It’ll be explained and accounted for in “Batman V. Superman”

Jul 6, 2015 15:29 GMT  ·  By
Superman wrecked half of Metropolis in “Man of Steel” while trying to save it
   Superman wrecked half of Metropolis in “Man of Steel” while trying to save it

Two of the fans’ biggest gripes with Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel,” the Superman reboot that came out in 2013, related to its violent ending, which showed Supes doing things he would have never done in the comics or the films and TV shows inspired by him.

*Spoiler warning: do not read any further if you did not see the movie.*

Superman wasn’t like Superman in “Man of Steel”

At the end of the film, after a long battle with General Zod that brings down nearly half of Metropolis, Superman kills him. First of all, Superman would never do battle in such a crowded area, which could expose innocent civilians to grave danger.

Secondly, this was the first time ever that Superman killed anybody, no matter whether it was justified or not. Naturally, fans hated Snyder and Warner Bros. for doing that to him, inarguably one of the most wholesome and just superheroes ever created.

The Superman fans got in this film was still just and brave and fighting for the little guys, the people of Earth. At the same time, he was unaware of his own strength and not considerate enough to take his battles to areas where there was no human population.

He meant well, but it still had disastrous consequences. And this made him less good than he should have been, because you know what they say, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

It was all planned

In the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, Snyder stresses that this was the reaction from fans they were going for in the first place. We weren’t supposed to like Superman in this destructive, careless mode, so “Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” which comes out next year, will teach him a lesson in this sense.  

“I was surprised because that’s the thesis of Superman for me, that you can’t just have superheroes knock around and have there be no consequences,” Snyder says.

In the same interview, Ben Affleck, who plays Batman, adds that one such consequence for Superman will be that Batman is coming for him. One of those buildings belonged to Bruce Wayne, so he will be seeking justice for all the people that died.

To put it simply, the story in “Man of Steel” took place before Superman became the Superman we know.

“Dawn of Justice” arrives in March 2016, but before that, it will stop this month at Comic Con in San Diego. More details about it are bound to emerge then.