--- description: Everything you need to know about the new superhero movie, from box office potential to the reintroduction of Wonder Woman. title: What to Know Before You See 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d426f1b448ba3a7/69888c025f570f3a71b20267/ben-affleck-henry-cavill.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # What to Know Before You See _Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice_  by [Eliza Berman](/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Mar 23, 2016 11:00 AM CUT  Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill attend the "Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice" New York premiere March 20, 2016 in New York City. Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill attend the "Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice" New York premiere March 20, 2016 in New York City.James Devaney--WireImage/Getty Images  by [Eliza Berman](/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Mar 23, 2016 11:00 AM CUT _Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice_ is shaping up to be the biggest movie of 2016 so far. Director Zack Snyder’s pairing of the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel, due out March 25, promises to be instant [box office](http://variety.com/2016/film/news/batman-v-superman-box-office-opening-worldwide-300-million-1201735996/ "undefined") gratification while whetting fans’ appetites for upcoming DC superhero flicks like [_Wonder Woman_](http://time.com/4186529/wonder-woman-first-footage/ "undefined") and [_Justice League_](http://time.com/79226/justice-league-movie/ "undefined"). Here’s everything to know before you watch—save for what actually happens in the movie. **It’s a follow-up to 2013’s** **_Man of Steel_** **.** Snyder directed Henry Cavill in the Superman origin story, many of whose stars—Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne—reprise their roles in _Batman v Superman_. The new flick begins where that one left off, so those who have seen _Man of Steel_ will be best equipped to follow the action from the get-go, though it’s not an absolute prerequisite. **It’s long.** Hit the bathroom and stock up on Red Vines before taking your seat, because _Batman v Superman_ rings in at two hours and thirty-one minutes. And for those who can’t get enough, a three-hour, R-rated cut will be [available](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/batman-v-superman-married-creative-874799 "undefined") on DVD and Blu-ray after the movie’s theatrical release. **_READ MORE:_** [_Review: Superheroes Duke It Out Superseriously in Batman v Superman_](http://time.com/4268724/batmanvsuperman-review-movie-ben-affleck-henry-cavill/ "undefined") **This is not the first time the superheroes have faced off.** Batman and Superman have, in fact, battled several times in comic books and on television, though this will be their first major big-screen showdown. Speculation as to who might emerge victorious tends to favor Superman, but a [look back](http://screencrush.com/batman-vs-superman-history-guide/ "undefined") at previous match-ups shows that Batman may have a fighting chance. **Wonder Woman makes her big-screen debut.** Forget about the men; _Batman v Superman_ is all about the [superheroine](http://time.com/4217665/batman-v-superman-dawn-of-justice-wonder-woman/ "undefined") whose name is absent from its title. Israeli actor (and former combat trainer and pageant winner) Gal Gadot brings the Amazonian princess to life, setting the stage for her feature-length debut, _Wonder Woman_, due out in June 2017. ### Meet All the Actors Who Have Played Batman and Robin  Lewis Wilson was the first actor to play Batman on screen, with Douglas Croft joining him as the first Robin in the 1943 film Batman. Columbia Pictures—Getty Images  Robert Lowery was the second to don the guise of Batman, playing the caped crusader in the 15 chapter serial, Batman and Robin in 1949. Everett  Johnny Duncan played Robin to Lowery's Batman in the 1949 Batman and Robin serial. Columbia  Adam West played the role of masked crime fighter for three seasons on the 1960s television series Batman. Mondadori—Getty Images  Burt Ward joined Adam West as his Robin for the Batman television series. Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images  Michael Keaton played Batman in the 1992 film Batman Returns. Warner Bros.  Following Keaton three years later, Val Kilmer portrayed the billionaire playboy in 1995's Batman Forever. Warner Bros.  Chris O'Donnell played Robin for two different Batmen. He was Val Kilmer's Robin in 1995 (pictured above) and then joined George Clooney in 1997 for the widely panned Batman & Robin. Warner Bros.  Hard to remember, but George Clooney once took a turn as Batman, back in the 1997--before the Oscars knew his name so well. Warner Bros.  