After the release of the trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in April 2015, speculation erupted about the armored suit that Batman was shown wearing while fighting Superman. Much of the speculation was informed by the assumption that the armored Batsuit had high tech enhancements that would help Batman stand up to Superman in combat. Batman fans hoped that the armored anti-Superman suit would be the DCEU's version of Tony Stark's Hulkbuster in the MCU, and that it would feature hi-tech upgrades that augment Batman's powers.
However, it turned out that fans were wrong. The anti-Superman Batsuit did not have most of the advanced gadgetry and power enhancements -- such as heat vision, heat sensors, x-ray vision, plasma shield and kryptonite-fueled mechanisms -- that fans had hoped for.
When director Zack Snyder shared information about the armored Batsuit during the Warner Bros. at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2015, he failed to mention any of the expected snazzy enhancements. This caused Batman fans to begin asking exactly how the movie creators planned for Batman to match Superman in battle. But since the release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in March 2016, fans have learned more about Batman's anti-Superman Batsuit. Facts about the armored Batsuit, including its capabilities, special features, and other interesting trivia, have since come to light.
Here are 15 Things You Didn't Know About Batman's Anti-Superman Suit.
Wilkinson Only Designed The Anti-Superman Suit, Jose Fernandez's Ironhead Studio Built It
Although most fans knew that Michael Wilkinson designed the Batman costumes from Batman v Superman (BvS), many did not know that the actual builder of the Batsuits was Jose Fernandez and his team at Ironhead Studio. Many Batman fans were unaware that Fernandez and his team at Ironhead Studio built the Batsuits because they did not receive any screen credit for their work.
However, Fernandez attended the Monsterpalooza in 2016 and 2017 and exhibited his Batsuit creations for Ben Affleck's superhero character. Batman News reported that Fernandez revealed it took him and his team several months to build the suits from the designs Wilkinson created. The team also created Wonder Woman's costumes.
Fernandez's Ironhead Studios had previously built costumes for Batman Returns (1992), Batman Forever (1995), and Batman and Robin (1997).
Batman's Anti-Superman Suit Was Primarily Defensive
Director Zack Snyder revealed at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2015 that Batman's armored anti-Superman suit for Batman v Superman (BvS) was not meant primarily to enhance Batman's strength and powers, but to provide an exoskeletal protection to help him survive sustained pummeling and pounding. His comments suggested that the suit did not have most of the high tech offensive gadgetry and special enhancements that Batman fans wanted to see.
Snyder compared the armored suit to a bear suit that would prevent Batman from being mauled to death early in the battle and thus give him the time to implement his plans to defeat Superman.
Although many Batman fans had worried about how any armor could protect Batman against Superman, the Batsuit fulfilled its intended role as it helped Batman to hold out long enough to use kryptonite gas bombs to weaken Superman.
Many Batman Fans Felt Disappointed By Bruce Wayne's Clunky Low-Tech Creation
Batman fans who had hoped that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice would be used to launch Bruce Wayne's DCEU version of Tony Stark’s Hulkbuster armor were disappointed when he eventually fielded a low-tech armored Batsuit. Fans had believed that Batman would need a high tech suit that can compete with the MCU's Hulkbuster armor to match Superman's strength and powers.
Powered by multiple palladium core Arc Reactors, and deployed from the orbital platform Veronica, Stark's Hulkbuster armor was able to match Hulk in strength in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Batman fans also wanted Wayne to wear an armor that would make him match Superman in strength.
The Justice Buster appears to be the only specialized Batsuit that Wayne has ever invented that can compete with Stark's Hulkbuster. The special suit from DC Comics' The Joker: Endgame is designed with complex inbuilt protocols to take down each member of the Justice League.
It Took Three People And 25 Minutes To Suit Up Ben Affleck In His BvS Costume
Fashionista reported that director Zack Snyder emphasized to Michael Wilkinson, who designed Batman's costumes from Batman v Superman, that he must create Batsuit designs that are flexible and comfortable to wear.
The designers were able to address the "stiff neck" problem that Batman actors suffered for many decades until Christian Bale played Batman in The Dark Knight (2008). The problem was due to the stiffness of the one-piece cowl and cape at the neck junction.
Although Affleck was able to turn his neck freely, there remained significant flexibility issues. Wilkinson revealed that it took at least three people and 25 minutes to suit Affleck up in his superhero costumes for Batman v Superman, compared with Superman who could be suited up in 15 minutes or less.
The Anti-Superman Suit Was A Powered Armor
Although Batman's armored anti-Superman suit from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was not primarily designed to augment his strength and powers to fight Superman, it was a powered exoskeletal suit that functioned as a wearable machine with powering mechanism. The powering mechanism artificially enhanced Batman's strength and endurance.
A fan calculated that the powering mechanism in the anti-Superman suit made Batman at least 28 times stronger than normal. Although the calculation was controversial and many fans challenged the details of its assumptions, there was clear evidence of augmented strength in the movie. Batman was able to smash Superman through massive concrete walls and pillars and appeared to be as fast and agile as normal, despite wearing a heavy metal suit that should have slowed him down considerably.
The Cowl Had A Titanium Helmet Beneath It And Information Processing Gadgetry
The cowl of Batman’s anti-Superman suit had a titanium helmet beneath it. The helmet was equipped with sensory and information processing gadgets which included retractable lenses with a luminescent glow. The lenses displayed relevant data about Batman's environment and projected the information Google Glass-like over natural visuals. The lenses operated in different modes, including combat and detective mode.
The cowl gadgetry also included a voice modifier that disguised Wayne's real voice so that it was unrecognizable.
The light blue glow of the lenses was reminiscent of the glow of Batman's eyes in the comics. Although some fans speculated that the glow was fueled by kryptonite, others insisted that it served only as a nod from the creators of the movie to Batman fans who wanted to see their superhero with the same glowing eyes he had in the comics.
Despite Wearing A Powered Armored Suit Batman Still Wasn't As Strong As Superman
Although Batman's anti-Superman suit was a powered armor that augmented his strength multiple times over, he still wasn't as strong as Superman. Fans will recall from the movie that despite the augmentation of his strength, Batman was able to match Superman in strength and powers only after Superman was severely weakened by kryptonite gas. The kryptonite left the alien superhero with only a small fraction of his total superpowers. But even after his powers had been depleted by kryptonite, Superman was still able to land blows that injured Batman. He was also able to fling him around like a rag doll, and rip off part of his helmet.
When Superman fully recovered from the effect of the kryptonite gas, Batman's augmented strength was unable to match Superman's. This forced Batman to fire yet another kryptonite gas grenade to weaken Superman.
The Anti-Superman Suit Was Inspired By Batman's Suit In The Dark Knight Returns
Batman's armored anti-Superman suit from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, was inspired by the armored Batsuit from Frank Miller's 1986 comic and the animated movie, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (2012). Fans began speculating when they noticed the similarity between the armored suits from Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Fans also learned that director Snyder was drawing directly from The Dark Knight Returns for the plot and story of Batman v Superman. The fact that Batman defeated Superman in The Dark Knight Returns and that he used a powerful armored suit, weapons, gadgets, and kryptonite, to fight and defeat Superman made some fans hope that the movie would field a DCEU version of MCU's Hulkbuster armor.
Snyder Instructed Designers To Create Suits That Make Batman Look More Intimidating Than Superman
In several interviews with media outlets in 2015 and 2016, Wilkinson revealed that the design of Batman’s suits from Batman v Superman was intended to further enhance Affleck's bulky 6-foot-three-inch frame so that Batman would look physically more imposing than Superman. This also applied to the design of his armored anti-Superman suit. It was intended to make Affleck's Batman look powerful and intimidating compared with Henry Cavill’s Superman.
According to Wilkinson, Snyder, a fan of Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, instructed him to focus on creating designs that would promote the message that Batman's strength and powers were not due only to his gadgets, but also the fact that he is a powerful man able to stand his own against powerful superheroes like Superman.
Thus the designers focused on making Batman look bigger and more muscular than Superman in silhouette.
Affleck Increased Weight By 40 Pounds And Did Bodybuilding to Fit Into His BvS Costume
Director Snyder required Affleck, who was 42 years old, to gain 40 pounds for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, so that his 6-foot-three-inch frame can fit into his costumes for the movie. Affleck first increased body weight to 231 pounds, according to Men’s Journal, but dropped it to 225 pounds through a regime of bodybuilding exercises until his total body fat percentage was 7.7.
He did bodybuilding exercises with heavy weights for 15 months, working out for 90 minutes to two and a half hours a day. He consumed 5,000 calories daily to gain lean mass and strength to carry the weight of his batman costumes. The weight of his Bastsuits for the movie was about 75 pounds.
Some of the videos of his workout sessions in the Batcave made the final cut of the movie.
