Earlier than expected, Warner Bros and DC Comics have whet the appetites of fans around the world with the release of the first teaser for 2016’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Set as the second film of the DC Comics Cinematic Universe, following 2013’s Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman’s teaser was originally linked in the wee hours of Friday morning. An off-the-screen, cellphone-filmed capture subtitled in Portuguese, the bootlegged trailer gained millions of views well in advance of the official release (originally set for Monday, April 20). As of Friday evening, they’ve given us a proper, HD release, and unfortunately, the outlook is not so great.

www.youtube.com/watch

After watching the bootlegged trailer on Friday morning, my feelings about the film were not so great. Seemingly responding to the criticisms of Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman appears to mix elements of The Dark Knight Returns, pitting a grizzled Batman against Superman. The reasoning? How reckless and destructive Superman was in the Battle of Metropolis.

While a smart way to directly address vocal fans who disliked how Man of Steel handled Superman (and a great way to add Batman, and Lex Luthor to the mythos), I can’t help but feel a crushing level of darkness from this teaser. And I’m not sure that’s the tone you should set for Superman.

The Nolan Batman films did a fantastic job of balancing realistic elements with a dark edge, while delivering exciting superhero adventures. What we see in this teaser feels like the worst lessons were learned from those films.

Not all here is bad, of course. Ben Affleck’s Batman looks great - and I could get into the voice modulation (safe money is that being due to the armored suit). The first indication of Jeremy Irons’ Alfred, via a voice-over sounds good. I’m just not sure I’m all that into Superman as “Alien Jesus", a misunderstood miracle worker.

Let the records show - I was a big fan of Man of Steel - but this brief glimpse of what Batman v. Superman is aiming to be isn’t building me confidence in the DC Cinematic Universe. That said, there’s a long road until March, and as Ant-Man showed us on Monday - a bad teaser can be overcome.

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters on March 25, 2016.