Was Jena Malone in 'Batman v Superman' After All?
Presumed cut from the theatrical release, 'Dawn of Justice' may have snuck in a brief moment of the actress's mysterious role.
Fans were bummed when it was announced actress Jena Malone, who had a “mysterious” role (rumored to be Barbara Gordon, a.k.a. Batgirl) in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was cut from the theatrical release. But maybe she wasn’t. Not entirely.
Upon seeing the film for the second time, I noticed during the “Knightmare” sequence a red-haired/blonde-ish woman who fights with Batman against Superman’s army and Darkseid’s Parademons. Blink and you’ll miss it, but at one point Batman drags a young woman trying to help her stand. Her face is obscured by goggles, but she looks remarkably similar to Jena Malone, down to her haircut like in Zack Snyder’s 2011 movie Sucker Punch.
Beyond a haircut, her character is dressed differently than Batman’s other soldiers, in the way a costume designer would make her stand out intentionally. Perhaps she had a few lines. Because the film is still in theaters it’s impossible to provide proof and it isn’t in any of the trailers, but I’m not the only one who thinks they noticed her. Several Redditors also think they spotted Malone.
Plagued with pacing issues and plot holes, Dawn of Justice feels as if so much was left on the cutting room floor. Indeed, over thirty minutes that were removed was deemed worthy of inclusion in an R-rated version of the film to be released on Blu-ray and DVD. We’ll know then who Jena Malone portrays and how significant her role is/was, and hopefully we’ll also know if Dawn of Justice ever resembled a good movie.
Ben Affleck in Dawn of Justice plays a veteran, older Batman with a 20-year career as a crimefighter under his utility belt. In that time he’s no doubt trained a few of his best-known allies; Robin seems to be dead in this universe), so it’s not a stretch to think he’s had time to train Batgirl, too. It’s just a shame she couldn’t play a real role in the film.
