BvS Writers Workshop: Pen Your Own BvS Ideas

I have rewritten Man of Steel as part of a writing exercise and renamed it Superman: Last Son. In that story, it's a Superman origin and Lex Luthor and Sam Lane are the main antagonists. By the end, Sam Lane realizes Superman is a good guy, and Superman has defeated Metallo in spite of being severey weakened and imprisoned him, then helps rebuild Metropolis after the destruction. Luthor gets off scot-free; Superman tells Luthor he will win one day by saving him from himself. Clark and Lois are in a relationship by the end of the story. Jimmy Olsen and Perry also suspect Clark is Superman, but they play along.

In my upcoming rewrite, Batman/Superman: Dawn of Justice, Batman is younger and has been operating for ten years. He's coming off the loss of Jason Todd just a few years ago and is estranged from Dick Grayson. He has cut ties with Commissioner Gordon as well. He was present during Superman's battle in Metropolis against Metallo and sees how much destruction they caused. He resolves to research more into Superman and prepare counter-measures against him in case he turns evil. He thinks someone with Superman's power can never be trusted and must be regulated. Learning about the location of Luthor's leftover Kryptonite, he plans to steal it. Little does he know Luthor is aware of his plans, and wants him to steal the Kryptonite in order to make him look like an enemy to Superman as well.

Superman fights Batman because he believes he is too brutal and believes inspiring fear in the people of Gotham is wrong. They have their fight, during which Superman declares Batman a criminal and tells him, "This is my world." But they resolve their differences, and team up to take down Luthor. Their climactic battle goes down in an abandoned Gotham harbor. Here is the last part of their showdown.


EXT. GOTHAM HARBOR - NIGHT

Superman falls to his knees; his veins are getting darker due to the radiation from the Kryptonite. He looks ahead - Luthor is yards away, struggling back to his feet. He's going to charge with his Kryptonite spear.

Batman offers Superman his hand; he takes it and rises.

BATMAN
I was wrong about you, Clark.
​

Superman looks touched. Their gazes linger on each other.

SUPERMAN
I was wrong about you too, Bruce. (beat) This is our world. ​

With a determined, exhausted smile, Superman prepares to launch. Batman nods respectfully, then steps back.

Superman rockets toward Luthor and rapidly PUMMELS him, knocking him off balance, and then with one last punch, he SMASHES Luthor across the beach. Luthor lands on his back, out cold.

 

What is the point of rewriting a film or films that are already made?
It doesn't matter.

 

For fun...?

Why post on forums you don't have anything to add to? It doesn't matter.

 

I wish I have for more of American writing abilities because I have many ideas. Fan writing a piece here or there is of imagination that I think the professional writers, in the hollywood life would not dare attempt. I felt much of BvS was in vein of someone who not understand the characters as well as fans. Almost like typical movie action but placed for BvS movie.

 

Going back to my last honest optimistic post prior to the film's release, a re-thinking of the BVS central conflict came to me and I simply never stopped liking it. It might feel a bit convoluted for whoever would prefer things kept streamlined and in the confines of Metropolis/Gotham, but it's simply:

• Introduce a nation in crisis under a harsh dictatorship. Qurac or whatever. Put Superman in the proactive dilemma of wanting to free it. A complex issue, but a very understandable stance, even if naive.
• Yet he won't do it by force, but by enabling the revolts from the progressive factions, keeping them as peaceful and controlled as possible, borrowing from a plot point in Earth One, Vol. 2.
• The initiative itself is controversial, but it goes back to what Jor-El believed he could be: a guide and inspiration.
• Enter Lex, who through machinations jacks up the efforts and pushes it into an out-of-control bloody situation. And in the eyes of critics, it's clearly Superman's fault. So the eventual conflict between him and Batman doesn't just come down to limited information and misunderstandings.
• Enter Bats/Bruce, who is already involved and invested in the betterment of the country through Wayne Ind. outreach efforts (maybe Qurac terrorism has somehow affected Gotham). This is what he fears: a Superman that will overreach and overdominate. Politically, in wars, in world issues. Instigate violent coups, as Lex makes it appear. Not just that he'll snap from one day to the next. The "I'm paranoid just because!" bullcrap needs to go.
• Those Super-cult soldiers with the shoulder patch: they're real. A byproduct of militant pro-Superman sentiment that Supes does NOT approve of, akin to the Bernie bros, or the hockeypads Batmen. A Superman cult was too fascinating an idea to waste on a dream sequence.

