Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is awash with rave reviews from audiences and critics. The film also breaks records at the box office! Many fans are analyze character arcs and comparing it with a movie from the other universe – DC’s Batman vs Superman (BvS). Many Twitter users think there’s one particular scene that Black Panther 2 did better than BvS, and yes it’s the infamous Martha scene. Want to know how Black Panther 2 succeeded while Batman vs Superman failed? Read on then!
The Batman versus Superman scene
The “Martha” scene in Batman vs Superman
DC’s Batman vs Superman was released in 2016 to much fanfare. But it failed to impress critics and audiences. One of his most reviled scenes is when Batman is about to impale Superman with his kryptonite spear. But he stops because Superman says, “Save Martha.”
Martha’s name resonates strongly with Batman since it was also his mother’s name, and he angrily replies, “Why did you say that name!” A few seconds later, the two heroes are friends and they even forget why they were fighting.
batman versus superman
The scene has been endlessly memorized and mocked for years because of its stupidity. Many users have pointed out that it’s unlikely Batman has ever met a woman called Martha or even a mother named as such.
Others said it was weird that Superman called his mother by name. Whatever the reason, many agreed it was a bad scene, made worse because every conflict between them magically disappears after that and they team up to defeat Lex Luthor and Doomsday.
How Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Improved On The “Martha” Stage
Namor
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever did this BvS scene better. The purpose of the ‘Martha’ scene in BvS was basically two things. One was to establish that Superman and Batman were similar and two, to humanize Superman in Batman’s eyes. But the movie started to establish it in a haphazard way that didn’t convey either of the two things to the audience. Now Black Panther 2 did a different thing from BvS that made it come out on top.
Just like BvS, in the final fight, Shuri and Namor were both fighting in an all-out battle. In the end, Shuri nailed Namor under her own spear. It seems to be a direct parallel with the BvS scene. But neither Namor nor Shuri say anything. Instead of spoken words, we get visual flashbacks and montages. And that’s where Black Panther 2 won.
shuri
We are shown the parallels between the two characters. We see the love Fen and Ramonda had for their respective children and how it was their loss that made them vengeful. Shuri realizes that she and Namor are the same and walk the same path. And she decides she won’t let revenge consume her. So she spares him and this act makes them allies.
It’s an improvement over the DC movie because the scene clarified its intentions and was a great way to tie the threads of the movie together. He inspired empathy in the public while that of BvS made everyone laugh.
What do you think of this parallel? Let us know.
