Bruce Campbell Says 'Stupid' Batman v Superman Shouldn't Have Been Made

While Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice wasn’t a box office flop—it earned nearly $875 million worldwide—the highly anticipated team-up film between the two most popular superheroes in the DC Universe was a major disappointment for fans, diehard and casual alike.

Following Batman vs. Superman's disappointing response, plans for several other films in the DC Extended Universe were put on hold, and even Ben Affleck—the Caped Crusader himself—abandoned the role. But was the 2016 film doomed from the start? If you ask Bruce Campbell, the answer would be a resounding "yes."

Campbell, who is best known for his role as Ash in the long-running Evil Dead series, recently spoke with Gizmodo about filmmaking, and had a few things to say about the superhero genre. In particular, the actor expressed frustration at characters who can’t be killed because of their “special powers,” in comparison to his iconic character Ash, who “can be killed at any time.” He explained:

"But these guys who have this special superhero power, to me that’s Snoresville. If you don’t have kryptonite, then—Batman v Superman. Stupid, stupid, stupid concept. Never should’ve been made. Superman who can like, make the world go backwards with centrifugal force. Batman can’t do that. Superman can frickin’ fly. He’s the man of steel. All he has—one hand on Batman’s esophagus, the story is over. So they spent a lot of money kidding themselves."

Though Campbell definitely has a point, a lot of comic book fans were in fact excited about the idea of Batman and Superman facing off. It was simply the execution of the film that failed to live up to the premise's lofty expectations.

The DC Extended Universe looks to be heading in a different direction now, though. Its next movie is Margot Robbie’s Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), which is hitting theaters in 2020.