Ben Affleck Is Batman for Man of Steel Sequel (dir. Zack Snyder)

[3_Octave_Fart]

You can't just write something into Superman that he has been stridently against for 75 years of characterization, so it will tie a bow on a bad movie.

 

[outofplace]

Under the circumstances of the movie Superman would have been an idiot not to kill Zod.

Zod had expressed his intention -- in fact, more like a genetically-imposed imperative -- to kill most if not all of the inhabitants of Earth. It appeared unlikely Kal-El would be physically able to stop him before he killed many thousands if not millions more humans.

The physical battle they had already fought in Metropolis had resulted in hundreds of thousands of casaulties. Zod obviously had no interest or intention in allowing Kal-El to move the fight to a less-inhabited area. Returning him to the Phantom Zone was apparently not an option.

With all that in mind killing Zod was not just an acceptable option, it was the ONLY acceptable option.

I was shocked when I heard the spoiler and when I saw it on screen, because "Superman. Does. Not. Kill.," but having re-watched it over a few more times I have swung completely over to the opinion:

Some people just need killin.'

If I remember correctly, Superman did kill Zod (or some version of Zod) in the comics. It's tough to keep it straight given how often DC reboots everything.

I had no problem with Superman killing when he absolutely had to. My problem is they didn't earn that moment. They relied on people to know Superman doesn't kill from seeing the other movies or reading the comics. They did not establish that in the movie. They did not establish how terrible a choice that would be for him.

 

[3_Octave_Fart]

I cannot suspend disbelief when I see Superman taking a life.
Even if Zod did pose a grave threat to the future of the planet.

 

[outofplace]

I cannot suspend disbelief when I see Superman taking a life.
Even if Zod did pose a grave threat to the future of the planet.

What did you think happened to Zod, Ursa and Non in Superman II?

 

[3_Octave_Fart]

He disempowers them.
By force of cunning.
That's Superman.

 

[JayFarrar]

I cannot suspend disbelief when I see Superman taking a life.
Even if Zod did pose a grave threat to the future of the planet.

What did you think happened to Zod, Ursa and Non in Superman II?

I learned from this board that a deleted scene from the movie shows Superman fishing them out of the water and tAking them to The Hague for trial.

Assuming Starman is telling the truth.

 

[outofplace]

I cannot suspend disbelief when I see Superman taking a life.
Even if Zod did pose a grave threat to the future of the planet.

What did you think happened to Zod, Ursa and Non in Superman II?

I learned from this board that a deleted scene from the movie shows Superman fishing them out of the water and tAking them to The Hague for trial.

Assuming Starman is telling the truth.

I remember that, too, but that certainly isn't how most people saw the scene at the time.

Yes, Superman takes their powers away by outsmarting them. At that point they are just unarmed human beings. The way I see it, Superman then proceeded to kill Zod by tossing him into a deep chasm. He allows Non to plunge to a similar end, then watches as Lois sends Ursa into a deadly plunge. In the movie as we all saw it, Superman most definitely kills.

 

[JayFarrar]

I cannot suspend disbelief when I see Superman taking a life.
Even if Zod did pose a grave threat to the future of the planet.

What did you think happened to Zod, Ursa and Non in Superman II?

I learned from this board that a deleted scene from the movie shows Superman fishing them out of the water and tAking them to The Hague for trial.

Assuming Starman is telling the truth.

I remember that, too, but that certainly isn't how most people saw the scene at the time.

Yes, Superman takes their powers away by outsmarting them. At that point they are just unarmed human beings. The way I see it, Superman then proceeded to kill Zod by tossing him into a deep chasm. He allows Non to plunge to a similar end, then watches as Lois sends Ursa into a deadly plunge. In the movie as we all saw it, Superman most definitely kills.

Oh, I totally remember thinking the same thing. Superman kills or lets them all die.

The more I think about it, the more I'm not bothered by the end of Man of Steel.

 

[outofplace]

I cannot suspend disbelief when I see Superman taking a life.
Even if Zod did pose a grave threat to the future of the planet.

What did you think happened to Zod, Ursa and Non in Superman II?

I learned from this board that a deleted scene from the movie shows Superman fishing them out of the water and tAking them to The Hague for trial.

Assuming Starman is telling the truth.

I remember that, too, but that certainly isn't how most people saw the scene at the time.

Yes, Superman takes their powers away by outsmarting them. At that point they are just unarmed human beings. The way I see it, Superman then proceeded to kill Zod by tossing him into a deep chasm. He allows Non to plunge to a similar end, then watches as Lois sends Ursa into a deadly plunge. In the movie as we all saw it, Superman most definitely kills.

Oh, I totally remember thinking the same thing. Superman kills or lets them all die.

The more I think about it, the more I'm not bothered by the end of Man of Steel.

It never bothered me that he killed Zod and I thought they played the reaction well. I have read that the fallout is expected to be part of the next movie, which is also a good thing.

As I've said, what really bothered me is they needed to do a better job establishing how difficult it would be for Superman to kill someone. Not other versions of the character. This one. They needed to earn that moment.