What if Christopher Nolan made Batman vs. Superman? - StoryBrain

The DCEU started out with Zack Snyder and Ben Affleck's Batman v. Superman. But DC's momentum really started with Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight series. What if Christopher Nolan went on to start the DCEU, adding Henry Cavill's Superman and Lex Luthor to his own universe? I couldn't help thinking about it.

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[waltercorleone]

My DC universe with Nolan's Batman would be:
Phase 1
1.Batman Begins
2. Superman: Son of Krypton
3. Wonder Woman
4. Batman vs Superman: World’s Finest
5. Aquaman
6. The Flash
7. Justice League

Phase 2:
1. Batman: The Dark Knight
2. Green Arrow & Black Canary
3. Aquaman 2
4. Superman: Man of Steel
5.Shazam!
6. The Flash 2
7. Wonder Woman 2
8. Green Lantern Corps
9. The Suicide Squad
10. Justice League 2

Phase 3:
1. Batman: The Dark Knight Rises
2. Green Arrow & Black Canary 2
3. The Suicide Squad 2
4. Teen Titans
5. Superman: Man of Tomorrow
6.Shazam! 2
7. Aquaman 3
8. Green Lantern Corps 2
9. Wonder Woman 3
10. Constantine
11. Justice League Dark
12. Justice League 3 Part I
13. The Flash 3: Flashpoint
14. Justice League 3 Part II

[sheilamartinez]

This is my version of the DCEU, had it begun with the Dark Knight movies:

Phase 1

- Batman Begins (2005)
- Superman (2006) (Basically Superman Returns but a complete reboot with no references or callbacks to the Richard Donner movies and it’s runtime would be slightly less than 2 hours)
- The Dark Knight (2008)
- The Dark Knight Returns (2011) (with the ending completely redone to allow for more future movies)
- Batman VS Superman: World’s Finest (2013)

Phase 2

- Wonder Woman (2013) (same plot and actors as before)
- Superman: Man Of Steel (2014) (The Villain would be Metallo)
- Batman & Robin: The Boy Wonder (2014) (Jason Todd makes his appearance)
- Aquaman (2014) (The same plot as the one we got only it will be a true origin story)
- Flash (2015) (This movie will be an origin story and Ezra Miller will play the role of Barry Allen)
- Justice League (2015) (Channel Awesome’s version of the Justice League with Christian Bale’s Batman will be the plot except be redone in a way where it’s the time getting together and it’s plot will tie to Martian Manhunter’s origin just like in his version)

[ichneumon]

There are a few fans in comment section who probably don't understand what a good movie is.
The video clearly is about how BvS could have been better, he is not shitting on the actual movie.
e.g. I liked Iron Man 3 but was it up to the expectation? - No.
So there a a difference between 'I liked it' and 'I am satisfied'. And that was the major point of the video.

[johnny_anderson]

I've always wanted to see Christian Bale vs Brandon Routh!

[fragmentedcivility]

Problem with your theory is Nolans Batman films were based on reality from the gadgets to the suit to the problematic situation that he faced. You can't really put Superman in a realistic situation because he basically doesn't exist. So in order to make it work you would have to make the entire film fictional. Superman alone would dominate batman so putting Superman in dire situations with his Kansas family or having him face the last people from his dieing world makes some sense in having a man who isn't sure of himself who learns from bats that life isn't easy.

[arnoldh]

Considering the ending of dark night arises a good feature would’ve also been including Joseph Gordon as John Blake assisting Batman at the time he realizes he may need detective assistance on the break in. Ultimately leading into a partnership of Batman and robin as they discover Superman is their opponent. This opens the floor to possibly lex Luther being a platform for robin to demonstrate his skill set while the narrative leads to Batman and Superman one on one

[muhammadnorhanif]

nolan probably make the fight more emotional and more built up

[dannydelion]

Brilliant! On which version of earth can I see that movie?

[ChrisMindisArt]

BVS (ultimate cut) did a lot more than meet my expectations. It changed my life.

[alexandregabriel]

Man, if that had happened, it would be great. A good script and a good director is everything. Between Snyder and Nolan, I prefer Nolan.

[cammankingdom]

It would have been better and they probably never would have fought in the 1st place at the beginning cause Christian Bale's Batman likes to see the good in people

[thesentinel]

I would have been interested to see this but with Brandon Routh as Superman because SR came out a year after Batman Begins so they'd be in the same era.

[dlocktt]

You had me until the end…where he says he might as well die…I don’t think it would go that far, they’d fight and talk and discover some things about Lex…all that said…95% of this is already better then what we saw in the Theater.

[____uncompetative]

I was working on a fan edit of _Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice_ before I put it to one side to work on fixing the _Star Wars_ sequel trilogy when _The Last Jedi_ came out and just about everyone hated it. _Batman v Superman_ had far too many flashbacks, and dream sequences in it turning it into an incoherent mess, so because I was only able to work with the footage in the movie and could not write anything new, I had just one flashback.

