Note that I’m referring only to the sequence which begins with future Batman leading a group of rebels to collect a sample of Kryptonite from some unidentified agent/ally and ends with his execution at the hand of Superman, Kal-El Ma’ed.
=)
So, what *are* these scenes from a post-Apokoliptic Earth?
1. They are an older, future Batman’s memories of an “earlier” timeline, one that has been overwritten with the timeline we’re focused on. The overwrite happens as a direct result of “our” Batman acting on information gleaned from future Flash’s message. Batman is able to retain these paradoxical memories (at least for a short time, I suspect they fade, leaving behind general impressions, like a dream) since—according to standard comic book physics—he is an agent responsible for the change that creates the new timeline. That’s just science, people. =)
2. They are a payload, delivered to Bruce’s psyche via the Boom-time Tube that Flash helps generate in the future. This is NOT an ability of the Flash’s, but made possible w/the help of telepathy (provided by a certain Martian Manhunter or other meta, perhaps a once-villain?), magic (Wonder Woman’s backstory should connect us to “magic” in the DCCU), or advanced/exotic tech (in MAN OF STEEL, Zod & company demonstrated a shared mental virtual world that could be manipulated, a la the Matrix), or maybe some combo. Maybe future Bats had some kind of implant that recorded his experiences, to be dispatched in just this way to his youthier self as an ultimate contingency plan. One of those if-you’re-seeing-this-then-I’m-dead contingency plans.
3. The scenes are purely cinematic storytelling. A cut to the future. A simple flash forward meant for *our*—the audience’s—eyes, not Bruce’s, to show *us* a possible future, one in which Batman has not already stolen Luthor’s Kryptonite (or, hasn't held onto it, but I'm gonna ignore that possibility =).
All of these explanations fit the data, such as it is, presented in the film I saw in the theater. Will any or all of them hold for the "director's cut" or whatever it is we'll get on DVD? No idea, but I hope so. Honestly, the mystery and ambiguous nature of the scenes are okay with me in this movie built from comic book parts. It can fuzz up the logic of things, but emotionally and anecdotally, it gets us where we need to go…
1. We understand that Superman is just one bad day away from being Earth’s alien overlord.
2. It helps sell Bruce's hyperbolic line to Alfred: If there is even a one percent chance he could go bad, we have to take it as an absolute certainty (pardon the paraphrasing, can't recall the exact words). That's some dangerous invective he's trying to sell there, but with the vision of a future firepitted Earth fresh in our minds, if not his, it doesn't sound quite as fascist-alarmist, right?
2.a. It also helps legitimize Luthor's purported stance on planetary security. Justifying rich white men scheming to destroy the hard-working law-abiding immigrant.
3. We can piece together that Batman can avoid this future by acting in the present. In the future, he is engaged in acquiring Lexcorp's Kryptonite sample when he's capture by Super's soldiers. If he can get his hands on that in the present, that future may never come to pass. Cut to: Lex finding a Batarang embedded in his just-robbed-by-Batman Kryptonite sample chamber.
4. It also serves as a treat (not sure if 10 minutes of action can really be an "Easter egg") to the DC reading and gaming geeks in the audience, potential movie evangelists/apologists.
Here endeth the crazy talk.
For now, at least. =)
Keep on keepin' on~
Click for my earlier take on BVS Futurama!
Click for a breakdown of the Knightmare!
Click for all my BATMAN <3 SUPERMAN crazy talk! =)
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