Christian Bale donned the mask for Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. Ron Phillips—Warner Bros  Ben Affleck is the latest to join the ranks of actors who have portrayed the caped crusader, in the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie. DCComics.com  Will Arnett voices Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Lego Batman Movie, a 3D-animated take on the DC superhero and a spin-off of 2014's The Lego Movie. Warner Bros. **The Joker and the Riddler almost made appearances.** Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor is _Batman v Superman_’s main villain, but he was almost joined by two foes from the Dark Knight’s past. Snyder [explained](http://time.com/4266214/batman-superman-villains/ "undefined") to _Collider_ that while their “mythological presence is felt,” they ended up on the cutting room floor because he “really needed to spend the time, frankly, with Batman and Superman to understand the conflict.” **It’s setting up a slate of movies exploring the DC Extended Universe.** Marvel has made a killing with its cinematic universe—both _The Avengers_ and _Avengers: Age of Ultron_ are in the [top ten](http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/ "undefined") highest-grossing movies of all time—and now DC is following suit. _Batman v Superman_ sets the stage for _Wonder Woman_ (2017), _Justice League Part One_ (2017) and _Justice League Part Two_ (2019). Other related movies to be released include _Suicide Squad_ (2016), _The Flash_ (2018) and _Aquaman_ (2018). **It’s shaping up to slay the box office.** Box office analysts put _Batman v Superman_’s opening weekend at $150 million in North America (where it will play in 4,000 theaters), but note that that estimate may even prove low. It will also get a major boost from a simultaneous opening in China. _The Avengers_ still holds the opening weekend record for a superhero movie, with $207 million domestically in 2012. **Ben Affleck was cast as Batman because Snyder wanted a “world-weary” Dark Knight.** The casting of Ben Affleck as a successor to Christian Bale’s Batman surprised many, but Snyder has [explained](http://time.com/4253882/batman-v-superman-ben-affleck-christian-bale/ "undefined") why the Oscar-winning _Argo_ director perfectly fit the bill. “I wanted a world weary Batman… someone who has had experiences, and Ben has really hit that,” he said. He also wanted a tall Batman, and Affleck, at 6’4” (6’6” in boots) satisfied that requirement, as well. **_READ MORE:_**[_See Batman and Superman’s First-Ever Appearance Together_](http://time.com/4264704/batman-superman-first-comic-together/ "undefined") **The score is all new.** Hans Zimmer, who also scored Christopher Nolan’s _Dark Knight_ trilogy, returns for _Batman v Superman_, though he vowed not to reuse any of the themes composed for those movies. Zimmer collaborated with composer Junkie XL on both the Batman and Superman themes for the score. **Affleck is the 11th actor to play Batman, Cavill is (give or take) the 17th Superman.** Both superheroes have been portrayed so many times it’s easy to lose count—not to mention that counts vary depending on whether you include commercials, shorts and other depictions not strictly done for TV shows and films. Affleck joins a brotherhood that [includes](http://time.com/41436/batman-actors-gallery/ "undefined") Adam West, Michael Keaton and George Clooney while Cavill finds himself in the company of Kirk Alyn, George Reeves and Christopher Reeve. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4267487/batman-v-superman-everything-to-know/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4267487/batman-v-superman-everything-to-know/"},"headline":"What to Know Before You See Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice","datePublished":"2016-03-23T11:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:00:14.352Z","description":"From the web of DC Universe relationships to box-office potential","url":"https://time.com/4267487/batman-v-superman-everything-to-know/","keywords":["movies","Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice","batman v superman"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d426f1b448ba3a7/69888c025f570f3a71b20267/ben-affleck-henry-cavill.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliza Berman","jobTitle":"Berman is a senior editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d426f1b448ba3a7/69888c025f570f3a71b20267/ben-affleck-henry-cavill.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill attend the \"Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice\" New York premiere March 20, 2016 in New York City.","caption":"Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill attend the \"Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice\" New York premiere March 20, 2016 in New York City.","creditText":"James Devaney--WireImage/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4267487/batman-v-superman-everything-to-know/","name":"What to Know Before You See Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice"}}]}] ```