‘Batman v Superman’ Has the Perfect “Distracted Boyfriend” Meme Moment

For as badly as it gets dragged by the superhero movie fandom, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a gift that just keeps on giving, the deeper we look into it. Now usually, those revelations are along the line of major insights and Easter eggs that Zack Snyder and co. buried in the film; today however, it’s just an awesome freeze-frame moment in the film that just happens to mimic one of the most popular memes of the day!

This scene of course takes place during Lex Luthor’s (Jesse Eisenberg) exclusive party in Gotham, and marks our (fleeting) first glimpse of Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe. It comes just before one the movie’s more quotable lines, as Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne says “Sorry. Pretty girl, bad habit,” to Henry Cavill’s Clark Kent, after obviously eye-screwing the passing Diana.

This moment is just one example of the depth of Snyder’s understanding of and commitment to DC Comics mythology – and how it may have been too deep for some fans. The moment here is not just a first meeting of DC’s famous “Trinity” of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, it’s also a nice visual reference to the romances that both Superman and Batman have had with Wonder Woman in various phases of DC mythology. It’s also a great foreshadow of the later scene when the boys are left staring after Diana during her battle with Doomsday, not to mention a great call back to Diana using her beauty to further a mission during a grand party, as seen in Wonder Woman.

There’s no way Zack Snyder knew about the “Distracted Boyfriend Meme” when Batman v Superman was released in 2016 (it didn’t really start circulating until 2017, even though the photo is from 2015); however, the fact that his footage perfectly fits it anyway, is almost better. For the die-hards who love Dawn of Justice (like myself), this is just one more example of how the admittedly dense film is nonetheless like a great novel, which is increasingly rewarding with every repeat exploration.

The DC Movie Universe continues with Shazam in theaters on April 5th, Joker on October 4th, Birds of Prey on February 7th, 2020, Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5th, 2020, and The Batman on June 25th, 2021.

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