Both sides of the Man of Steel Argument

I was going to start this post by warning those who have not seen the movie to not read, but forget it.  If you haven’t seen Man of Steell by now, well too bad.  ENJOY!

So back in 2013, Warner Brothers released the latest addition to the Superman franchise and the first step into creating a shared universe for their DC Comics Cinematics Universe (henceforth known as the DCCCU).  It was met with mostly mixed reviews (but strong box office numbers), as director Zack Snyder made some origin and character changes that fans freaked out over.  Today I bring you both sides to that argument.  In BOLD is the main argument against the movie, then the ITALICS is the argument for the movie, and finally there’s my two cents on why fans like me are “outraged” over the changes Snyder made. **As part of the argument for Man of Steel I used pieces of an article previously posted on comicbook.com by Dennis Upkins. Entitled In Defense of Man of Steel.  You can view the article in it's entirety here.

1.) This Superman Destroyed An American City!

Clark isn't guilty of destroying much of Metropolis. He is guilty of stopping Zod's forces from destroying the entire planet.

Supes may be in fact defending a city against an alien invasion, but he does not at any point take a look around and seem to notice or care about this city he's helping to destroy!  Fans of Superman are used to him loving Metropolis and especially Smallville, and yet he seems to have no regard for the lives he’s endangering or the buildings he’s destroying.  He’s lived most of his life in his hometown in Kansas, and yet meets Zod’s henchmen face to face on Main Street Smallville.  It looks like a showdown in a western for crying out loud!  I mean, it looks awesome, as all of the explosions and action does in the movie; but by the end of the movie everyone is like, “alright already”.
As inexperienced with his power set as he is, Superman still is far more aware of his abilities than Zod.  He admits to being 33 years old in this movie, and we see that his powers started to manifest when he was a little kid; so wouldn't that mean that he's had 25 plus years of experience in mastering those powers?  Admittedly, he only realized his full potential as an adult, but I would think that this fact would only make him MORE aware of how capable he is of such devastating damage.

2.) This Superman Was Reckless!

Inexperienced, no question. But also heroic. With no formal training and little knowledge of his powers and origins, Clark was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice if necessary to protect Earth while being targeted by the U.S. government and Zod alike.

I'll give you the heroic part; yes, he saved some lives, but he most absolutely WAS RECKLESS!!!  Every move Superman makes in his fight with Zod and the other Kryptonians put humans in danger.  EVERY MOVE!  He never planned on taking the fight elsewhere, he never HAD a plan!  The very definition of reckless!

3) They Made This Superman A Murderer!

Regarding Zod’s death, what else was Clark supposed to do? Clark had him in a full nelson while pleading for Zod to stop the bloodshed. All the while, Zod was still trying to use his heat vision to murder innocent people while vowing to make it his mission to destroy Clark and his adopted planet.
Zod had already been imprisoned to be rehabilitated. That didn’t take. Even as Clark begged him to stop, Zod vowed he would keep coming and keep plotting to destroy the Earth.
Additionally, Superman has killed previously in the comics. It’s very rare and only as an absolute last resort when every other possible option has been exhausted as was the case in Man of Steel. Murder is usually premeditated and avoidable.

I actually agree with this one.  Superman really did not have much choice.  Taking into account his inexperience, and what he was facing at the moment.  Killing Zod was the right thing to do here.  It also helps develop his character.  He obviously had a problem with it, and I believe that decision will be a factor in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Even though I agree with this point, Superman has always portrayed himself as above killing.  He HAS killed before (in the comics) but he has always been presented as the Boy Scout, the ultimate good guy, and the guy who always does what's best for everyone else.

4) This Superman Movie Is Too Dark!

On this charge, agreed. However, in this case Snyder, DC/Warner and the other Man of Steel shot callers are not to blame. If anything, they're guilty of trying to meet public demand.
For years the general public and a good portion of fandom alike have complained about Superman being too boring and too much of a boy scout and isn't "cool" like Batman.
In fact, more edge and more action were the charges against Superman Returns.
Now many of the same critics have attacked Man of Steel for being too dark and this Superman crosses the line. We got the do-gooder in Superman Returns and the masses complained endlessly.  Man of Steel was the attempt to address that. Whether or not the film succeeded is certainly open to debate. So to the general public who wanted "an edgier and cooler" Superman film, you got it.

Yes, we did want a darker Superman.  The younger audience members and even fans of the character wanted to see something more than the boy scout persona.  Personally, the number 1 thing I wanted out of Man of Steel was to see Superman punch someone.  And I got it.  Boy did I get it.  Basically the entire 2nd half of the movie is Superman punching someone or something.  Visually, it looked awesome and was exactly what I wanted.  But there was something else about this version of the Last Son of Krypton that didn't sit right.  Zach Snyder shot this movie to give it a dark and gritty feel, and in the process sucked the color and the life out of this new world.  When I was a kid, and even to this day, I loved the whole aspect of Superman with the symbolic "S" along with the red, blue and yellow soaring through the sky to fight for Truth, Justice, and the American Way.  Zack Snyder took all of that away to give us a more "realistic" feel.

There is a line in the movie that sticks out like a sore thumb to me.

Lois Lane: What's the 'S' stand for?
Superman: It's not an 'S.' On my world it means 'hope.

This is the first and LAST time this is mentioned.  There is nothing in the rest of the movie that would make the people of Earth believe that Superman stood for “hope”.  He just helps to destroy nearly everything he touches.
Gone is also any kind of good nature, the movie is nearly devoid of any sense of humor.  I know that Zack Snyder and Warner Brothers are trying for an obvious difference from the Marvel movies, but come on...no joking around?  Ok, yes it doesn't really fit the character, but even the characters written to alleviate some of the tension with humor weren't funny.  It IS a comic book movie; we could all do with a little more laughter in our lives.
AND you cannot argue that because of Superman Returns, we got these creative choices in Man of Steel!  Superman Returns was AWFUL, plain and simple.  It paid homage to the Christopher Reeve run of the franchise, but did not promote the character nor create a want for another Superman movie.  This is why we have 7 years in between films.

My conclusion is this.  I actually really enjoyed Man of Steel.  Yes I had a lot of problems with it, and each time I watch it I find more things that make me go "hmmm".
Why argue against the movie though?
Well, because I am such an enormous fan of the character, there are certain aspects of this character that I hold dear.  I (along with most fans) grew up with Superman, and to see such changes made to this icon causes a visceral reaction.
It also makes me weary of future movies inside the DCCCU.  Batman v. Superman will be historic and probably break some attendance records, but from what we’ve seen in Man of Steel, the quality of BvS is highly in doubt.
However, I am interested in each artist’s interpretation of Superman, and I look forward to the universe that Zack Snyder is building.  This movie was flawed, but no movie is perfect.  Well except for Marvel’s The Avengers.  When the helicarrier lifts out of the water, I literally yelled, “HAHA, IT’S PERFECT AND GLORIOUS!”