Rumor: Scoot McNairy Is Not Playing Who You Think He's Playing In 'Batman V Superman'
Just who is Scoot McNairy playing in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice?
It's a question that has been asked in our headlines on more than a few occasions, but every query has been met with silence by Warner Bros. Because of the secrecy, and because McNairy was spotted on set wearing bright green stockings that would allow visual effects work to be done to his legs, fan speculation took a dive into the deep end. He's playing the Flash! He's playing Metallo! He's playing Jimmy Olsen, albeit a new, grim 'n gritty version of Jimmy Olsen who was horrifically maimed during the final battle in Man of Steel!
Now, a new report claims to know the truth and it's most definitely not what you'd expect.
Of course, this is the point where we're contractually obligated by the rules of proper movie blogging to remind you that this is a rumor, not confirmed fact, and that you should treat it with a healthy dose of skepticism. Oh, and some may consider this to be a huge story spoiler, so tread cautiously.
It seems that the Jimmy Olsen rumor was half-right. Well, at the least the "he got his legs wrecked by Metropolis debris" part. If Latino Review is to be believed, McNairy isn't playing a superhero or a super villain or even a known character from the DC comic book universe. He's just playing an average man who had a really bad day and becomes a puppet in a villainous plot against Superman:
According to our sources, McNairy's wheelchair-bound character will be brought in to testify against Superman to the U.S. 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.
You can even see him in the trailer a few times, if you look closely:
On one level, I'll admit to being ever-so-slightly bummed that an actor as interesting and watchable as McNairy isn't playing someone destined for tights and/or super powers. However, if director Zack Snyder wanted to create a character who literally symbolizes the bad taste Man of Steel's climax left in so many people's mouths, McNairy's presence showcases a certain amount of good taste. After all, no one who casts this guy in their movie is completely devoid of good ideas. If you must saddle us with this kind of meta-textual commentary, giving the heavy lifting to an actor this strong is a fine idea.
In any case, this is far more believable (and makes far more sense) than anything else we've heard so far. Batman v Superman opens on March 25, 2016.