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'Batman v Superman': Here's what we know about the plot

A plot summary for the upcoming movie 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' has reportedly been revealed. Here's what it tells us (and who is that 'new threat'?).

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Clay Enos/Warner Bros. Pictures/AP
The 'Superman' movies star Henry Cavill.

Fans now know a little more about the upcoming comic-book movie “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”

An official summary has been released, according to the website Collider. The summary is as follows: “Fearing the actions of a god-like super hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.” 

God-like super hero? Check, that’s Superman. Gotham City’s vigilante is, one can safely assume, Batman. 

It’s that part about “a new threat” that now has people wondering. It could, of course, be legendary “Superman” villain Lex Luthor, who, according to Variety, will be portrayed in “Batman” by actor Jesse Eisenberg.

And the text could refer to Luther. But some seem to think this summary is talking about another villain. “We still don’t know exactly how Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor factors into the story, but one imagines he’s not the only antagonistic force that takes on the two heroes,” Collider reporter Adam Chitwood wrote. Business Insider writer Joshua Rivera doubted Lex Luthor would be the film's villain referred to in the summary: “As menacing as Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor may look, that doesn't quite sound like him, does it?” Rivera wrote, and pointed to rumors that “Superman” villain Doomsday could pop up in the movie.

The inclusion of Doomsday is still very much only rumor, but if he does appear, it would be interesting. As comic book fans know, a Kryptonian scientist made Doomsday, trying to make an invincible weapon. Famously, Doomsday killed Superman (if only temporarily) in a 1992 comic-book storyline.

The film's plot outline may put some fans in mind of Frank Miller's 1986 comic-book miniseries "The Dark Knight Returns," in which the Caped Crusader and the Man of Steel battled each other to a devastating stalemate against the backdrop of global conflict.

For now, fans will just have to wait to find out more about Zack Snyder's vision for this latest comic-book adaptation. 

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