Highlights From Empire's BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE Coverage; New Images Released

The latest issue of Empire Magazine, coming on January 28th, features Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as the cover story. We’ve already seen the three different covers for the issue, and now, it’s time to delve into the issue itself.

Empire has interviewed director Zack Snyder, as well as various cast members from the movie. They talk about everything from Doomsday’s inclusion and Batman’s Knightmare to Wonder Woman’s role and the conflict between Superman and Batman. Additionally, some new stills from the movie have been released. Many thanks to Comic Book Movie for compiling the following info.

Warning: The Following May Contain Mild Spoilers From Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

-The last trailer for Batman v Superman confirmed that the two heroes, as well as Wonder Woman, will team up to take on Doomsday. When asked about why this villain was chosen for this movie, Snyder says, “To go up against heroes like Batman and Superman, we wanted to introduce one of the DC Universe’s most iconic and powerful villains. He is essentially an unstoppable force. He poses a real threat to the world within the film.” Snyder remains mum on how exactly Lex Luthor is involved with Doomsday’s creation, but he did hint at the character’s interest in superpowered beings. “You learn pretty early on that Lex is interested in metahuman existence, and that there might be some relationship between that investigation and the appearance of Diana Prince.”

–Speaking of Diana Prince, we have a lot of new details on Wonder Woman’s role in Batman v Superman. Snyder says that her inclusion to the movie was “incredibly organic,” playing a key role in setting the stage for Justice League. “The whole concept came of, ‘Let’s not save anything. Let’s try it all.’ Then Wonder Woman’s entrance made us realise we were much closer to the Justice League than we thought. We realised we were one movie away.” Meanwhile, Gal Gadot admitted that she thought Snyder wanted her to play Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, before discovering that she was playing Wonder Woman herself.

-Meanwhile, Wonder Woman is even older than expected, as she is 5,000 years old when we meet her in Dawn of Justice. In fact, Diana Prince has moved on from the Wonder Woman persona at this point, but she returns to heroism for an unknown reason. Gadot explains, “Because she’s seen it all, she has seen what humans can do, so it was very hard for her to come back and fight. They have the same attitude. Although when she is Diana she tries to blend in, she is not too outgoing. I don’t want people to think she is perfect. She can be naughty.” Executive producer Deborah Snyder then discusses Wonder Woman’s sexuality, and how that comes into play in the DC Extended Universe. “Her sexuality is part of her power, but she is also a feminist icon. Gender has been a hot topic, so it is very timely to bring her back. The way we have approached it, especially in the stand alone movie, that is definitely there. Looking back and doing an origin story – and it is a period piece – see the role of women through history. There is a great source of humour in that now. It is so unbelievable you can’t even fathom it. You are still making a statement, but having some fun with it.”

-On to Batman, we have some new details on his “Knightmare.” (By the way, that Omega symbol in the above image is totally a Darkseid tease, isn’t it?) Apparently, this nightmare of Bruce Wayne’s takes place in the nation Kandahar, with a very obvious Mad Max influence. The sequence will feature “Batman…shouldering a machine gun, walks unbowed through the blizzard to greet an armoured juggernaut pulling up in a desert compound that’s walled with rusty containers.” Meanwhile, Deborah Snyder confirms that Batman’s voice is “digitally altered” by his cowl.

-Next, Henry Cavill talks about what both Superman and Clark Kent have been up to in Dawn of Justice. On Superman’s growth as a hero, he says, “He’s more used to this gig, doing his best to save as many lives as he can. He is no longer frantic. He’s no longer a wet behind the ears kind of superhero.” Meanwhile, he will use the Clark Kent persona in an attempt to bring down Batman and expose his actions to the world. “He doesn’t agree with his form of justice. For this farm boy, who tries to do things the right way, justice at any cost is not something he can come to terms with.” He adds, “He is the human side of the character, but there is often this idea that Clark and Superman must be so different. He can only get away with wearing the glasses so much. If he’s drawing attention to himself by being clumsy, that’s not going to work.” Cavill concludes by commenting on the clash between the two heroes. “It’s not about one on one. Of course Superman is going to win. But it’s deeper than that. It’s more that these two great powers exist and are actually trying to achieve the same thing, but in such different way…”

-Finally, Amy Adams offers new details on her reprisal of Lois Lane. When we see her in Dawn of Justice, she has moved in with Clark Kent, who has instilled some “faith in humanity” to her. “Her relationship with Clark is the closes thing she has to anything faith-based, you know?” She adds, “It’s not a normal relationship. How could it be? One of them is an alien.” Adams then confirms that Lois does share scenes with Batman, including a “big” moment that required CGI and wirework.

For more on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, be sure to pick up the latest issue of Empire Magazine later this week.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is scheduled to hit theaters March 25th. The second installment in the DC Extended Universe stars Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter and Gal Gadot. Zack Snyder directs from a script by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer.