In Superman‘s long and detailed history, there has been just one substance that has always been his weakness: kryptonite. A mineral from his home planet of Krypton, proximity to it drains his incredible strength. So in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, it made perfect sense that when Batman discovered this, he decided to acquire the mineral and use it against his perceived enemy. He already knew that Supes basically had no other chinks in his armor. It was his only chance to fight the alien on even ground.
Given the vast resources at Bruce Wayne’s disposal, the weapon in question could have been almost anything. He has unlimited funds, more advanced technology than the military, and his own private R&D lab. We were probably all expecting some kind of crazy space-age armament that doesn’t even exist in the real world. And what did we get? A spear.
Quite possibly the first weapon primitive humans invented after discovering they could throw rocks at each other, it’s the antithesis of technology. It’s a poky-stick. Besides the minor advantage of a longer reach to get the kryptonite closer to his foe, what in the world was the reason for such a basic weapon?
Zack Snyder has definitively answered that question, and it’s a doozy. Check out his post below, from the social media site Vero:
The caption says “Why with all the technology at his disposal would Batman build a spear… here’s why.” The picture shows a painting of the crucifixion of Jesus, with Roman centurion Longines using his spear (later dubbed the Spear of Destiny in Catholic lore) to cut the savior’s side, thereby verifying his physical death.
Well, that’s heavy, isn’t it? But this isn’t the first time we see Superman used as a Christ allegory, especially in Snyder’s vision of the DC Universe. Think about it – the man who’s more than a man, from humble beginnings, here to be the savior of mortal humans, but spurned by the very people he’s attempting to help. (Not to mention his return from the dead, although that came a bit later.)
But back to the spear. Another Christian parallel could be drawn from the way that using it finally opened Batman’s eyes, metaphorically speaking. When the blind Longines pierced the side of Christ, the savior’s spilled blood restored his sight. He became a believer on the spot, one of the first Roman Christians.
In much the same way, it was during Batman’s attempt to destroy his enemy with the spear that he finally realized how wrong he was. His “vision” was restored, and he was able to see that Superman was exactly who he claimed to be.
What do you think of this fascinating revelation by the director? Do you know of any other Jesus parallels we haven’t mentioned? Tell us in the comments!