Since Scoot McNairy joined Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (opens in new tab) his involvement has been the topic of much discussion. The Monsters actor has featured in many set photos and can be briefly spotted in the trailer, but we’ve no idea who exactly he’s playing – or do we?
When set photos of McNairy in neon green socks (hinting his legs would be CGI’d) appeared online, the rumors started flying thick and fast that he’d be playing either The Flash (opens in new tab) or Metallo. And more recent talk even linked him to the part of Jimmy Olsen; bitter towards his former pal Superman after the Man Of Steel final battle left him injured and in a wheelchair. Well, as it turns out, a new report from Latino Review (opens in new tab) suggests it’s none of the above:
“McNairy’s wheelchair-bound character will be brought in to testify against Superman to the US Senate, but also becomes a victim of Lex Luthor’s campaign against the Man of Steel. One of Luthor’s schemes in the movie involves turning McNairy’s character into a human bomb of sorts, radicalizing him, in an attempt to get him close to Superman and to hurt him.”
If you take a careful look at the trailers, you can spot McNairy looking up at the Battle of Metropolia memorial and in a courtroom during the Senate hearing. What’s puzzling is why Lex Luthor targets him to instigate an attack on Superman. Surely if he’s the affluent businessman sighted in the trailers – with more money than sense – can’t he get revenge on Superman without resorting to making human bombs? Won’t that make the citizens of Metropolis also detest him? Whatever Luthor’s dastardly plan is, it’s a relief that McNairy is not playing Olsen, as this frees up the character for future appearances in DC’s Cinematic Universe.
Directed by Zack Snyder and starring Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Diane Lane, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Laurence Fishburne and Amy Adams, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will arrive in UK and US cinemas on March 25, 2016.
Images: Warner Bros