Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a 2016 film starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter and Gal Gadot, directed by Zack Snyder, written by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer and produced by Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder.
The film was a financial failure as it generated a loss of $63 million.
Plot
Eighteen months after the battle between Superman and General Zod in Metropolis, Superman has become a controversial figure. Billionaire Bruce Wayne, who has operated in Gotham City as the vigilante Batman for twenty years, sees Superman as an extraterrestrial threat to humanity. After learning of Batman's form of justice, Clark Kent (Superman's civilian identity) seeks to expose him via Daily Planet articles. Wayne learns that Russian weapon trafficker Anatoli Knyazev has been contacting LexCorp mogul Lex Luthor. Meanwhile, Luthor unsuccessfully tries to persuade Senator June Finch to allow him to import kryptonite retrieved from the Indian Ocean following Zod's terraforming attempt, claiming he wants to maintain it as a deterrent against future Kryptonian and metahuman threats. He instead makes alternative plans with Finch's subordinate and gains access to Zod's body and the Kryptonian scout ship.
Bruce attends a gala at LexCorp to steal encrypted data from the company's mainframe, but has it taken from him by an antiquities dealer named Diana Prince; she eventually returns it to Bruce when she is unable to access the information. While decrypting the drive, Bruce dreams of a post-apocalyptic world where he leads a group of rebels against an evil Superman. He is awakened from his dream by an unidentified person, appearing through a portal, who warns him of Lois Lane's crucial role in the future, and urges him to find "the others" before vanishing. Upon fully decrypting the drive, Wayne discovers Luthor's files on several metahuman individuals across the globe. One of them is Prince herself, who is shown in a photo taken during World War I. Wayne admits to Alfred Pennyworth that he plans to steal the kryptonite to weaponize it, should it become necessary to fight Superman.
At a Congressional hearing, as Finch questions Superman on the validity of his actions, a bomb smuggled by Luthor goes off and kills everyone present but Superman. Believing he should have detected the bomb, and frustrated by his failure to save them, Superman goes into self-imposed exile. Batman breaks into LexCorp and steals the kryptonite. In preparation to battle Superman, he builds a powered exoskeleton, creates a kryptonite grenade launcher, and a kryptonite-tipped spear. Meanwhile, Luthor enters the Kryptonian ship and accesses a vast technology database accumulated from over 100,000 worlds.
To bring Superman out of exile, Luthor kidnaps Lois and Martha Kent, Clark's adoptive mother. Lex throws Lois off the LexCorp building, but Superman quickly saves her and goes on to confront Luthor, who reveals to Superman that he manipulated Superman and Batman against each other by fueling their mutual distrust. Luthor demands that Superman kill Batman in exchange for Martha's life. Superman tries to explain the situation to Batman, but instead Batman attacks Superman and eventually subdues him with the aid of a kryptonite gas. Before Batman can kill Superman with the spear, Superman urges Batman to "save Martha", whose name is also shared with Batman's mother, confusing him long enough for Lois to arrive and explain what Superman meant. Realizing how far he has fallen and unwilling to let an innocent die, Batman rescues Martha, while Superman confronts Luthor on the scout ship.
Luthor executes his backup plan, unleashing a genetically engineered monster with DNA from both Zod's body and his own blood. Diana Prince arrives unexpectedly; revealing her metahuman nature, she joins forces with Batman and Superman to eliminate the creature. When they are all outmatched, Superman realizes its vulnerability to kryptonite, and retrieves the spear to kill it. After impaling it with the spear, in the creature's last moments, it kills Superman, who himself has been weakened by exposure to kryptonite.
Luthor is arrested and Batman confronts him in prison, warning Luthor that he will always be watching him. Luthor gloats that Superman's death has made the world vulnerable to powerful alien threats. A memorial is held for Superman in Metropolis. Clark is also declared dead, with various friends and family members including Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince attending his funeral in Smallville. Martha gives an envelope to Lois, which contains an engagement ring from Clark. After the funeral, Bruce expresses his regrets to Diana about how he failed Superman. He reveals to her that he plans to form a team of metahumans, starting with those from Luthor's files, to help protect the world in Superman's absence. After they leave, the dirt atop Clark's coffin levitates.