Batman v Superman's “Martha Moment” At 10: Still Controversial

The world of DC has had some controversial moments that made history for the wrong reasons, as happened with one Batman moment in the DC Extended Universe, which turns 10 this year. The DCEU created a connected universe of DC Comics characters, beginning with Man of Steel in 2013, and introduced its version of Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

As the title says, this movie brought together the DCEU’s Superman (Henry Cavill) and Batman (Ben Affleck), featuring Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), as well. Dawn of Justice was a big box office hit, but it didn’t do that well with critics. However, Dawn of Justice went down in history for one specific moment that was very controversial: the “Martha Moment.”

Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice's “Martha Moment” Is Still Controversial

Man of Steel never got a proper sequel, and the closest it got to one was Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Although it brought back Cavill’s Superman and is set after the events of Man of Steel, Dawn of Justice is more of a follow-up than a sequel, and it was the introduction of Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Dawn of Justice brings a Batman who has already been fighting crime for years, so much so that he has already gone through the traumatic loss of Dick Grayson. Although it does have some flashbacks to Bruce’s childhood, Dawn of Justice mostly focuses on present-day Bruce Wayne, who witnessed Superman’s battle against General Zod.

As Bruce saw the destructive and tragic consequences of Superman’s actions, he believed the Man of Steel to be a threat to humanity. Clark, on the other hand, wants to condemn Batman’s way of justice in his articles for the Daily Planet. The two heroes further clash when Lex Luthor manipulates both for his own benefit.

Luthor’s plans lead to a confrontation between Superman and Batman, with the former aware of Luthor’s manipulations and the latter armed to kill the Man of Steel. After weakening Superman with kryptonite, he tells Batman to “save Martha”, referring to his adoptive mother, Martha Kent, who had been kidnapped by Luthor.

Batman was shocked to hear this, as his mother’s name was also “Martha”, and after yelling to Superman why he said that name, he realized Superman’s humanity and helped him rescue his mother. Out of everything that happens in Dawn of Justice, the “Martha moment” is its most remembered, controversial, hated, and laughable moment.

The “Martha moment” has been labeled as lazy writing, cheesy, and a cheap plot device to end a conflict that didn’t really have much logic to begin with. The dialogue is also awkward and feels forced, as Superman could have referred to her as his mother rather than by her name, which makes the scene feel even more unnatural.

The “Martha moment” was a very easy way to end a conflict between two of the biggest superheroes ever that, instead of helping the audience connect with their humanity, only made viewers laugh at the supposedly emotional moment. This scene has been endlessly criticized, parodied, and referenced, and remains as Dawn of Justice’s most infamous moment.

How Has Batman v Superman Aged After 10 Years?

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will turn 10 in March, and the general opinion of it hasn’t really changed. It’s actually more evident now, after the chaos of the Justice League movies, Matt Reeves’ The Batman, and the new DC Universe, that Dawn of Justice hasn’t aged well, and the “Martha moment” isn’t the only part to blame.

Dawn of Justice was an ambitious project, and bringing together Batman and Superman was going to be a huge challenge. Unfortunately, Dawn of Justice aimed too high and added a lot of things to its plot, with various inconsistencies, plot holes, out-of-character elements, and underdeveloped plot points and characters.

Dawn of Justice also didn't feel like a follow-up to Man of Steel, and its characterizations of Superman and Batman were quite controversial, too, with the former turned into a moody hero and the latter into a murderer. There’s also Jesse Eisenberg’s version of Lex Luthor, who wasn’t the calculating and manipulative billionaire everyone knows.

The tone and overall “mood” of Dawn of Justice also felt off, as it was too dark, cynical, and lacked fun and those hopeful moments always found in superhero movies. Through this, Dawn of Justice challenged what was known of and expected from superhero movies, which had both good and bad results: it invited a more philosophical approach in these movies, but also warned them about going too dark.

Although I would say that Dawn of Justice ultimately succeeds as an entertaining movie, it didn’t become the big and positively memorable superhero crossover it was intended to be.

Ben Affleck's Batman Never Reached His Full Potential

Unfortunately, Dawn of Justice was the beginning and the beginning of the end for Ben Affleck’s Batman. Just like the movie, Affleck’s Batman was a darker version of the beloved hero, but also older and thus more experienced than previous versions.

It was that experience that made Affleck’s Batman grow disillusioned and have a different outlook on life, allowing the DCEU to explore his darker sides. Unfortunately, Affleck’s Batman wasn’t properly developed after Dawn of Justice, and never reached his full potential.

After Dawn of Justice, Affleck played Batman again in both versions of Justice League, very briefly in Suicide Squad, and The Flash, the latter marking his final appearance. With the DCEU over, the DC Universe will have another Batman, and it will surely learn from the mistakes of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.