First of all, if you haven’t seen BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE yet, stop reading now. There’s going to be a lot of spoilers in this little article, and we’d rather you go into it with the right frame of reference. Got that? You sure? Okay, here we go. There’s been some talk in the last few days of BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE getting a special R-rated cut on Blu-ray, and possibly having footage added back in. At the very least we’re going to see some deleted scenes in the home video release. And now Warner Bros. has posted one of those deleted scenes, which you can see below. One of the big complaints a lot of folks had (including myself) was the lack of a clear motivation for Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg). He doesn’t seem to have a reason to want Superman (Henry Cavill) dead, at least not one that’s given, and by the end of the movie he kind of comes across as just a crazy rich kid. The scene below might shed a tiny bit of light on his reasons for what he did, or at least could have helped a bit. Check it out, then read our explanation of what you just saw.
What this (likely) is: At the end of the movie, after the whole Doomsday fight ends, the last time we see Lex Luthor is when he’s in prison getting his head shaved, and then has a stealthy visit from Batman (Ben Affleck). He tells Batman “He’s coming! The bell has been rung.” Considering the other references in the movie, especially in Bruce Wayne’s “Knightmare” sequence, this is almost certainly a reference to Darkseid – thinks DC’s version of Thanos, which is funny to say, as many argue Thanos was directly influenced by Darkseid (created by Jack Kirby). And what we see in that scene above is Lex Luthor in the crashed Kryptonian ship he used to create Doomsday, using the ship’s technology to communicate with an alien being holding what looks like Mother Boxes – this is technology used on Darkseid’s home planet, Apokolips, and also what was used in the brief cameo scene of Cyborg (played by Ray Fisher). So you could look at this scene and the other moments peppered throughout BvS as definitive confirmation of Darkseid. It stands to reason Lex has been communicating with Apokolips and has informed them of Superman’s demise, and THAT explains why he said what he said to Batman in the cell. All of this will undoubtedly lead into the first JUSTICE LEAGUE movie. Watch the scene above and tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Here’s a scene from a Justice League comic book that shows Darkseid and Mister Miracle using a Mother Box:
Click on image to see it full-size.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
