Batman v Superman’s Martha Scene Is Much Deeper Than Anyone Thought

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The “Martha” moment in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is one of the most controversial scenes in superhero movie history, and ironically, it shouldn’t be because of how perfectly Man of Steel set it up. Batman v Superman was Snyder’s third DC Comics movie following 2009’s Watchmen and 2013’s Man of Steel, as well as the second chapter of the DCEU that really expanded the franchise into a cinematic universe. Batman v Superman essentially combines The Dark Knight Returns and The Death of Superman into a new story, using the foundation of Ben Affleck’s Batman determining that Henry Cavill’s Superman could become a threat to humanity.

When Batman and Superman go head-to-head in the film, the “Martha” moment is what brings their fight to a halt right as Batman is about to impale Superman with a Kryptonite spear. Superman has been coerced by Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) to kill Batman when his adoptive mother Martha Kent (Diane Lane) is kidnapped, with Superman spending most of the fight trying to either reason with Batman or subdue him long enough to get him to listen. Once Superman believes he is about to be killed, he begs Batman to “Find him…Save Martha!”, with Lois Lane (Amy Adams) then intervening and telling an angry Batman “It’s his mother’s name!”

The response to Batman v Superman’s Martha scene instantly became the most polarizing topic in any comic book movie in years, and arguably remains so, with detractors disparagingly feeling that Batman and Superman throw their conflict aside and become friends simply because both of their mothers are named Martha. However, this description sells the Martha scene short because Martha Kent and Martha Wayne sharing a first name is the least significant thing about it. Rather, it’s Batman seeing Superman as human for the first time, just as Colonel Hardy (Christopher Meloni) once did in Man of Steel.

The Smallville battle of Man of Steel sets the first domino of the Martha scene and Zack Snyder’s planned