Whether you’re Earth’s Mightiest Heroes or the ‘World’s Finest, you can’t escape the leak. While the world was more than content with the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens Teaser #2, someone decided to leak the Teaser to the Teaser – and eventually the Teaser itself – of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. With poor quality and shaky frames, most viewers decided to wait for the actual teaser to be released before forming an opinion – like myself. So what was the verdict?

The short answer: meh. Many have posted the trailer; but very few have actually tried to analyze any of it. As usual, this panda is on the case and whereas I can see some pretty respectable set ups, I am still not sold on this idea. Moreover, the trailer has several moments that just leave us scratching our heads. So check out the trailer again, and meet me afterwards for the full analysis.

A Battle of Heroes … Or Villains?

First thing’s first, before we take a closer look at specific points in the trailer, let’s look at how the trailer is divide overall. The first half is all about Superman and the aftermath of Man of Steel. A big theme/foreshadowing of that film was HOW would Superman be received once people learned who he was. Would he be an outcast or a God? Well the first half of this trailer shows that that conflict will be a central part of this film.

Throughout the opening scenes we hear multiple voice-overs. While one says “We’re talking about a being” another overshadows the word ‘being’ with “alien”. We see some people reaching out to him as if they’re having a religious experience, while we hear Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luther reminding people that ‘devils come from the sky’. All of these conflicting opinions culminate in the words ‘False God’ covering a statue of Superman.

When we head to the second half of the trailer, the focus shifts to Batman; but is he hero or villain? The framing of this segment certainly paints him as the villain, but as we analyze the voiceovers and scenes of his half, we find a Batman that makes Christopher Nolan’s look like a happy-go-lucky well-adjusted member of society. The trailer closes on Batman saying – in a very strange voice – “Tell me. Do you bleed? You will!” Beside answering his own question, this is a ridiculously dark thing to say, even for the Dark Knight. What’s up with Brucey?

What Turns Good Men Cruel:

During the transition from the Superman portion to the Batman portion, we hear Jeremy Iron’s Alfred say “That’s how it starts, the fever, the rage, the feeling of powerlessness that turns good men cruel”. Who is he talking about here? Superman? Batman? Both? It’s clearly too soon to tell which is which, but the way the trailer is setting up, these words certainly hold truth for both title characters.

This film is supposed to take place 2 years after Man of Steel, and we can clearly see how some people have taken to Superman as a God and leader, while others shun him. Man of Steel set up Superman’s purpose as him having to lead these people to a better tomorrow. After two years of trying to win people over and protect them, could this anti-Superman sentiment be turning our hero in blue crueler – feeling powerless to help protect and care for these people who don’t even want him?

On the other hand, these words could ring just as true for Batman. In case you couldn’t tell from the trailer, this film’s Batman is older and a little more jaded than the already dark Dark Knight. Could seeing this god-like hero make Batman feel literally powerless – and thus turn cruel? Additionally, the thought of people accepting this other ‘hero’ as a beacon of light and hope could make Bruce Wayne feel like his long fought crusade was for nothing.

Batmobile, Batwing & Voice-Changers?

Story framing aside, this trailer did give us a glimpse into some of Batman’s new and returning tech. We see the first shots of Batman’s mech suit, which he’ll use to fight more on par with Superman. Now before you say this is an Ironman rip off, Batman has used a mech suit occasionally in comics and animated series. Though whereas this suit does look pretty cool, it’s odd that there’s no mouthpiece. Seriously, how is he able to pull off that voice without a voice changer right up front? He sounds like Optimus Prime doing his best Batman impression. Though this isn’t Batman’s only tech.

By now we’ve all seen that famous photo of the new Batmobile; but the real stand out tech in this new trailer was of course the Batwing – which ACTUALLY looks like the Batwing! Unlike the air-tank of The Dark Knight Rises, this Batwing actually has the slick and streamline Batwing appearance that we loved from the animated series and games. Though despite being the most awesome thing of the trailer – in my opinon – it also causes one of the most unsettling moments.

The Dark Knight … Kills?

As any Batman fan would know, Batman’s one rule is to NEVER kill. It’s what sets him apart, makes him honor his parents and is a central point in the decades old Joker/ Batman face off. So when we saw the Batwing blow up two armored cars while people were standing on top of and in between these vehicles – which are like 4 feet apart – you could imagine our surprise. The massive explosions are definitely kill shots and no one could be expected to live through those. So what’s the deal here? We do see the Batmobile driving through an explosion as well, but this is not the same scene. The Batwing is in a docks area with wide spacing, and the Batmobile shot is a narrow alleyway of buildings.

So does Batman v Superman break Batman’s one unbreakable rule? Well there’s always a chance that someone hijacked the Batwing. Maybe Batman forgot what that button does? Maybe Alfred turns to the dark side? It’s possible! Remember, Jeremy Irons played Scar in the Lion King. Perhaps Scar possesses Alfred and causes him to go rouge! Could it happen? Probably not; but it’s still much better than the alternative. Either way, BE PREPARED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Random Observation #1 – The Army Of Steel:

In the early stages of the trailer, we see Superman walking into a military base of sorts with soldiers literally kneeling before him. Certainly a change of pace from Man of Steel when he was being escorted in handcuffs; but there’s something else about this scene that catches the eye – their shoulders.

If you look closely at their shoulders, you can see an S … I mean ‘hope’ symbol. Does this mean Superman has an actual army? Is he a commander or something? There’s no way to really delve into this fact right now; but it’s certainly something to keep in mind.

Random Observation #2 – Riddle Me This:

We see a brief shot of Batman standing in some underground structure – PLEASE don’t be the Batcave – full of graffiti. Besides all the unreadable scribbles there’s a very noticeable ‘?’. Just a question mark you say? Well sure; but the style of it is that of the Riddler’s – yes they are different question marks. Is this just a handy little Easter Egg or is the Riddler actually in this universe/ film. Maybe he’s the one who starts pitting Batman and Superman against each other? Maybe he’s the one who took over the Batwing and killed those henchmen? I could be totally off; but again… it’s better than the alternative.

All in all, it CERTAINLY looks like that rumor about DC forbidding the use of any and all jokes in their films was true. I mean for the love of God, The Dark Knight trailer even had laughs in it. Why they feel the need to stick to 100% serious is beyond me. Some would say its to be the Anti-Marvel; but hell, Guardians of the Galaxy had a talking raccoon in it, and it had some of the most serious, powerful and tear jerking moments of any film. You need balance DC

So what did you think of the teaser trailer? Sound off in the comments below to let me know.

*Special Thanks to Panda Pal Alix Perlman for the hilarious idea of Alfred going rogue. Can we please make this happen? At least a deleted scene? lol