Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Trailer: Five Questions Raised

DOES LEX KNOW?

Lex makes a big production of introducing Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne, followed by mock injury at Clark's handshake and "don't pick a fight with this guy."

Does he know their secrets?

It seems impossible, after that scene, to imagine that Lex hasn't figured out at least who Clark Kent is...but Bruce Wayne, too? That would be an interesting twist.

It wouldn't be out of character for the current take on Lex, of course, who has managed to leverage fear and frustration with the metahuman community into a role on the Justice League, where he knows a number of the secret identities of his "co-workers."

WHO IS THIS MAN?

Scoot McNairy's character shows up twice in the trailer -- both times from a distance, and without ever speaking.

So...who is he?

All we know so far is that he's in a wheelchair, presumably due to either lost or seriously damaged legs, since he was spotted onset wearing green screen socks.

A possibility that occurred to me -- and a long shot, but what the heck? -- is Colonel William T. Brooks, who appeared in Superman (Volume 2) #145 by Dan Jurgens and Steve Epting.

In that story, a soldier who was injured during a Superman-related crisis and no longer has the use of his legs talks with Clark Kent about how Superman has lost the public faith -- but not his, as he can relate to being hated and feared for doing what you think you have to.

The idea that he's not against Superman in spite of (everyone assumes) losing his ability to walk in the Battle of Metropolis could be reinforced by his positioning in the Senate hearing, where the character is seated far to the right of the screen -- where the defense would sit in a criminal trial.

It's unlikely, but it's the best guess we've got. Other popular guesses all revolve around him becoming a villain after Lex helps him gain the ability to walk again -- which would be arguably more likely but less thematically interesting.

WHAT'S WITH BATMAN AND THE GUNS?

Fans of the comics know that Batman has an aversion to firearms, going all the way back to when his parents were shot to death in front of him as a child.

Because guns are, as he's famous for saying in The Dark Knight Returns, "the weapon of the enemy," plenty of fans have questioned the idea that not only his the Bat-plane firing off dozens of high-caliber rounds at Superman, but Batman is seen carrying both a traditional rifle and some kind of other gun that looks like it might be a specialized weapon.

So...what's going on there? It's most likely that the rifle is -- as it was in The Dark Knight Returns -- a grappling gun.

The other one? Well, that's trickier. Given the context of the scene, the odds-on bet seems to be that it's a custom weapon designed to go after Kryptonians -- either Superman or, as it ends up being used apparently, Doomsday.

ARE THESE REALLY PARADEMONS?

I've expressed some skepticism about it up to this point but...are those really Parademons attacking Batman in the desert sequence?

There have long been rumors that Darkseid would be the big bad behind at least one of the two upcoming Justice League films, but it seems pretty early for this, doesn't it?

Well, the odds are still on some kind of fantasy or nightmare sequence, so these could actually be a peek at the future -- or a version of it -- and if so, Parademons aren't...impossible?

And if those are Parademons...wow. Doomsday and the Fourth World in the same film.

WHERE IS AQUAMAN?

Like Luke Skywalker and Spider-Man before him, the trailer wraps up with plenty of people asking where Aquaman is.

There have been rumors of any number of DC characters showing up in the film, but Aquaman is one of the only ones who's been actually confirmed by Warner Bros., who didn't show up in the trailer.

So...where is he? Most likely, he's not a key part of the main story or the battle with Doomsday...although word is, he shows up onscren with the big three at some point.