Starring Ben Affleck debuting as Batman and Henry Cavill reprising his “Man of Steel” role as Superman, this motion picture is the first live action theatrical film of Batman and Superman together. The latest offering from DC’s Extended Universe also features a legion of DC classics from Wonder Woman, the Flash and Aquaman to Doomsday. The first appearance of Wonder Woman is a noted moment in silver screen history.

The film opens with flashbacks to the end sequences of the last instalment in the franchise. Bruce Wayne was in Metropolis to witness the confrontation between Superman and General Zod in the finale of Man of Steel and the devastating carnage that ensued. He begins to regard the god-like powers of Superman and other superheroes as a potential threat to humanity. Batman is convinced he has to discover mankind’s best defense against Superman to avert a future catastrophic event. The world’s greatest superheroes therefore are pitted against each other as adversaries, possibly the most colossal clash of comic icons in history becomes a reality.

Batman and Superman’s warfare is subverted by a new threat to humanity. A Kryptonian hybrid creature, Doomsday, is created by Lex Luthor through sequencing the DNA of the deceased General Zod and combining it with his own. Doomsday first appeared in “Superman: The Man of Steel #18 in 1992. In that version a different creation story was imagined. In the backdrop to the action, the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. Superman is perceived in his traditional heroic role and an uncontrollable god-like being in equal measure, its virtually a depiction of a Hercules or Odysseus in a Greek tragedy. Should humans need to depend on demi-gods and meta-humans, rather than their own more earth bound endowments?  Superman and Batman are both haunted by their powers and responsibilities.

The movie takes some inspiration from Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns. Although, that version follows an entirely different story line, the aged and more cynical Batman is evident in Dawn of Justice. In Dark Knight Returns, Batman re-emerges from retirement to Gotham City to lead a mutant crime fighting army, with Superman brought in to stop Batman from going too far.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice premiered at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City on March 19, 2016, the film had a worldwide opening of $422.5 million. Director Zack Snyder’s second Superman feature has unquestionably been heavily anticipated. Warner Bros originally announced that a Batman vs Superman film was planned In June 2013. The movie’s development indeed has a long and winding history, with a number of creative talents recruited, scriptwriters assigned to the project include David S. Goyer, Zach Snyder and Chris Terrio. Fans have been waiting with bated breath for the release.

DC’s Extended Universe franchise in collaboration with Warner Brothers is set to release more big screen adaptations in the upcoming future, with Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman next up.