In the early 2010s, Zack Snyder was in charge of dusting off the Superman mythos. Seven years after Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, Warner Bros Studios and DC were eager to refresh the Superman story. So they entrusted the reboot to Zack Snyder, who proved himself on the incredible Watchmen: Guardians. The filmmaker hired Henry Cavill in the title role and offered Man of Steel, a solid retelling of the character.
The cast includes Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Michael Shannon as General Zod, Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent and Russell Crowe as Jor-El. But Man of Steel is above all the basis of the DC Extended Universe. A DC connected universe that follows the pattern of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And in the end, Man of Steel turned out to be a pretty solid entry. The film met with mostly positive reviews and grossed over $668 million at the box office.
The character of Superman has a golden rule of not killing his enemies in the comics. But leaving Zod alive would have effectively taken the film into the cop/gangster genre, with Superman in the role of the super cop. Zack Snyder’s willingness to not make concessions is to his credit. The ending of Man of Steel is a risk-taking move, especially in the superheroic universe, which loves to constantly bring back villains for possible sequels.
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