Zack Snyder’s Batman V Superman Celebrates 8 Year Anniversary: Concept Art for the Film Shows Ben Affleck’s Batman With a Machine Gun
Ava Robinson
Updated on April 02, 2026
After Zack Snyder kickstarted his Snyderverse with Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel, fans witnessed two iconic DC characters, Batman and Superman going against one another in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Believe it or not, it’s been 8 years since its release, making the movie more special with fans of live-action and comics alike.
To commemorate the eighth anniversary of Snyder’s cinematic spectacle, an X account has shared the movie’s concept art. It shows an interesting take on the main trio, particularly Gotham’s Caped Crusader.
Early Concept Art of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Shows Batman With Machine Gun
It’s finally been 8 years after the release of the iconic Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice featuring a face-off between the titular characters. To celebrate the cinematic project’s 8-year release, HeroesUnbound shared the concept art for the film on its X account.
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The X account also revealed that the film concept art “was all sourced from the artists’ websites and Art Station pages.”
Sharing a thread of several art pieces, one particular piece featured a picture of the DC Trinity featuring Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. However, what made the art more intriguing is the fact that Batman is drawn, holding a machine gun, in his hands.
Check out the art here.
BATMAN V SUPERMAN was released 8 years ago today. Zack Snyder’s superhero epic was a visual feast, but the concept art for the film is even more incredible. Here's a collection of the coolest unseen stuff.
THREAD 🧵 1/25
— Heroes Unbound (@HeroesUnbound) March 25, 2024
The tweet about the movie release and its early concept art is met with mixed to positive responses from fans, who expressed their nostalgia and wonder at how much time has passed since then.
Check out the fans’ tweets here.
Ain't no way this came out 8 years ago I am crying now
— miz (@ItzCorgo) March 25, 2024
BvS it's a Masterpiece.
— xmoraisms (@xmoraisms) March 25, 2024
"Coolest unseen stuff"
And the first one batman is holding Ak-47
Okay😭— R∆LU☆ (@Ralsss7) March 25, 2024
I so wish they'd have continued that storyline. It was epic
— Peter Mayhew (@mayhewp) March 26, 2024
SUGGESTEDMy love for this film knows no bounds
— Mark Ward (@kramg2104) March 26, 2024
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Batman with an M60 hits different
— Spencer O'Neil (@my78malibu83) March 25, 2024
This was Man of Steel 2. It was a phenomenal sequel to it. Still one of the greatest and most unique super hero movies that's going to stand the test of time.
— EvG (@evGhosthound) March 26, 2024
While the movie is a masterpiece in many fans’ eyes, there is a faction who were unhappy with what Snyder did to Batman. Ben Affleck, who made his debut with the Dark Knight role in the 2016 movie, was seen taking a gritty turn, which left many in fury but the director defended his take on the same.
Zack Snyder Commented on Making Batman Gritty in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
The film director broke DC’s oldest rule when it came to portraying the Caped Crusader in Henry Cavill‘s movie. Turning the Gotham superhero into a murderous vigilante was incredibly gritty, which met with harsh criticism from fans.
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As many believed that no killing policy for Batman was canon, Snyder addressed the issue during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience.
He shared,
“’I’m like, ‘Okay, the first thing I want to do when you say that is I want to see what happens.’ And they go like, ‘Well, don’t put him in a situation where he has to kill someone.’”
Zack Snyder added,
“I’m like, ‘Well that’s just like you’re protecting your god in a weird way, right? You’re making your God irrelevant if he can’t be in that situation. He has to now deal with that. If he does do that what does that mean? What does it tell you? Does he stand up to it? Can he survive that, right, as a god, as your god. Can Batman survive that?”
He further revealed that he took inspiration from Frank Miller’s seminal The Dark Knight Returns to deconstruct the no-kill policy for the Gotham superhero, even though the character has not killed anyone in the story that comes later. While the director is passionate about his art, his gritty portrayal among other elements of the movie contributed to its mixed critical reception.
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is streaming on Max.
