugs me and just can't get over it no matter how well I see it executed. What I always loved about the Batman/Superman dynamic is the fact that they were equals and like brothers to each other - twin brothers to be specific (no older brother/younger brother dynamic). These men walked on totally different paths and became the heroes they are at around the same time. Then they grew together as their careers progressed through the JL years. All of that is gone when you put a rookie Year One Superman next to "An older, tired, and seasoned Batman". We are not talking a 2 or 3 age gap between them here. We are talking around an entire decade.

In a way I think this idea will make both Superman and Batman look bad.
-Superman will look more like Robin next to Batman instead of more like his equal.
-Batman will look bad by the time Justice League rolls around. I assume the rest of the JL will be closer to Superman's age. I really hate the idea that Batman needsan entire decade ahead of his teammates just to be on par with their young rookie versions. If that is true, what does that tell you about this Batman when he was young and in his early career? It means he was as weak as Nolan's Batman. Maybe not as weak, but still below your average Year One version of Batman. Only difference is he has more experience this time.

 

ben affleck hardly looks old lol

 

I wouldn't be too worried about that. The super powers would definitely set him above the Robin level for sure. Clark would prove himself equal by the end of the movie I bet.

As for Batman being older and experienced, it should be considered a Benefit. Batman should be given something to set himself apart from the other god-like heroes of the Justice League, who are all probably Superman's level of being a rookie, age and experience in fighting bad guys, and being a detective etc seems like the best. Tired and weary could simply mean he's fed up and wants to retire, until a young upstart by the name of Superman inspires him to keep up the good fight. Look at it like this, which Batman cartoon do you prefer?

The young Batman who's a couple of years into his career from "The Batman" animated series



or

The older Batman from "Batman: TAS" who clearly has been doing it longer

 

I remember watching the episode where Superman appeared in "The Batman"; wow, they really emasculated him in favor for making Batman look better.

 

It doesn't bother me in the slightest. It kind of gives off a Buddy Cop-feel to it. A younger rookie with a more seasoned, wiser veteran.

 

Move over Justin Bieber, Henry Cavill has taken your role.

 

Well, batman is more popular, movie wise. N everybody is curious how batman could kick the ass of this MOS version of superman. Kryptonite again? So non creative?
I guess that's the intention.

 

I'm definitely a BTAS kid! That said I'm 30, so it's rather obvious right. lol! When BTAS premiered we were looking at an approximately 35 year old Batman who'd been on the job for about 10 years already. In some episodes he looks "tired and weary"....case in point the episode I Am The Night.



In the Robin's Reckoning it's revealed that Dick Grayson has been under Bruce's care for 9 years. There's a 10 year gap between the flashback in Mask of the Phantasm and present time.



I've been hoping that the Ben Affleck Batman of Snyder's new DC cinematic universe takes inspiration from BTAS and the Arkham games. Also let's not forget that the New 52 has also made reference to Batman getting a five year head start on the rest of the Justice League members operating in the shadows as an urban legend.

 

Catch up on your comics, love. There's plenty of scenes from MOS that were taken directly from comic books.

-- The battle of Smallville (although that was done by a kryptonite-enhanced Doomsday) where the town was leveled.

-- Pretty much the entire plot of Zod searching for Clark, his "You are not alone" speech, his attack on Metroplis, and the ensuing battle are near-direct replicas from "Earth One" Superman.

-- The idea of Clark being bullied, and a loner, is from "Earth One" Superman.

-- Jor-El's speech to Clark about what he can accomplish for humans is taken from "All-Star" Superman.

-- "Can't I just keep pretending to be your son?" "You are my son!" is taken from another comic book that I can't recall off the top of my head.

And those are just the ones I can recall at this very moment. I'm certain there are more.

.....

Anyway, as for the quote, I'm a little concerned.

I know that the most common error with writing Batman is a tendency to over-compensate his character since he doesn't have "special" powers. We end up with a Bat-god scenario, where he's always right, always does everything right, and he always wins.

Two of my favorite comics are the Superman/Batman Annuals 1 and 2, where the guys are...not super friendly with each other. At one point (Annual #2) , they're 'discussing' things, and Bruce tells off Clark that he's wasting his time playing a reporter and doing charity work, when he should be fighting crime full time, and Clark points out that Bruce could use his wealth and privilege to do more than to dress up like a rodent.

They're both right; they're both wrong. By the end of the book, Clark has learned that he could be a hero even without his powers, and Bruce has learned that he misjudged Clark as a person.

I don't need an exact replica of that situation, but I would love for the film to follow that route. That way neither one of them looks like a complete moron.

 

I think it is a better dynamic. A younger more brash Superman teamed up and sometimes against an older wiser Batman. There is some room for very interesting storytelling here.

 

Just because Batman is wiser at the beginning does not mean that that's what their dynamic will always be, let alone by the end of the movie.