10 Years Later, 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' Still Fiercely Divides Fans
Zack Snyder'sBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hit theaters 10 years ago today, as fans and critics continue to passionately debate the DC Comics film. Viewers continue to argue about its dark tone, the "Martha" moment, whether the Ultimate Editions fixes everything, and more. Here's why the divide shows no sign of fading on the movie's 10th anniversary.
Why Fans Remain Split on Batman v Superman a Decade Later
On March 25, 2016, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was widely released in North American theaters. According to Box Office Mojo, it went on to gross nearly $875 million worldwide on a $250 million budget. Now that a decade has passed since that release, the film's legacy has become engulfed in the fierce debate over its quality. The reactions to a recent Reddit post about the film capture the movie's highly divisive reputation.
A March 12, 2026, post on the r/DC_Cinematic subreddit asked whether opinions of the film had changed as it was approaching its 10th anniversary. One highly upvoted comment was from a fan who praised The Ultimate Edition version as one of their favorite comic book movies. "I love the Ultimate Cut and consider it to be in my top 5 comic films ever made. I fully understand why others feel differently. For me, though, it hit all the right notes." Similarly, another user expressed their love for the film. "I went to see this three times in IMAX. I loved it even more each time, and I still do to this day.
On the other hand, plenty of others expressed their distaste for the movie just as strongly. One user described it as "one of the worst superhero movies ever made," while another complained that it needed a director's cut to make sense in their opinion. Someone else kept their response to a single word, "Martha."
Over the past decade, there have been endless examples of people making the same arguments about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice online. Supporters often praise Zack Snyder's visual style, Ben Affleck's portrayal of Batman, the film's ambition, the Ultimate Edition improvements, and more. Meanwhile, critics complain about it feeling overstuffed, the "Martha" moment, Jesse Eisenberg’s eccentric Lex Luthor, how grim it feels, and the death of Superman feeling unearned.
Now that the fight over the movie has lasted for a decade, there is no reason to think that it will stop anytime soon. That passion that both sides of the argument feel might be the film's greatest legacy. No matter what, however, there is a silver lining for both sides. Fans can continue to celebrate everything they enjoy about the movie, while critics can simply choose to watch something else.