Batman v Superman: Warehouse Fight Breakdown

Last Updated on September 29, 2023

Zack Snyder’s DCEU was one of the most polarizing film franchises ever. Some audiences adored
Snyder’s dark and mythological take on these iconic characters, while other audiences found the films
to be much more style than substance. However, no matter which side of the divide you’re on, two
things remain true for many of us:

1. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is not the best movie in the franchise.
2. The Batman warehouse fight scene is iconic.

While Snyder’s DC movies didn’t work for everyone, it’s obvious that Zack Snyder had a clear vision and
style in mind for his films, and that sometimes yielded stunning splash page shots that look like the
comic panels coming to life. This version of Batman is famously played by Ben Affleck, who faced serious
blowback from the announcement that he’d be taking on the cape and cowl. However, he won most of
us over after seeing the incredible costume designed by Mike Wilkenson and the fighting style and
choreography by Damon Caro. Wilkenson stated that he wanted to match the design to the blue and
grey cloth look that Batman wore in Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns” graphic novel, and it’s safe
to say that he succeeded in giving it a minimal yet still practical look. The design doesn’t include armor
padding or plating but instead is a durable fabric that tells audiences just how tough our caped crusader
is.

The warehouse fight is among the franchise’s best Batman action scenes. The kinetic and frantic camerawork by Larry Fong really highlights Batman’s strength and speed. The previz for this scene required weeks of training, camera testing, and shot-listing to pull off the fight exactly as Snyder imagined it. The result is a brutal brawl that is a one-to-one match with the original storyboard. The fight was also done using mostly practical effects, which any audience member would appreciate as the energy of the fight never fades away in a blur of muddy CGI.

Upon the film’s release, fans quickly noticed that Batman’s hulking fighting style and movements seemed to mimic that of Batman in the beloved Arkham video games. His blocks, strikes, and dodges all seemed very similar to the game, which, in many ways, is a huge compliment to the filmmakers. Damon Caro stated that he’d never seen any trailers or gameplay from the Arkham series and designed Batman’s fight style based on what he thought worked best for the character. No matter, we love the way Bruce kicks ass in this scene.

We have many more interesting facts to share in today’s episode of Scene Breakdown, where we look at the scene together and discuss some fun facts and trivia that went into its construction. YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE how much money Warner Bros. asked Ben Affleck to pay to keep his batsuit… Find out in today’s episode written by Kier Gome!