Entertainment

This Is The Winner Of 'Batman v Superman'

by Rachel Simon

While plenty of movies like to keep their titles as vague as possible in order to spark some mystery, comic book adaptations don't typically have that problem. More often than not, superhero-led movies feature names that are straight to the point: X-Men: Apocalypse (about a villain called Apocalypse), Captain America: Civil War (about a fight between former allies), and, most recently, Batman v Superman (about — do I really need to explain this one?). The new movie's title chooses to keep things simple, revealing right away that this film is about a battle between the two heroes — and that yes, that there will be someone who wins Batman v Superman .

But just who that person will be, however, remains a mystery for those who haven't seen the film. Which one of the movie's titular heroes will take the lead, defeating the other through a combination of strength, cool gadgets, and very grumpy pouting? Sure, it's unlikely that either Batman or Superman will actually be truly defeated at the movie's end (you know, sequels and stuff), but that doesn't mean they can't get thoroughly beaten up. Well, I've got the answer to your questions below — and of course, spoilers will follow.

Technically, the winner of Batman v Supeman is... drumroll.... Batman. After battling Superman in an intense battle for much of the movie's third act to no avail (his cool gadgets and Ben Affleck-ness are no match for Superman's alien strength), the Caped Crusader manages to come out on top when he employs kryptonite as part of his battle strategy. He weakens Superman enough to where he has the chance to kill him, and only doesn't because Lois Lane steps in and vouches for her boyfriend's humanity.

So in that sense, Batman wins, especially when you consider that at the end of the film, Superman is considered dead — maybe not at Batman's hands (it's all due to the Lex Luthor-created Doomsday), but defeated nonetheless. However, anyone who's seen this movie will attest that it doesn't actually matter that Batman beat Superman, because the real winner of BvS is neither of the dudes in its title, but a little newcomer called Wonder Woman.

Yes, really; as you might have expected from her amazing appearance in the trailers and general awesomeness as a character, Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) totally steals the show, and becomes the true hero of BvS. She's a clever, bold, hugely capable hero with more common sense and badassery than either of the men, and once she appears on screen, you simply can't take your eyes off her — especially when she's saving Batman's butt and helping the heroes defeat Doomsday, all without breaking a sweat. Without her help in the climatic battles, Batman, and possibly Superman, would be dead, but thanks to her, they have the start of the Justice League. BvS has its faults as a movie, but giving Wonder Woman a major role is certainly not one of them.

So while Superman and Batman may be getting all the attention these days, it's neither of them who steals the show and deserves the movie's biggest praise — that honor belongs to Wonder Woman, the best, most exciting part of a movie otherwise all about the guys.

Images: Warner Bros