At the end of the day you have a true conflict of valid ideologies and a deeper exploration of what a Superman would mean for the geopolitical context. Along with a proactive Supes who, for my taste, doesn't constantly let others determine what he is and isn't, always inefficient. Lots of stuff to flesh out further, but I like it, heh.

 

THIS is very good.

 

Thanks! It's not for everyone, but a good enough seed for something interesting, imo.

 

Cool thread guys! Haven't had a chance to read it all yet, but I'm enjoying your ideas.


Not really connected to BvS or the exact thread topic, but an idea for a Batman series I had that I'll share on here anyways, if anybody wants to read:

Around the time before Dark Knight Returns came out, I made up this idea in my mind, that actually had a few similarities to the current DCEU, which is pretty cool to me.

The idea was a few different DC television series, like Game Of Thrones, the first of which revolved around Gotham City, very real, serious, and mature, that revolved around not only Batman, but Gordon, Harvey Dent, Vicki Vale, Selina, the detectives from the Major Crimes Unit, maybe the story arc of a young street punk who runs in one of the villain's crews but has a change of heart due to Batman, kinda like the guy in No Man's Land who winds up helping Leslie Thompkins protect those kids.

Basically, like how The Wire focuses on the infrastructure of inner city Baltimore through the people involved with the drug trade, this focuses on the city of Gotham, with emphasis on how Batman effects the city as a whole.


In my head, I envisioned that around the time Bruce Wayne first returned to Gotham, he had been working undercover for about six months in the Gotham criminal underground through contacts made in his time overseas, developing his strategy, gathering intel, but still hasn't developed the full concept of The Batman yet. He even goes so far as to get himself addicted to drugs, to understand the mind of these criminals, and he finds that the drugs take away the pain of his past, but he must put himself through a nightmare detox in the caves, to fully test his mental strength.

Around this time, Superman had been revealed to the world, causing an enormous uproar, people split on the idea of Superman and what should he be allowed to do, causing Superman to have to stand in front of the United Nations to gain the public trust (so I was really pumped when I saw the first trailer for BvS, which had a similar looking theme). In an effort to be diplomatic, Superman agrees that countries or states who do not want his presence can vote to keep him out of their boundaries unless given permission (which he'll eventually have to break). Gotham is one of the US jurisdictions that don't want Superman inside their limits.

Early into his crime fighting efforts, Bruce is shot, almost dies, is saved by Alfred and Dr. Leslie Thompkins. He refuses the morphine, but he is feeling that his younger ideals were in vain, doubting himself, feeling that he is pushing against the tide, and could possibly do more for Gotham as Bruce Wayne, philanthropist. In his recovery bed, he watches with the rest of the world as Superman addresses the world and talks about Hope and being a symbol.

That night, he awakens from a violent nightmare of the faceless shadow who gunned down his parents laughing hysterically at him. He calls Alfred to bring him the morphine. It is then, that he sees the bat in his room, on the statue of his father. We see Alfred pulling the bottle of morohine from the medicine cabinet, thinking for a second and pouring it down the sink. He approaches Wayne's room.

"Get rid of the morphine."

"Already done, sir."

"Alfred, I have an idea, something could change everything." The camera zooms down to a notepad on his chest with they symbol of the bat drawn on it. Cut to credits. End of Episode 1.



The entire series would span several years, sometimes skipping ahead a year or more in between each season, so that it could cover Joker, Robin, Nightwing, Death of Jason Todd, Batgirl-Oracle, Knightfall, and No Man's Land.

Then maybe some other connected series and miniseries featuring the other major characters in the DCU, and maybe some Justice Leauge movies, if possible.


I just feel like there's so much to the Batman mythology that would make for great drama, it would make for an incredible series.

 

I would have completely rewritten Lex and had Bryan Cranston in the role.

Lex, while already very wealthy, with ties to the military, and gov contracts, gets his hands on the crashed wreckage of the Kryptonian ships after the events in MoS.

He reverse engineers the technology and creates new weapons, cures for diseases, and sells them to the highest bidders. He gets even wealthier, his worth soars to a 100 bill in four short years.