The movie opens with the sound of something flying over at the speed of sound. It is revealed to be fighter jets flying in formation to honor the state funeral of Superman. This normally happens at the end of the movie but I bring it right to the beginning as I want the audience to think Batman killed Superman. This counters the usual thought that most people have when asked "Who would win in a fight between Batman and Superman", as even with Kryptonite, Superman could put himself at range and use his heat vision on Batman, or freeze him. We then get the actual burial of Clark Kent at his mother's farm. Lois is there putting soil on his coffin. A title card comes up saying: EIGHTEEN MONTHS EARLIER

We then see Bruce Wayne arrive by helicopter at Metropolis and drive to his skyscraper as Superman causes civilian death and collateral damage by fighting with General Zod over the city. This angers Bruce and is his primary motivation to expel this alien from Earth.

There is no contrived Lex subplot involving Lois, warlords, Jimmy Olsen, the CIA, flamethrowers being used to incriminate Superman, weird bullets, a gift of a wheelchair, Jolly Ranchers, hearings in Congress, a bomb in that wheelchair destroying Congress, getting approval to bring Kryptonite into the country, the abduction of Martha Kent by Lex's henchmen to an unknown location to compel Superman to fight Batman (not needed), the warehouse fight to free Martha by Batman (as this is used elsewhere).

Clark Kent is told by Perry White to cover Sports when he wants to cover the vigilante of Gotham. Superman doesn't approve of Batman taking the law into his own hands. This is enough for them to be on a collision course for a misunderstanding and confrontation. Although, Superman doesn't want to kill Batman, and Batman just wants Superman to leave Earth because of the danger he brings here, they aren't fighting to the death until things get really out of hand and the build up is more credible. The key difference is that when Batman swipes the Kryptonite from Lex he uses some to forge a suit of armor made out of an alloy of Titanium and Kryptonite, wearing this means that Superman weakens when he is around him, countering all melee attacks. Batman doesn't use gas grenades on him as they would kill Superman if inhaled. There is a Kryptonite spear however, as this is needed to kill Doomsday - a Kryptonian nemesis genetically engineered by the alien ship that respects Lex as it is based in part on his blood. Lex only goes to create Doomsday when his earlier plan to have Batman exile (or kill) Superman fails. Lex only does this when he is desperate.

Bruce is invited to Lex's party where he meets Diana and Clark (a mild mannered reporter at the Daily Planet).

The police investigate trouble in Gotham and find girls cowering in an unlocked cell, too scared to flee. They look upstairs at the sounds of fighting above. The cops look upward too. We then see the warehouse scene repurposed as Batman fighting sex traffickers. Nothing to do with Lex or Martha being kidnapped. Batman braces himself in the corner of the ceiling to evade the cops, they spot him and he escapes. Clark is angry at this fresh incident perpetrated by Batman and his new prospensity for branding the culprits. Lex is arranging for these men to die in prison so it looks extra bad, but this is not something Bruce has organised. He has become more embittered and sadistic in his old age, whilst Superman is an irritating narcissistic paragon who ignores the death of thousands when saving the Earth for the greater good.

We get to the main fight, and then when Batman is about to plunge the spear into Superman he does not say "Martha" but Lois rushes in early and says "Clark!"

Being the World's Greatest Detective it doesn't take Batman long to figure out that Superman is Clark Kent, and Lois is his girlfriend. Clearly, he can't be that bad if he has a human girlfriend and a job.

No spear is thrown in water and retrieved. Doomsday turns up. Wonder Woman turns up. The Trinity. The fight. The Death of Superman.

Bruce and Diana are seen discussing metahumans after the burial of Clark Kent. Dirt does not rise from the coffin, he has to be reanimated to bring him back in _Justice League._

Alas, _Justice League_ is too full of problems and bad recolourisation to fix. It is the only film I have watched that is beyond saving. I can fix _The Last Jedi_ but not _Justice League._

[andrewting]

And aquaman story should rise from the nuclear Bruce threw into the sea

[raytttc]

I like your take on the Batman v. Superman fix. Now here's mine. Batman v. Superman has no flashbacks, we can assume the audience knows Batman's background and have seen Man of Steel (MOS). Next Lex is played by an older actor someone 45-55 IM thinking a breaking bad Brian Cranston. Because Jesse playing an evil version of Mark Zuckerberg is just stupid. Looking at MOS, we know (or can assume 2 physical limits to Superman). 1, He can be exhausted (remember the opening scene when he held up the burning down oil rig, he was unconscious in the water in the next scene. 2 Superman has to breathe air (or at least has to have oxygen) although he can probably hold his breath for a much longer time than a normal human he can still drown and he cannot survive the vacuum of space indefinitely. This makes sense because in MOS it is brought up several times about how Kryptonians struggle to breathe earth's atmosphere. Like humans, they are living and breathing beings. Last, is the idea of staying true to the characters. Superman is by his nature a kind, honest, upright person, this means he doesn't fight dirty, first he'll try to give Batman a stern warning then walk up to him and try to show his physical strength. Superman would never fly a mile away from Batman and shoot him with his laser eyes to throw Batman into space because that completely goes against his character. Likewise, Batman is the polar opposite, He will use any means necessary to get the upper hand in this fight or any other. (This is vital because the only way a fight scene between Batman facing off against Superman works is if we stay true to the characters.) Now for the Plot

Lex Corp and Wayne Enterprise are in a bidding war for the leftover space parts from General Zod's ships, because both know the military will hand out a fat contract to whichever company turns out the biggest badest weapons. But Bruce wants to develop tech that can protect the world from another invasion. Whereas Lex wants to develop tech to straight up kill Superman. Wayne wins some of the rights to the ships and constructs his "Iron-man Bbatsuit" out of the alien metal, but Lex wins the rights to the Kryptonite.

