In the first part, I set up a rewrite for Batman v. Superman to try to salvage what happened in that film. Obviously, this is not a unique exercise, and there are a lot of others out there who have done similar things. I haven't read or watched those thought exercises, so if there are parallels between my ideas and others, it's happenstance.
Batman then accesses the Superman file. His eyes go wide, but we don't know what he's read. Bursting out of his chair, he hurries to the Batmobile. "Where are you going?" asks Alfred.
BATMAN: What are you going to do?
Part 2
Batman's unsatisfied, so he breaks into Luthor's office to see this "curiosity". He hacks (because it's this easy) the files, but doesn't have time to decrypt them as the alarm goes off (of course) and he has to do his disappearing bat-trick to keep from being caught. Now, however, he's on the trail.
Back at Lexcorp, Luthor figures out what Batman has done. "They know." He places a call, then says to the scientist fellow from earlier, "We have to move forward the Doomsday Protocol."
"To when?" asks the tinny voice on the other side of the call.
"As soon as possible."
"I can do it in two weeks."
"One. You have one week." And he hangs up.
Back to Batman at the Batcave. Digging around, he finds some of the clues that are in the real film--there are other super-powered beings that Luthor is keeping track of. But, unlike the press conference, Lexcorp isn't interested in finding a way of stopping Superman and holding him responsible; instead, he's finding out ways of controlling the metahumans in order to weaponize them.
As Batman is uncovering this information, he finds a digitized version of the picture that Diana Prince was after, the one she was after removed from where she'd found it earlier that same night. (This way, the returning of the original that begins the frame story of Wonder Woman can remain unchanged.) The same research as in the main film can happen, bringing Diana into the climactic battle in a similar way (but without the "I thought she was with you" line that doesn't make sense since Batman was the one who sent her the email).
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| This picture, which is from one of the most fulfilling parts of Wonder Woman. (Source) |
"I have to go to Lexcorp."
"After breaking into their boss's office, they'll be waiting for you."
"Let them."
He jumps into the Batmobile and roars away. The following sequence can be similar to what we see in terms of the Batmobile (or Bat-tank, as it's probably better described), though Batman doesn't kill any of the guards. He uses the Batmobile remotely as a diversion to distract the guards at Lexcorp, breaking down walls, running over equipment, and generally busting up the place in a flashy, exciting way.
Batman sneaks in behind the Batmobile, finding the kryptonite (similar idea as in the real film).
The cut is abrupt on purpose, letting the audience assume that he's about to steal the kryptonite. Now we shift our location back to the shared apartment of Clark and Lois. She is on the phone, talking to Perry White, arguing about what the implications of the foundation. "Weapons, Perry? They're forming a high-tech militia to try to kill Superman! That's not protected under the second amendment! That's vigilante justice." They go back and forth, with Perry saying that she needs to be objective while she maintains that what Luthor and Wayne are doing is nothing less than assassination. Finally, Perry says, "We don't know anything about him, Lois. His word is that he's fighting for America. Fighting for us, for humanity. But what if that changes?" Lois has no response, so Perry gives her one last order to print the story as a story, not an op-ed, and then hangs up.
When Lois turns around, she sees Superman standing on their balcony. She confronts him about the sickness that he'd suffered. He shakes his head. "I need to find out what's going on at Lexcorp. That wasn't a normal thing." Lois then segues into a similar conversation as in the real film, with him thinking that Superman was a dream of his father's that he's unable to live up to. All of his progress at understanding his role has been undone by Luthor. When Lois says that Superman represents hope, and he returns, "It did on my world," she doesn't watch him fly away, heartbroken. Instead, she says, "This is your world, Clark. You are home. Yes, you make mistakes, but you're also strong enough to fix them."
He looks at her for a moment, then says, "You think I can do that?"
"Yes. That's the hope you give me."
He is about to say something, then he cocks his head. "I have to go."
She nods, gives him a kiss and an "I love you", and then steps away as he flies off.
Batman is rushing home with his stolen goods when Superman crashes him, sending the Batmobile sprawling. The Man of Steel watches impassively as Batman gets out, as we see in the real film.
