Understanding a Scene: 'Batman v Superman'

In 2016, Zack Snyder released Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (BVS), a follow-up to his 2013 Superman film, Man of Steel.BVS expanded the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), not only giving us a sequel to the Superman story that started in Man of Steel, but also introducing us to Snyder's reimagining of The Batman. To say the film has been divisive is an understatement. Some passionately love it, and others dislike the liberty that Snyder took with these characters. I personally love this film, I regard it as a cinematic masterpiece and feel more films should aspire to reach the level of depth, thematic, and visual storytelling Snyder was able to achieve. One scene stands out the most in the midst of all the criticism, the “Save Martha” sequence. Not only is that one of, if not the most pivotal scene in the film, it is also the turning point for both Batman and Superman and literally marks the Dawn of Justice.

Now, before I continue, there are a couple things you need to understand. The opening sequence of this movie is Snyder’s reimagining of the Wayne’s murder. In this reimagining, both Thomas and Martha attempt to stop the mugger, but both fail. In the dying breath of Thomas Wayne, he mutters “Martha” while reaching his hand out for her. The second thing you need to understand, Bruce has been having nightmares of that night since that night. Snyder shows us Bruce’s nightmares and internal struggle of coming to terms with that night. But he's never been able to move on past that loss. That night will forever haunt him. It’s a staple of his characterization, he has never been able to come to terms with the fact that he was helpless that night. Finally, Bruce has spent nearly 20 years fighting in Gotham, he has seen the toll the city takes on people. He has lost friends, and family. In Bruce’s eyes, no one stays good. This is who Bruce Wayne is at the end of his rope, so when he witnesses firsthand what this alien is capable of, his first instinct is to stop him.

From the manipulation of Lex Luthor, Superman and Batman are forced into a fight, to the death. In reality, Superman goes to Gotham to convince Batman to help him stop Luthor and save his mother, Martha, who Luthor has kidnapped. At this point in the film, Batman is still convinced that Superman cannot be trusted. He only sees him as an alien, who “if he wanted to, could burn this whole place down.” Batman is afraid of what Superman could become. Superman, at this point, is at his lowest; he is losing faith in humanity, he is seeing that actions have consequences. Superman’s entire arc is based on who he is and where he belongs. He is seeing what mankind is capable of. Once in Gotham, Superman attempts to speak with Batman briefly before Batman’s traps go off. Seeing as there is no other way than to play by his rules, Superman engages in a fight.

As the fight between Superman and Batman comes to an end, Superman is left in physical pain, thanks to a couple Kryptonite grenades and Batman’s pure brutality of his mech suit. He is well on his way of accomplishing his goal: to kill The Superman. Batman takes the killing weapon, a Kryptonite spear, out of the ground and slowly walks over to Superman as "A Beautiful Lie" bleeds through the score. He presses his boot to Superman’s chest as he is pinning him against the rubble. He holds the spear above his head and in Superman’s dying breath, he mutters, “Save Martha.” Hearing that name, Batman hesitates. We are immediately shown a flashback to the nightmare sequence as well as the Wayne’s murder. Batman, enraged, screams, “Why did you say that name!” Lois, now on the scene, throws herself in between Batman and Superman and says, “It’s his mother’s name.” Batman visually experiences a moment of clarity before he throws the spear aside and backs off.

Batman doesn’t kill him because he realizes their mother’s share the same name. Let me say that one time, he doesn’t spare Superman’s life because their mother’s share the name. He spare’s him because in the moment of Superman’s death, his dying words are asking his killer to save his mother. Until this point, Batman hasn’t thought of Superman as anything other than an alien who couldn’t be trusted. He only saw him as a potential threat. He spared his life because in that moment he realized that this alien was a man who had people he cared for and loved, and perhaps, more importantly, there were people who loved him. Batman hadn’t considered that Superman had a human mother and in this moment, Superman is willing to die for her. Hearing the name Martha was the trigger for Bruce, it took him out of the moment, out of his rage, out of his fear, it gave him the realization of who Superman was. In that moment where Batman was towering over Superman, he was the killer. He had become the one thing that shaped his entire life. In a way, in that scene, he was the murderer of his parents.

Furthermore, when Superman gets up, he isn’t angry, he talks to Batman. He informs him of Luthor’s manipulation. Batman then promises to save Martha. In a way, when Batman saves Martha from KG-Beast, he is actually saving his own mother. Something he was never able to do.

After they share this emotional connection, it pits our heroes on a common journey. They aren’t enemies, Batman has been able to humanize Superman. He doesn’t seem him as threat or alien, but a man trying to do the right thing. Batman is set on a path of redemption, while Superman is set on the path he paves for himself. He has determined that this is his world, and he will do whatever is necessary to protect, as we see him do later in the film where he makes the ultimate sacrifice.

Now, this isn't my interpretation, or a possible interpretation. It's the narrative of the film. It's the story. This is what happened. You might say, “Well Zack Snyder didn’t tell the audience that that scene was meant to represent that.” Exactly, he didn't tell us anything. He showed us.