The digital release for the Ultimate Edition of Batman vs Superman is out today and now we know what the extended scenes are. Bear in mind, there will be spoilers for this Ultimate Edition although it’s a good way to let you know what to look out for if you want to see the new stuff ASAP.
The first scene when Bruce Wayne’s parents get murdered and when Metropolis is getting destroyed is essentially the same. You won’t see anything new in these two scenes apart from a couple of new shots added in. Nothing substantial can be seen here.
Africa: The next part of Batman vs Superman set in Africa is where most of the stuff has been cut. The scene shows that the CIA is actually watching everything unfold from afar and this is something we did not see in the theatrical release. The CIA feels the mission has been compromised so they try and blow up the place with missiles, but Superman intervenes them. The CIA travel by horse to investigate which you may have seen in the trailer.
After that come some redundant scenes that aren’t noteworthy. The cops that chase Batman are first introduced watching a football game between Gotham and Metropolis. The Lois Lane/Clark Kent bath scene is extended as we see Henry Cavill take his shirt off.
Witness: Another big omission is the sub-plot involving the African lady that testified to Senator Finch earlier in the film. She has tons of scenes that you will only see while watching the Ultimate Edition of Batman vs Superman. I will try and give you a rundown on how she fits in the plot.
Her name is Kahina Ziri and one of the first scenes cut from her is when Clark Kent is cooking eggs in his house. He watches an interview with her on TV. Later in the movie, we find out that she was actually an actress hired by Lex Luthor in order to make Superman look bad. She feels guilty about being involved and tells Senator Finch about it just before the Senate bombing. In order to get rid of all loose ends, Lex’s henchman (KGBeast) kills her by pushing her in front of a train.
Clark Kent/Superman: The other big story arc is Clark Kent’s investigation on The Batman. I was sad to see a lot of Clark Kent scenes were cut from the original movie and I’m happy to see more of the character here in the Ultimate Edition. Kent actually takes a ferry and a bus to go to Gotham to find out more about Batman. He chose not to simply fly there…
The prisoner that Batman branded earlier in the film has more scenes too. He is taken to prison and we see him die as another prisoner shanks him to death. The other prisoner was ordered by Lex’s henchman (KGBeast) to kill the branded criminal. Clark actually finds this out when he talks to the prisoner’s wife. This sparks Clark to stop Batman which leads to the scene where he is Superman.
There are also a few shots of Superman that show him as more heroic. After the senate bombing, we see him save a lady. It’s hinted that he tried to help other people as well before he flies off being depressed. I’m not sure why this scene was cut in the original movie, but it’s great to see him do more good things in the Ultimate Edition of Batman vs Superman.
Jena Malone: We find out how helpful Jena Malone’s character really is in this version of the film. She plays a scientist in the movie and helps out Lois Lane in her investigation about Lex Luthor framing Superman in Africa. She finds out that there is metal inside the bullet that Lois Lane gives her.
The other thing she finds out is that the senate bomber’s wheelchair was fixed with the compound of lead. If you know Superman, one of his weaknesses is that he cannot see through lead. This is why he wasn’t able to stop the senate bombing. Why did they cut that from the movie? Many people thought Superman was stupid not stopping the bomb, but now we know he couldn’t…
R Rated Stuff: The Ultimate Edition of Batman vs Superman is more violent. I noticed a few more scenes in Africa that were more brutal. Not to mention the prisoner getting killed was kind of dark. The one scene that shocked me involved the warehouse fight with Batman. You remember the guy he stabbed and pinned to the wall with a knife? Batman in this extended cut does more damage to him by punching him in the abdomen really hard. Overall though, the movie is not as violent as other films that get the R rating.
The End: The ending scenes for Batman vs Superman are extended. You may have already seen the part where Lex Luthor is taken by the SWAT team with the Steppenwolf easter egg. This is the same as what was shown to us on YouTube a few weeks ago.
After that, we see more scenes from the funeral of Clark Kent/Superman. There are empty shots of shops and everyone in the Daily Planet took the day off. Both Jenny Olsen and Perry White attend the funeral and were at Martha Kent’s house in Smallville. They also have a priest talking briefly which wasn’t in the theatrical release.
Lastly, one of my favorite parts is that Batman references Arkham Asylum when he interrogates Lex Luthor in prison. He says: “I arranged for you to get a transfer to Arkham Asylum in Gotham. I still have some friends there. They’re expecting you.” After that, the scene plays out like before with Batman punching the wall and Lex Luthor warning about something else coming.