As time passes, Lex enjoys his new found celebrity, but every time he creates a break through in science or business, it's overshadowed by Superman saving another kid from a fire, or of him saving a runaway train, or cats from trees. Lex is sick of it.


Lex-Corp-


Lex enters his office. He sits at his desk, Mercy brings him a drink and today's paper.

He takes a sip of his drink and looks at the latest headline in the paper. Superman is on the front page, yet again, while his own story about rebuilding a poor neighborhood is on page 8.
Lex crumbles up the newspaper with superman's image on it and flings it across the room.

Bah!! he mumbles and takes another sip.

He switches his computer on, and glances at the files that he has on superman. Years and years of investigations and research about him are all there, his weaknesses, Kryptonite and magic. A slight smile comes across his face. It's time.

Lex walks to his office window and looks out over the city. It's dark. lightning and rain fills the sky.
The dark mood outside matches his own. It makes him feel comfortable.

Peasants, one and all, he thinks. They have no idea what they want, but I do. They want to be lead. But They'll never love me as long as that blue Ba$tard is around.

In that one moment he decides what has to be done.

He calls for Mercy. He tells her to contact Cadmus labs. Inform them that operation Metallo will proceed.


Gotham-

Four Thieves have broken into a bank and made off with several hundred thousand dollars, they also left two guards dead.

They are laughing and fist bumping, thinking they have gotten away. They are wrong.

A small device lands on the hood of the car and explodes, instantly crashing the car.
two crawl out, and make a run for it. the other two are knocked out.

They make their way down an alley, looking up as they run. It's the damn Batman one says.
Shut up and keep running the other barks.

One instantly is yanked straight up and disappears. It leaves the other shaking in his shoes.
Look, I have close to a million here, you can have it all, just let me go. He looks up. He fires his gun into the air at nothing.

He continues to run. ( heavy breathing ) he stops, looks around and up. He sees nothing.
He laughs a nervous laugh. I think I lost him. Ha ha, yeah, I got away, I got away.
Damn, I hope I got away, as he looks around.

several minutes pass. The man sighs a big sound of relief. He lites a cigarette, his hand shakes so bad he can barely hold it.
Finally he says aloud, Screw the Batman. He's not so bad.

A dark shadow is seen floating down to the ground behind him, making no sound at all as it lands.
Guess again it says. The man screams.

Metropolis-

A cruise ship embarks on it's maiden voyage. Loaded with dignitaries, a few world leaders, and several reporters. It's the world's largest and most luxurious ship, at 1,200 feet, she weighs close to 100,000 tonns.

Lois Lane and Jimmy olsen are also onboard to cover the short 8 hour cruise.

It makes it's way out of Metropolis harbor. the world watches.
Other more sinister eyes are also watching the ship on a monitor.
A long slender finger is seen pressing a button.

Outside the harbor-

all is going well, Lois is mingling with the crowd, Jimmy is taking pictures. music is heard as well as laughter.
Suddenly an explosion is heard, then another. The ship lists hard. People are heard screaming. Alarms ring out.

Daily Planet-

Clark Kent is siting at his desk, looking over some reports about some trouble in china.
He hears something..he tilts his head ''reports say the ship has had an explosion.... sinking....rescue craft on the way.....not enough time for all...

we see a spinning chair, clark is gone.

Outside the Harbor-

The ship is starting to roll, chairs, and anything else not tied down, are sliding.

Lois and Jimmy find each other and hang on. Jimmy has a fearful look in his eyes.
Lois says, don't worry, he'll be here as she looks up.

The ship slides over even more, but suddenly stops its death roll.

It slowly rights itself, and starts to rise out of the sea.

News copters catch the image. As the ship rises up out of the water, a figure in blue and red is seen underneath it, a tiny figure compared to the ship, tiny, but extremely powerful.


Metropolis docks-


Ambulances, fire trucks, police, and helicopters all fill the ground and air at the docks.

they are trying to get things in order to rescue the passengers, when suddenly someone points up at the sky.

Before them, the massive ship is coming, but its flying. A loud booming voice is heard. Make way!! I need room to set it down.

Rescue personnell instantly scramble to move.

The massive ship comes down, slowly. Two huge holes in it's side are seen.

