DC Comics has some of the most well known superheroes in comic history: Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman to name a few. Despite this, their presence in live action films has dimmed with the advent of Marvel comics assuming control of their franchises. Marvel has managed to corner the market in live action adaptations of their characters starting with the Iron Man films, mostly because they have managed to produce a contained universe in which story lines relate to each other and  we get to know the characters. DC has had mixed success, in part because most of their characters have appeared in stand alone films with no cohesion amongst them.

Batman vs Superman marks the first time the two heroes have appeared in a live action film together. It is the beginning of a concerted effort by DC to cultivate their brand. So far it is working, and the film has managed to gross enough money to date to become the fourth biggest global opening of a film in history (Variety). This is just the beginning of the DC film juggernaut. Check out this list for upcoming movies. 

The story in the film does not come from any particular comic but there were some that provided inspiration. Read some of the following to brush up on your hero knowledge.

Batman/Superman/Wonderwoman: Trinity
When Batman's greatest nemesis, Ra's al Ghul, recruits Bizarro and an Amazon warrior to aid him in his plan to create global chaos, the Dark Knight Detective suddenly finds himself working with the Man of Steel and the Amazon Princess. Looking to thwart the madman's plot to simultaneously destroy all satellite communications as well as all of the world's oil reserves, Earth's greatest heroes reluctantly band together. But if Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are to have any hope of stopping Ra's's nuclear missile assault, they will first need to overcome their own biases and reconcile their differing philosophies.

The Death of Superman
When a hulking monster emerges from an underground resting place and begins a mindless rampage, the Justice League is quickly called in to stop the colossal force of nature. But it soon becomes apparent that only the Man of Steel can stand against the monstrosity that has been nicknamed Doomsday. Battling their way throughout America, the two fight to a standstill as they reach the heart of Metropolis. Will Superman have to pay the ultimate price to defeat this seemingly unstoppable creature.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Together with inker Klaus Janson and colorist Lynn Varley, writer/artist Frank Miller completely reinvents the legend of Batman in his saga of a near-future Gotham City gone to rot, ten years after the Dark Knight's retirement. This masterpiece of modern comics storytelling, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, brings to vivid life a dark world and an even darker man. The Dark Knight returns in a blaze of fury, taking on a whole new generation of criminals and matching their level of violence. He is soon joined by a new Robin--a girl named Carrie Kelley, who proves to be just as invaluable as her predecessors. But can Batman and Robin deal with the threat posed by their deadliest enemies, after years of incarceration have made them into perfect psychopaths?And more important, can anyone survive the coming fallout from an undeclared war between the superpowers—or the clash of what were once the world's greatest heroes?

Batman vs Superman: The Greatest Battles
The two most popular super-heroes of all time aren't always on the same side. Witness the battles through the ages when the Earth shook from the blows of these titans—Batman and Superman!

Superman: Doomed
Its name is Doomsday. It came from the Phantom Zone, where the Man of Steel had banished it once before. Bigger. Deadlier. Capable of killing life on Earth. Only Superman can stop it. But even that is not the end. Evil is in its blood. And when that blood is spilled, the innocent will fall—and Superman himself will discover the monster within. The Last Son of Krypton may become a destroyer of worlds himself, leaving the Earth without its greatest protector. Superman and his allies each must make a choice. If they unleash the monster, will they lose the man? Is this Earth's last shot at salvation, or are Superman and everyone he cares about…

Batman/Superman
The Dark Knight and the Man of Steel are close friends in the modern day—but the two weren't always such close allies. Discover how two of the World's Finest Super Heroes met for the first time in the New 52, and the mysterious adventure that takes them to a whole new world—the world of Earth 2!

Justice League
In a world where inexperienced superheroes operate under a cloud of suspicion from the public, loner vigilante Batman has stumbled upon a dark evil that threatens to destroy the earth as we know it. Now, faced with a threat far beyond anything he can handle on his own, the Dark Knight must trust an alien, a scarlet speedster, an accidental teenage hero, a space cop, an Amazon Princess and an undersea monarch. Will this combination of Superman, The Flash, Cyborg, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Aquaman be able to put aside their differences and come together to save the world? Or will they destroy each other first?

Wonder Woman
Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, has kept a secret from her daughter all her life—and when Wonder Woman learns who her father is, her life will shatter like brittle clay. The only one more shocked than Diana by this revelation? Bloodthirsty Hera–so why is her sinister daughter, Strife, so eager for the truth to be told?