It's only been 8 months. And we know that Batman has seen ostensibly incorruptible men go bad. Who's to say that Superman couldn't go the same way as Harvey Dent?
Great point, he's "one bad day" away from destroying the entire human race, as far as Batman's concerned, he's seen it happen before, and he seems to be really isolated at this point, and extremely cynical.
And if somebody showed up like that in our world today, I think we would see a similar reaction to what we've been shown in the trailers, just like every other major issue, very divisive, some folks are incredibly afraid and don't want to take the chance, some see him as a savior, some even worship him.
I love that one line, "This means something." referring to his symbol. Because, for as long as I can remember, since I was a little kid, I feel like the heroes I looked up to had an effect on my sense of morality, how I felt people should be treated. In Elementary school, one time I saw a bunch of kids in a big circle, pushing and throwing down this one girl, and I jumped in, using all my martial arts training that I learned from cartoons, movies, TMNT, Power Rangers, etc. trying to help the girl. I remember feeling really good about myself, like I had acted in a way that one of my heroes would have. So, those symbols mean something to me (for many reasons, IF I ever were to get a tattoo, the Superman or Batman logo would be the only ones I would ever feel comfortable getting, because those have stayed with me my entire life).
I love that the DC movies seem to be addressing these larger themes, like the very divisive political climate of our time, the fact that we need to set aside our differences and come together for the greater good (I remember my dad finding a worn out American flag in the wreckage in our yard after Hurricane Katrina, washing it off in the lake, and raising it on our flag pole. That was the first time that symbol of the flag has really impacted me, it meant something, it meant coming together in the face of catastrophe, to rebuild). I feel like that is the message this movie is trying to put out, that our differences don't matter in the face of a larger threat/issue.
I feel like both Batman and Superman are going to go through a lot of character development and personal growth in this movie, and I hope Civil War accomplishes the same. Character arcs like that, and speaking to larger social issues and themes, are what makes a CBM "more than just a comic book movie" imo. Using these mythological characters in a way that we relate to them, and that reflects something about our nature, are all that I ask from a CBM, and it looks like BvS might just deliver!
Sorry, didn't intend to write so much