The ship is so huge it fills the dock area. Superman sets it down, each end crushing abandoned warehouses. Dust fills the air. At first silence is heard, then a slow cheer breaks out from the fire, medics, and police.


Lex-Corp-


Someone else sees it also, it's Lex and it was his finger who pushed the button. He is furious. That cost me 2 billion in insurance money, not to mention knocking off the ruler of France.
Lex throws the monitor, barely missing Mercy's head, she calmly ducks, as she is used to it.

 

Open the movie with the end of MOS, show Bruce arriving, running into the rubbel, basically the same thing.

OPENING TITLE.

Batman is a reckless, vicious vigilante. He pummels criminals like rapists and murderers into near comas. Alfred is deeply concerned about Bruce's growing viciousness, fearful that he'll cross the line. Have the scene where Alfred says that everything's changed also have him glance at Jason's costume just as he says it. Jason's death caused him to shut down as a superhero, but after the events of MOS, he's retaken his mission harder than ever. He has nightmares about his parents deaths and Jason's death intermingling into the same event.

Superman is very much playing with kid gloves. After the events of MOS, he's afraid of his powers, the destructive force he has. He doesn't break bones, he tries to avoid destroying property. He doesn't want anyone else to get hurt. He has ptsd-esque flashbacks about the events of MOS. He still works, he's begun a relationship with Lois, which is struggling because of his disconnected attitude. Clark is obsessed with keeping himself from being something that frightens people, so much so that he's formed a partnership with Metropolis' hometown billionaire to help the city...

Lex is paranoid, rich, ruthless and fearful. As a former abused child, he's grown and constructed his entire life around being powerful, great and untouchable. And then comes Superman, a powerful creature that is better than him, more special than and more powerful than him, something that he can't control, that he can't protect himself from and he can't stand it. He's basically Batman on steroids. The Bruce Wayne worst case scenario. Only in a more self-involved way. He views Superman as a threat in waiting to him personally, not just really the world. Keep Jesse Eisenberg if you must. But make him more physically fit, not overly muscular though. Maybe he trains in some form or multiple forms of karate. He finds any form of inability as inherent weakness.

Side threats Metallo and Bizarro. When Lex will reveal this to Superman he will say, "Aliens, metahumans, magic, it's truly bizarre times we live in. Only fair that we make something just as bizarre to combat it."

Lex uses the kryptonian ship and a sample of Superman's DNA to create a clone, a mentally deficient clone, even a decaying one, something that he can control. He uses it to frame Superman for attacks. This shakes Superman. He sees the public and understands that no matter what he does, he won't be trust by them. He nearly quits because of this. It's really all about Superman's sense of inferiority. He's afraid that he can't help people now that they know he's out there. He's afraid that even though he knows the attacks happening aren't his fault he still fears that it's something he could be capable of. He doesn't see himself as helpful to the world, but as a negative force in it.

There's a running theme of a feeling of inferiority in this story. Lex feels inferior, because Superman's existence makes him feel powerless and inadequate. Batman feels helpless as ever to do good, to help people, because of such a destructive creature like Superman being around. This feeds into his already intense powerlessness at the loss of Jason Todd at the hands of the Joker due to his, as far as Batman's concerned, inaction.

Batman and Superman cross paths twice before the fight. Once during a bank robbery and another during an altercation where Superman does x-ray through Batman's cowl and tells him to stop his vigilantism. Batman rejects this and begins building his suit to combat Superman after he sees the stories about Superman's attacks that are really Bizarro. Superman does some digging on Bruce Wayne, finding out about his parents deaths and the death of his ward, Jason Todd.

Meanwhile Lex has been keeping tabs on Superman and kidnaps Lois Lane or his mom, framing Batman for it, placing a batarang at the scene.

Superman is basically winning the fight, until he stops himself and begins to realize that he and Batman have been manipulated by Lex. Batman capitalizes on Superman's stopping and uses his kryptonite weapons. And Batman begins beating Superman brutally, mercilessly, and we see flashes before Batman's eyes of Jason Todd being beaten half to death by the Joker with the crowbar. He would tell Superman that he's let too much death happen because he wouldn't do what was necessary and that he won't let that happen again. But Superman would convince Batman that he doesn't have to do this, to cross this line, that he understands how he feels.