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| Kaboom. (Source) |
BATMAN: What are you going to do?
SUPERMAN: Stopping you.
BATMAN: How? Killing me? Like you did Zod?
SUPERMAN: I made a mistake.
BATMAN: You think that because you're strong you're not guilty? You're a killer. I'm not. That's why I'm always going to be better than you.
SUPERMAN: [shocked] I'm...I'm not a killer.
BATMAN: I saw you snap Zod's neck.
Superman is rocked. Every time he thinks he's found his direction, he gets emotionally knocked down. The conversation throws him for a loop, so he retreats, which surprises Batman. He heads to the Batcave and begins to prepare. "Why?" asks Alfred. Batman replies that Superman is imbalanced, unhinged. If Superman snaps, then Batman has to be there to stop him.
While Batman is getting set up and studying the kryptonite, Superman is flying around, saving more people than ever before. The real film uses talking heads and CNN logos to throw out the themes of the movie, and I've tried to avoid using them so far, but I think they'd fit in here. Superman is working to change the narrative--he's helping people out all of the time, smiling as he does it. "It's as if he's made a decision to be...human," says one commentator. Intercut with the scenes of Batman preparing and Superman improving are shots of preparing Doomsday, using kryptonite to mutate metahuman cells that Luthor had been accumulating. The montage ends with the scientist saying, "With this, we can control anything with Kryptonian cells. We just have to get it inside of him."
Clark is at home, relaxing with Lois, when he perks up. Despite her protests, he heads out to help. It's a heist, which he stops without much effort, but in the process, he gets too close to a dose of kryptonite. Superman is stabbed by one of the henchmen, which injects him with the science-juice. His eyes turn red, and Evil Superman is suddenly on the scene.
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| He's wearing his angry eyes. (Source) |
It doesn't take long before news of Superman's rampage gets Batman into action. He's already set up the trap--he just needs to get Superman there. Out in his Batmobile, he finds Supes, bombards him with sonic waves, then latches onto him with a grappling hook, dragging him a good distance toward where he wants the Man of Steel to be. Superman gets free, Batman has to improvise, and the Batman versus Superman fisticuffs already happens. Hopefully, this will feel like Round 2, with Batman's emotional battering of the Man of Steel being a victory for the Caped Crusader being Round 1.
The fight could go however it wanted to, even following some of the moments in the real film. Batman notices, though, that when he hits Superman with the kryptonite, Superman seems to revert to a more familiar kind of thing, but as it fades off, his evil side takes over. Before he can do anything about it, Superman gets the upper hand.
It's about to be Batguts when bam, Diana shows up, knocking Superman flying. She quickly subdues him with the Lasso of Truth, and they find out what has happened. Batman uses his science stuff to track down the source of the signal, runs interference, and pulls Superman out of his funk. "We need to get to Lexcorp," Superman says. "I'll carry you."
"I don't think so," says Batman, summoning the Batplane.
Then it's the throwdown at Lexcorp, with three furious metahumans. Doomsday is released to give Luthor time to escape, and much punchy-punch results, following similar beats as the real film. Eventually, Batman pulls out his coup de grace--the kryptonite spear--and Superman says, "I thought you weren't a killer." Batman says back, "I don't kill humans." Superman shakes his head. "Just when I was starting to like you."
The fight can end the same way, actually, with the one difference being that when Superman goes in for the self-sacrificing finish, he does it after saying, "No matter what you say, Batman, I am human. I do this for humanity."
Doomsday dies, Superman dies, and the other two are left to pick up the pieces. Part of the closing moments of the film include a realization that power needs balance, that there has to be a check on these beings that Luthor has been tracking. "We can see what happens when those like us don't strive for goodness," says Diana. "When they let anger and hatred overpower love and compassion."
"That's why we have to be there. To ensure justice is done."
And does the dirt rise off Superman's coffin?
Yeah, probably.
*****
Okay, it didn't turn out exactly as I hoped, but hopefully it was entertaining. I think there are areas where it could be trimmed and improved, but it gets rid of the flashbacks, dream sequences, and time travel from the future (?) that bogged down the other film. Maybe it's better. Maybe it's not. But you've read it now, so it's stuck in your head.