Man of Steel II: Enter the Knight

***Man of Steel II: Enter the Knight*** (alternatively titled just ***Man of Steel II*** in some markets) is a 2013 superhero film based on the DC Comics hero Superman, while also featuring Batman. It is the second film in the DCEU, and the second film in Phase 1. It was released on March 22, 2013.

## Plot Summary

Superman has been stopping various threats for the past 8 months. During this 8 months though, he has the attention of billionaire corporate overlord, Lex Luthor. He sees him as a threat to humanity, and has a plan to stop him. Superman gets wind of this, at the same time he hears rumors of a vigilante in Gotham City that many call the World's Greatest Detective. It's because of this that he enlists his help to try and take down Luthor and whatever Luthor throws at him. However, Batman doesn't fully trust Superman and Superman doesn't agree with his more brutal tactics. But they must put aside their differences to take down Lex Luthor, before his hatred for Superman destroys more than the Man of Tomorrow.

## Cast

* Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent
* Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne
* Michael C. Hall as Lex Luthor
* Rachel McAdams as Lois Lane
* Nathan Kress as Jimmy Olsen
* Jessica Biel as Mercy Graves
* J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Jim Gordon
* Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth
* Laurence Fishburne as Perry White
* Diane Lane as Martha Kent
* Scott Bakula as Jor-El

## Reception

*Man of Steel II: Enter the Knight* received positive reviews from critics and audiences. "Del Toro manages to come into another franchise and make an excellent sequel to an already great film. His blend of realism and fantastical, like his previous films, most notably *Pan's Labyrinth*, is impeccable. He understands these characters and what makes them so good, as well as building the lore in all the right ways." The film was praised for its writing, balance of tone between Batman and Superman, performances of Affleck and especially Hall, direction, and music. However, some stated that the pacing dragged in places, and some of the editing was poor.

## Trivia

* While Guillermo del Toro is very fond of and proud of the film, he felt he had little control over casting. "When I arrived for meetings with executives, it seems as though they already had a cast in place. Ignoring the people from the previous movie. They got this kid from some children's TV show to play [Jimmy] and got the actress to play Mercy from the Blade movie nobody liked... Batman was chosen by some executive with more influence than I would care for. The main reason I stayed on is because I got free range with everything else. I think they knew they messed up in that department." This was his reason for staying on. When asked who his initial choice of Batman was, if he was given the choice, del Toro jokingly stated "Ron Perlman of course!"
* Del Toro was apparently very nervous during the initial meetings with Hall, mainly because he would be playing a bald character and thought the actor would be uncomfortable or upset due to his battle with cancer. When del Toro made a passing mention of it, Hall took del Toro aside and told him it wasn't an issue, and if it was, he would push through it. Hall appreciated and was touched by the concern, but he did make the decision to wear a bald cap and not shave his head.
* Ben Affleck was considered to direct both *Man of Steel* and this film.
* The first piece of media to credit Bill Finger as the co-creator of Batman. Prior to making the film, del Toro read up on the co-creation of Batman and fought hard to have Finger's name on the final product. Through a Copyright Law loophole, del Toro made the dream a reality. Officially, though, in terms of the law and what DC Comics ruled, *Justice League* is technically the first official piece of media to have Bill Finger's name as co-creator of Batman.