A steady stream of new Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice content has been filing out recently, and it continues today with new images and some choice quotes from Empire Magazine’s latest cover story. Of course interest is still incredibly high in Ben Affleck’s iteration of Batman, on account of the character’s overall popularity and the sheer quality of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy (well most of it anyway) that’s still fresh in the audience’s minds. So how do you bring a new Batman into the fold without stepping on Nolan's feet? Give fans a Batman they’ve never seen onscreen before.

Director Zack Snyder confirms that the age of Affleck’s Batman in the film is “45 or 46,” adding that he’s been Batman for 20 years by the time we meet him. Affleck reiterated that Snyder’s pitch for an older, “more broken, kind of fucked up” Batman was what finally swayed him to join the project, and Snyder goes on to tell Empire how the arrival of Superman messes with Batman’s philosophy:

“We want to assume that Batman has reached this point in his life and career as a superhero, and Superman represents a sort of philosophical change. He is a paradigm shift for Batman: 'I've been fighting criminals all my life, trying to find justice, and now I am confronted with a concept that is transcendent to me.' In the face of Superman, a man robbing a bank doesn't matter.”


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Image via Warner Bros.

The filmmaker goes on to say that Batman could be viewed as the villain of the film, but when the two superheroes do fight, whose side you’re on depends on your point of view, adding “That is why Dawn of Justice is the full title. What it does is allow us to start this conversation.”

Speaking of which, the Empire interview also sheds some light on Batman’s involvement in Suicide Squad, with Snyder confirming that all the criminals in Belle Reve were put there by Batman himself. We don't yet have firm confirmation that Affleck himself shows up in the David Ayer film--we saw a stunt double riding on top of a car, but that could've been for a brief flashback sequence. Regardless, it’ll be curious to see how/if the characters of Suicide Squad comment on the actions that take place in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Beyond that, though, Snyder admits to Empire that this whole universe began with the Justice League idea:

"What we are doing is ground up all the way. It is one giant story. The first thing we had was the Justice League concept. The other movies, in a way, have to support that. That is our Wonder Woman, our Aquaman. They have their own creative concepts that supports them, but they do serve Justice League in the coming together of those heroes. I want all the other directors of the other films to be able to stretch their legs and do what they want, but at the same time there is a big interconnected universe. I have given everyone amazing access to our story, to me, and what we are doing. All the films have like minded conceptual jumping on points.”

Check out a couple of the new Empire images below (via CBM), and pick up the latest copy of the magazine for the full story and even more images. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens in theaters on March 25, 2016.


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Image via Warner Bros.
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Image via Warner Bros.
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Image via Warner Bros.

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