Lex tries to work out a deal with Bruce but Bruce is skeptical of Lex's intentions. Lex's invites Bruce to a party where Lex announcing that he is running for State govern. Here Clark crosses paths with Bruce were they have a similar exchange to the one in the original (B v S) Clark thinks Batman is a vigilante and no better than the criminals he puts away and Bruce thinks Superman could flip out one day and decide to rule the world through brute force (like Zod or "Brightburn superman"). Lex's notes this and we move on. As Bruce hangs out he does reconnaissance. Later Batman breaks in and steals Lex's Kryptonite and a file on Superman (we get a great Batman heist scene with Batman using tech to bypass cameras and his fighting skills to subdue security guards. Later Bruce is able to construct an armored suit with Kryptonite gas grenades that can severely slow down Superman (like a peak performance boxer having to breathe in tear gas). Lex is naturally pissed, but also wins office as Govern of the state. As Lex's first act he pleads to Congress that Superman should work for the U.S. Government to prove his loyalty, after the events of MOS, Congress agrees. Now guess who he wants Superman to bring to justice? That's right, Batman. Although Superman doesn't like Batman, he also doesn't like the fact that he has to obey the U.S. Government because of Lex but decides to do so, because he knows that people fear him and he doesn't want to portray that he is this outsider with the potential to rebel and burn the city, the state, the U.S. or the World to the ground as an oppressive ruler. Thus he complies with the government (and Lex's) wish to bring the Batman to justice. The way Batman sees it, first Superman shows up, kills maybe 4-5 thousand people fighting Zod and now he wants to take Batman in for beating up a few thugs. So Batman lays a trap. I Take from Frank Miller's the Dark night returns for their fight. Batman uses missiles that target X-ray output devices to swat Superman out the sky when he flys overhead and uses his x-ray vision to find Batman. The missiles pack a punch and do enough to knock Superman down and more importantly they discourage Superman from using his x-ray vision within the fight. Superman tries to tell Batman to stop, Batman responds by taking out his soundwave gun and blasting Superman, it's so powerful Supermans ears bleed a little, but more importantly, it stops Superman from using his Super hearing. Last of all Superman uses his laser eyes, Batman uses his "iron-many suit" made from Zod's ship to deflect Superman's lasers (just like how Superman in the comics uses a piece of his ship to shave) his lasers reflect right off Batman without any damage. This causes Superman to engage with Batman using brute force. They have a badass fight scene. Eventually, Batman uses Kryptonite gas to and his power suit to get the upper hand. As Superman is facing his own demise he reveals that he had to go after him because of the government and because of Lex, to which Batman replies that he has proof that once Lex gets what he wants he'll kill Superman, and then shows him some video evidence. Superman at this moment asks for Batman's help. "I need your help, not your vengeance" and goes on to say "Batman being a vigilante is one thing but if you kill me, they will be able to declare you an enemy of the state and that's something completely different." Batman gives Supes a little more kryptonite gas and thinks it over knowing that Superman is right, he sees that they both have a dilemma and whoever wins will have Lex and the state turn on them. Thus after giving Superman a black eye, (with the use of Kryptonite), Batman helps Superman to his feet. And says to Superman "we have to find a way to get Lex out of office before he becomes more powerful" (foreshadowing President Lex in the follow-up movie.)

If you made it this far I hope you enjoyed this version.

[jchabo]

This is creative but it feels tired. I love Affleck's Batman. Bale's Batman wouldn't be able to breath against Superman.

[JazukaiX]

Interesting premise for keeping it grounded. No doubt it provides a better reason for them to fight than BvS did. I suspect the idea of Wayne and Luthor working together came from a DC animated film.
BvS made both Clark and Bruce not very smart. Clark should be able to find through his investigative journalism that Batman helps people. But also Superman should be introduced in a time when Batman is facing overwhelming odds and needs someone to revive his faith in what he does. This is something BvS touched on but mostly got overlooked for the sake of the plot.


I have two main criticisms of this idea though. It disregards the Nolan trilogy introducing Nightwing, and whoever that guy you used to portray Luthor doesn't look the part. Everyone knows it should be Bryan Cranston or Mark Strong.

[StoryBrain]

Pro MS Paint and spelling skills by me at 6:30.

[hibestie]

Just think that justice league is directed by Nolan instead of Jose whedon .