While Man of Steel may have been the first film in the DCEU, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice made it undoubtedly clear that the franchise had two stars. Superman was the first one introduced, but Batman becomes just as important very quickly. The two superheroes face off against one another before they ultimately team up.
From that point on, the story becomes about the both of them, as well as their relationship with one another. The argument could be made that either Superman or Batman is the main character of the DCEU, but, honestly, in the end, they are both the main characters of the DCEU.
10 Superman: The Franchise Kicks Off With Superman’s Story
The very first movie to kick off the brand-new DC Extended Universe was titled Man of Steel. Of course, this meant that it dealt with the eponymous Man of Steel himself, Superman —or, Clark Kent.
In opening the franchise with this film, the DCEU is framed around Superman as the main character. The narrative naturally follows his arc, as he’s the only main character present here. Batman had not yet arrived in Man of Steel, and the story’s all about Superman. As such, it truly makes it seem that the DCEU has made Superman the main character.
9 Batman: The Narrative Continues Even After Superman Dies
When Superman and Batman had their confrontation in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that ultimately resulted in Superman’s death at the hands of Doomsday, it seemed that Superman’s arc had ended. If the story was all about Superman, then, logically, the narrative likely would have jumped straight to Superman’s revival.
However, the story continues in detail after Superman passes. Batman becomes the main character at that point, and his quest isn’t even all about Superman. It does focus on him, but Batman has his own arc before Superman even comes back.
8 Superman: The DCEU Becomes All About Reviving Superman
The fact that the DCEU becomes primarily about Superman, even when he’s dead, is just more evidence that the franchise has made him the main character. Superman may be dead, but every other character is focused on bringing him back.
Other arcs may not directly be about Superman, but they’re all driven by Superman and his resurrection. Even though Batman is the one on the screen most of the time, even he is driven by his focus on bringing Superman back. Batman may be present, but the story is still all about Superman.
7 Batman: Batman Is The One Responsible For Bringing Superman Back To Life
Reviving Superman becomes the main priority of the DCEU after the character passed away in Dawn of Justice. Of course, the end of the film teased Clark’s potential resurrection, but fans were still waiting to see how, exactly, he would return. While Superman is gone, it’s mostly on one character to bring him back, and that’s Batman.
Clark may be gone, but Bruce Wayne takes over completely at that point. Without him, Superman wouldn’t have even been able to return. Batman (and his screen time, thanks to his main character status) are responsible for that revival more than anyone else.
6 Superman: Superman Is The Leader Of The Justice League & Their Most Valued Member
As Bruce Wayne said, there is no Justice League without Superman. He told the rest of the barely-formed League that there was no them without him —referring, of course, to Superman. Whether or not this is true is beside the point, because, for the Justice League in the DCEU, they absolutely believe it to be true.
Superman is instrumental to their formation as well as to their success. Without him, all would have been lost. In fact, without the entire League, all would have been lost —and there would have been no League at all without Clark. Superman is the one who leads the Justice League, and, without him, they wouldn’t even exist.
5 Batman: He Formed The Justice League & They Wouldn’t Exist Without Him
Batman may insist that Superman is the only one who can unite the Justice League, but he’s ignoring the fact that he is the one who brought all the metahumans together in the first place. Many people underestimate Batman simply because he’s a human amongst those who are more than human, including Bruce Wayne himself.
However, the fact that Bruce can hold his own amongst these people proves just how powerful he truly is. He’s the one who has fought to become a hero, and he’s the one who brought the League together. Bruce is also the one who revived Superman and brought him back to pull the League together —though, arguably, it was Batman who was doing that all along.
4 Superman: The First Arc In The Franchise Was About Clark Being Superman
The franchise, of course, begins with Man of Steel, and an infant Kal-El being sent off of Krypton before its destruction. The very first arc in the DCEU follows Clark as he’s found by the Kents in Smallville, Kansas, grows up, and becomes the man who would be Superman.
The very first arc in the franchise, then, is naturally all about Clark becoming Superman. He’s the main character, and the DCEU is fueled by following him as he becomes one of the most famous superheroes ever.
3 Batman: Bruce Wayne’s Knightmare Dreams Are Setting Up Future Arcs For The Franchise
While Superman’s story starts off the DCEU, it seems that Batman’s story will be the one that ends the DCEU. There have been multiple sequences where Bruce has had Knightmare dream sequences that show off a horrifying future to come.
This appears to indicate that, someday, Batman will be the one who closes up the main narrative of the DCEU. Superman’s first arc kicked off the franchise, but Batman’s final arc will likely be the one to end the franchise.
2 Superman: The Franchise Is Aiming To Make Superman Its Main Villain
The Knightmare dreams that Batman has, have shown off a number of heinous futures where Superman has become the bad guy. If the audience has the correct read on things, Lois Lane and her child with Superman were killed, thus allowing Superman to become vulnerable to manipulation.
At that point, Superman became the bad guy, as well as the ultimate weapon. In doing so, Superman has obviously become the main villain of the DCEU. Such a compelling arc could obviously only go to the franchise’s main character, and so this character could only be Superman.
1 Batman: When Superman Becomes The Villain, Batman Will Become The Main Hero
The fact that Superman became the main villain in the DCEU in the Knightmare future proves that Batman will need to be the main hero. He feels some measure of responsibility for what’s happened with Clark.
His extended sequence in Zack Snyder’s Justice League was evidence enough of the fact that Batman’s future is dedicated to stopping the villain that Superman has become. As such, it’s clear that, while the franchise began with Superman’s arc as the main hero, it would end with Batman’s arc as the main hero.