They would defeat Bizarro and Metallo together. Maybe Wonder Woman could be involved, but she's not really a real problem in the movie, so i didn't think about her character.

Lex would lose his hair when Bizarro unleashes a hit of fire breath onto him after he's been defeated by Superman, burning his head.

Have a very great day everyone!

God bless everyone!

 

I love it. Sounds like a mature and relevant take, and I agree, Superman needed to be more proactive.

My only question is how would you get Batman and Superman to confront each other face-to-face?

 

I was pretty vague about it, but as an attempt: it should be established that the faction Superman gets behind are not clear good guys, and Supes is taking a chance on them, being a believer. After the massacre that would follow the revolt, Superman would then immediately be incapacitated -- by means of Kryptonite or Red Sun radiation -- by Lex's minions, the ones who instigated the violence. Batman would then fly there under the assumption that Supes has outed himself as a dictator wannabe and fearing not only him, but ALSO the group of freedom fighters that he's supported, who he now erroneously believes to be common warmongers/terrorists. Bats hopes to take them all in, alien included; Superman vouches for/protects them. So hope vs fear, weakened Superman vs a mega-equipped Batman on foreign soil. Some of this guy's ideas for that were really cool. Obviously the action, and team-up, would later move to Metropolis/Gotham once Lex unleashes there whatever the final threat would be.

Thanks for the feedback. I remember liking that TASM2 fan plot of yours, too.

 

I like your ideas man, I think we have similar opinions on what we wanna see out of this Universe because they are going for the more realistic, grounded, complex approach, a fantasy that mirrors our own world. I find it fascinating, the concept of Superman being our first publicly known contact with aliens, we realize that our planet isn't so alone and extremely vulnerable. People would freak out, some would fear and hate, some would idolize and even worship Superman as the Second Coming.

And I love the idea that Superman was born and raised in America, examining how he fits into global and political issues, that he has to work to gain the trust of humanity, that he has to limit himself, as well as abide by limitations set on him by governments, some people try to use him as a political tool, and he has to decide how far he wants to let that go, and when should he act outside of legal limitations. It's a complex world we live in, and I think the heroes should evolve to have to deal with that, examining how these mythological characters fit into a world that isn't so black and whit. I think it's a fascinating approach, and should be more embraced.

It's just so much more interesting than the classic, more simple black and white approach, where Superman is perfect, America is the Good Guys, we embrace Superman, and he foils the villain's simplistic scheme, or battles the monsters or aliens. I think that kind of story has it's merits, as well, don't get me wrong. But that's basically the Superman stories we've been telling for the past 75+ years. Let's take these mythological characters that were created by our society in a simpler time, and use them as a lens to view our much more complicated, divisive society. That's what great art should be, is a reflection of ourselves, and many of the best stories are great because they break the mold.



I'm not saying these movies are perfect, there's many things I would have changed. I think they shoulda stretched out BvS into two films to really take the time to examine and develop the themes and plot points, and more character development leading up to Superman's sacrifice. But I do love where they are going and what they are attempting, and I think your ideas would be a great angle to examine Superman's role on a global level, as well as give more meat and justification for the battle between Superman and Batman, which I think is an exciting idea, and I love the concept of Batman becoming darker and more cynical, approaching the edge, and Superman is what makes him reevaluate his role in society, because Superman represents Hope in the darkness. I just think they could have done more to develop that idea, but being pressed for time, they just had to cram so much into one movie to address all these dufferent plot points. 2 films could have had a chance to have more of an emotional impact on the audience and things might not have felt so jarring and out of left field.

 

Possible idea: Lex gets in contact with Jonathon Crane, getting his hands on a strain of fear toxin, maybe he uses it in the form of an airborne pathogen that is somehow released in Wayne manor or somewhere that Bruce Wayne often is, just enough so that Wayne doesn't realize he's being affected, with the levels gradually increasing, which helps facilitate Wayne's fear and paranoia of Superman, his nightmares, flashbacks to Black Zero, the death of Robin, the death of his parents, and causing irrational behavior, basically he's constantly in a state of extreme anxiety and paranoia, and he focuses that on Superman, believing him and Black Zero to be the cause. Of course, it sucks seeing Batman outsmarted, but it would give a little more depth to how conniving, smart, and thorough Lex is, orchestrating all of these events to lead Batman to try and kill Superman