Batman v Superman: Retelling of the Infamous Martha scene

Why Did You Say That Name

After a long but brutal battle between the Son of Krypton versus the Bat of Gotham, the Dark Knight had emerged victorious.

Taking the Kryptonite spear in hand, advancing towards the fallen Kryptonian, unsheathing it the closer he got to a weakened Superman just as Lois had arrived at the abandoned GCPD building.

He towers over Superman, turning the weakened man on his back, his face towards the spear just as Batman placed his foot on his throat, having him at his mercy.

"You were never a god, you were never even a /man/."

He says with his voice distorted by the modulator, remembering his promise to make the god bleed.

The glowing green Kryptonite spear slit away at Superman's face, as Batman raised his arm to prepare for the killing blow, but something stops him. Or someone.

Diana, in her armor as Wonder Woman, had arrived on the scene after hearing of rumors of Batman branding and killing people after the Black Zero event, shocked and horrified to see the man in front of her about to murder another, who was worried for his mother.

"You're letting him... kill Martha.."

Superman says in a cracked, choked voice, appealing to Bruce's humanity.

This caused the Dark Knight to stop momentarily, confused at what just happened.

"What does that mean? Why did you say that name?"

He demanded questioningly.

"Find.. him... save, Martha.."

"What are you doing!?"
Diana says, shocked that Bruce has gone this far to nearly taking a life.

Realizing he is not alone, Batman brushes off Diana's concerns and worries brotisquely, his back turned towards her, as if trying to justify his actions.

"Stay out of this, Diana."

"Bruce, no. Is this what your parents would want? Is fighting criminals for nothing? This isn't like you! Your pain isnt going to die off like this, it festers. If you cross that line now, you lose sight of who you once were."

Diana said firmly, while simultaneously trying to get through to the Dark Knight and make him come to his senses.

"You're blinded by your hatred and rage, Bruce. Every night you run off to find another face, and another, and another.. until you wake up one terrible morning to fully realize, that revenge and hate have become your whole life. And you won't know why."

She says to him, imploring him to think carefully before making a choice he would surely come to regret terribly.

And at that moment, Bruce froze, shell shocked that a mere alien and a warrior princess is trying to appeal to his humanity, slightly shedding a tear at how he couldn't save his parents, especially his mother as he began experiencing flashbacks to the graves of his parents, the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne in Crime Alley, the sound of his mother's body falling in failure to stop the mugger from firing the gun, the pearls falling off.

As the last bit of life in Martha Wayne fades, Bruce's father, Thomas says the last word: "Martha..."

Bruce yet again experiences another flashback, to him looking at the vandalized Robin suit that said "HA-HA! THE JOKE'S ON YOU, BATMAN!"

'How many good guys are left? How many stayed that way?'

'That's how it starts, sir, the fever, the rage, the feeling of powerlessness that turns good men cruel.'

A brief flashback the night prior before Bruce suited up as Batman to steal the Kryptonite before Superman stopped him flashed as Bruce remained still, another of the Black Zero event when he comforted a girl that lost her mother during the destructive fight between Superman and Zod 2 years beforehand.

Before the Amazon princess could say a single word out, Batman started to have an outburst, a sign of post traumatic stress disorder.

"WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME!?"
He yells to Superman, confused and enraged, demanding to know why he said the name.

Superman knew he was dead already, and Diana was shell shocked herself at Bruce's raging outburst at the mention of the name Martha. The look Superman had gave away what he means nonverbally: 'I don't care, just save my mom'.

Batman had endured a lot over 20 years, and the night his parents were murdered still haunts him to this day.

As the Dark Knight demands for the Kryptonian at his mercy as to why did he mention the name that his mother had, until Lois shows up, imploring for him to stop, saying that the name also belonged to Superman's mother.

His human mother.

Lois, the intrepid reporter herself, reveals to Batman that Lex has been manipulating him and Superman to fight each other to distract them from what he really is up to the entire time, revealing that Lex is doing something that's very unethical and dangerous.

'Why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.' The voice of his late father spoke in his ear just as Bruce began snapping out of his rage, realizing that he was about to murder a man that's just worried for his mother, becoming the very thing he fought against after being blinded by rage and hatred for this long. Until today.

'What have I done?'

Coming to his senses, Batman steps off of Superman, releasing his hold on him and stepping off of the Man of Steel, realizing he was used as a pawn in Lex's vendetta against the Kryptonian, horrified and ashamed at the monster he had almost become, threw away the spear angrily in disgust.