"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" is more than just a sequel to 2013's "Man of Steel" -- it's the birth of the DC Films universe. And, as comic book fans are aware, any superhero universe worth its salt has rules it must follow.

"We've been strict with our rules," "BvS" director Zack Snyder says in an interview with "WIRED" (transcribed form tomorrow's print edition by Via Superman Homepage). "What they can do -- Batman, Superman, Flash, Cyborg -- we really are hard on ourselves, because we want all those things to have a reality, a mythological grounding."

Snyder also spoke about the big screen debut of Wonder Woman, pointing to his personal filmography as proof that he's the right director to introduce her to a new audience. "Female empowerment is a thing I've gone after in all my films," Snyder says. "They all have strong female representation. It's about time Wonder Woman was represented correctly."

As for "Dawn of Justice's" inciting incident, trailers have revealed that it's Superman's climactic -- and controversial -- battle with Zod in "Man of Steel" that sets the wheels in motion for the titular showdown. And, much like Batman, Snyder points to the latter incident as being more important to the movie that Zod's death at Superman's hands.

"To me, the killing of Zod is not as big a deal as the destruction of Metropolis. It's important that these movies have consequences, that there is collateral damage. In 'Batman v Superman' I wanted to show how Bruce Wayne feels when reduced to a sideline sitter. Batman is frightened by his impotence in the face of that."

The April issue of "WIRED" arrives on newsstands Thursday, March 3.

Directed by Snyder and starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg, Amy Adams and more, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" opens on March 25, 2016.