Earlier today I tweeted basically "No Shit." when multiple sites took way too seriously Henry Cavill's recent statements to MTV about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. While at CinemaCon the actor said he doesn't consider it to be a true sequel to Man of Steel, but as something separate altogether...
“I wouldn’t call this a ['Man of Steel'] sequel. This is Batman versus Superman. It’s a separate entity altogether. It’s introducing the Batman character and expanding upon the universe, which was kicked off by ’Man of Steel."
Maybe I'm in the minority, but I never saw it as a sequel anyway. Sure, it has many of the same characters and springboards from Man of Steel's events, but we could same the same about many of Marvel's films. Avengers: Age of Ultron doesn't happen without the events of Iron Man 3 or Captain America: The Winter Soldier, for instance, and they advance the storylines of the same characters. He elaborates...
“Everything could change in the editing room, but as it stands, it’s an introduction of the character, and ultimately, the introduction of Justice League."
And that is how I always looked at it, as a standalone effort outside of Superman and Batman's solo films. All one really needed to do was look at the marketing of the film, which has leaned heavily in favor of Batman. His name is even at the head of the marquee. In the end I guess it's all just interpretation and semantics, but Cavill isn't wrong.
