Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a 2016 American superhero film based on the DC Comics characters Batman and Superman. Directed by Zack Snyder and written by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer, it is a follow-up to Man of Steel (2013) and the second film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film stars Ben Affleck as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman, alongside an ensemble cast including Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, and Gal Gadot. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is the first live-action film to feature Batman and Superman together, as well as the first live-action cinematic portrayal of Wonder Woman. In the film, criminal mastermind Lex Luthor manipulates Batman into a preemptive battle with Superman, who Luthor is obsessed with destroying.

The film was announced at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con after the release of Man of Steel. Snyder stated that the film would take inspiration from the Batman comic book series The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller but clarified that it would follow an original premise. The incarnation of Batman in the film is different from the character's previous portrayal by Christian Bale in The Dark Knight trilogy, serving as a cinematic reboot of the character. The film is also inspired by narrative elements from the Superman comic book series The Death of Superman. Pre-production began at East Los Angeles College in October 2013, and principal photography started in May 2014 in Detroit. Additional filming also took place in Illinois and New Mexico, concluding that December.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice premiered at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City on March 19, 2016, and was released in the United States on March 25. Following a strong debut that set new box office records, the film experienced a historic drop in its second weekend and never recovered. Although it grossed $874.4 million worldwide, making it the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2016 and earning a profit – net of all expenses – of $105.7 million, it performed below expectations of some analysts and received "mixed or average reviews" from critics. A director's cut, dubbed the "Ultimate Edition", features 31 minutes of additional footage and was released to home media formats later in 2016. A follow-up, titled Justice League, was released on November 17, 2017.

In a flashback to his childhood, Bruce Wayne runs from his parents' funeral. He falls into a cave, where a circling vortex of bats elevates him back to the surface. In the present, eighteen months after his cataclysmic battle with General Zod in Metropolis, Superman has become a controversial figure. Bruce is now a billionaire who has operated in Gotham City as the masked vigilante Batman for twenty years. Having witnessed the battle in person, he sees Superman as an existential threat to humanity.

Clark Kent, Superman's civilian identity, seeks to condemn Batman's form of justice in Daily Planet articles. Bruce learns that Russian weapon trafficker Anatoli Knyazev has been contacting LexCorp mogul Lex Luthor. Luthor attempts to persuade US Senator June Finch to allow him to import kryptonite discovered in the aftermath of Zod's terraforming attempt, so that it can be used as a deterrent against future Kryptonian threats. She declines, but Luthor makes alternative plans with Finch's subordinate, who grants him access to Zod's corpse and the Kryptonian scout ship.

Bruce attends a gala at LexCorp to steal encrypted data from the company's mainframe, but antiquities dealer Diana Prince steals it first; she later returns it to Bruce. While decrypting the drive, Bruce dreams of a postapocalyptic world where he leads rebels against an evil Superman. He is awakened by an unidentified person, appearing through a portal, who tells him that Lois Lane is "the key" and urges him to find "the others" before vanishing. The decrypted drive reveals Luthor's files on several metahumans across the globe. One is Diana, who appears in a photo from World War I. Bruce contemplates weaponizing the kryptonite to go to war with Superman.

A widely publicized congressional hearing, being held at the US Capitol, led by Finch, is held to question Superman's actions against Zod. A bomb smuggled in by Luthor detonates, killing everyone present except Superman. Superman blames himself for not detecting it in time and self-imposes exile. In response, Batman breaks into LexCorp and steals the kryptonite. He builds a powered exoskeleton, a kryptonite grenade launcher, and a kryptonite-tipped spear. Meanwhile, Luthor enters the Kryptonian ship and accesses its vast database of technology.

Luthor lures Superman out of exile by kidnapping Martha Kent, Clark's adoptive mother, and Lois, who he pushes off the LexCorp building. Superman saves Lois and confronts Luthor, who reveals that the distrust between Batman and Superman was manipulated. Luthor demands that he kill Batman in exchange for Martha's life. Superman tries to explain this to Batman, who instead attacks and eventually subdues him using a kryptonite gas. As Batman prepares to deal the final blow using the spear, Superman pleads with him to "save Martha" – the same name as Batman's mother. Batman hesitates in confusion, as Lois arrives and explains what Superman meant. Coming to his senses, Batman locates and rescues Martha.