As Robo pointed out when the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice teaser trailer leaked last week, everybody’s favorite astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson provides one of its many sound bites. So of course Jon Stewart asked him about it when he stopped by on Thursday night’s The Daily Show.
Stewart’s conundrum was this — how could Batman, a mere human being, possibly be a match for the “Man of Steel”? Instead of answering the host’s who-would-win-in-a-fight question, Tyson did something better. He explained the main drive behind the film’s plot:
Tyson: Who does Batman report to? The mayor…
Stewart: Commissioner Gordon.
Tyson: The police commissioner, and ultimately the mayor. Who does Superman report to?
Stewart: The guy in the ice castle.
Tyson: Right. It’s no one we know. It’s no one we have any insight into. He just behaves in whatever way he wants. So at the end of the day, what might matter is the public reception of the superhero’s conduct. If Batman executes our wishes in the city and Superman does what the hell he wants, that’s a conflict.
Wait, is Stewart interviewing the host of StarTalk or the real-life Lex Luthor? Don’t get me wrong — I love me some Tyson. But I’ll be damned if I haven’t heard a better argument* against the very nature of Kal-El himself.
*Man of Steel notwithstanding.
(Via Comedy Central)
