I've given a fair warning. I'll proceed now.
What if Superman didn’t kill General Zod?
A few nights ago, my brother and I talked about Man of Steel specifically its fun facts and issues. One major issue we talked about was General Zod’s demise at the hands of Kal-El (literally). People are very concerned that the image of Superman as an anti-killing superhero has been tarnished.
As I’ve said in my review (see below), I’m not a fan so I had to track back on the Superman flicks I’ve watched. People are right; Superman has not killed any foe in the movies. The same goes for the series Smallville, according to my brother who is a fan.
On trying to enlighten myself on the matter, I read an article (found here) about Zack Snyder and David Goyer’s answer to the issue. An excerpt can be read below.
Snyder: "In the original version of the script Zod just got zapped into the Phantom Zone. David [Goyer] and I had long talks about it, and Chris [Nolan] and I talked a lot about it. I was saying, ‘I really feel we should kill Zod and I feel that Superman should kill him.’ For me, the why of it was: if it’s truly an origin story, his aversion to killing is unexplained. It’s just in his DNA. I thought if we put him in an impossible situation, forced him into it, it would work. I felt like that could also make you go, ‘Okay, this is the why of him not killing ever again.’ He’s basically obliterated his entire people and his culture, and he is responsible for it and he is just like… ‘How could I kill ever again?’ Even though Zod says there’s no way this ends without it. ‘What are you going to do? Put me in jail? I don’t know what you’re going to do with me but I’m gonna just keep doing this until you stop me. I’m just a killing machine, especially now. I had a task before but you’ve robbed me of that too.’"
David S. Goyer: "So yes, originally Zod got sucked into The Phantom Zone with the others but I just felt it was unsatisfying and so did Zack. So we started talking to some of the people at DC Comics and asked, ‘Do you think there is ever a way that Superman would kill someone?’ And at first they said, ‘No way.’ ‘But what if he didn’t have a choice…?’ Originally Chris didn’t even want to let us try to write it but Zack and I said, ‘We think we can figure out a way that you’ll buy it.’ So I came up with this idea of the heat vision and these people about to die and I wrote the scene and gave it to Chris… and he said, ‘Okay, you convinced me.’ I’ve seen the film about four times now and everyone always gasps when it happens – they don’t see it coming – and I think it makes some people feel uncomfortable, whereas other people say ‘Right on!’ but that was the point. Hopefully what we have done with the end of this film is we’ve got the mainstream audience, not the geek audience, to question it all. Hopefully we’ve redefined Superman."
As I told this to my brother, he was not entirely convinced for he was one of those people who didn’t like the changes in the movie specifically Zod’s death. He didn’t like Superman directly killing someone. He argued that the general could have died in the same manner as Thor’s Loki. (Although Loki didn’t really die as he became the villain in Avengers.) My brother’s point is that the writers could and should have gone traditional with Superman sending Zod to the Phantom Zone or flying him into a black hole.
Then, the idea of Superman blasting to the air with Zod at the nick of time (before he could kill the innocent Metropolis citizens) came to mind. At that moment, my brother and I agreed that that could have been a better choice. However, as I think of it now, what will happen then? More fighting, flying to the Phantom Zone, and Zod coming back after some time?
We all have different opinions on the matter. Some agree to the scene; others don’t. Personally, I think if the scene happened in another way, it would not feel real. One of the aims of Snyder, Nolan, and Goyer was to make MoS relatable (in its own way). They put Superman in such a critical position to show that the reality that there are times you are forced to make the most difficult choice no matter how painful it could be, can also happen to him. Superman flying with Zod out of the building would depart or veer away from the theme of the movie. And if you read the article of Snyder and Goyer’s statement, you would know the main reason why Superman killed Zod. The film features an origin story meaning it has to explain why something is the way it is. It has to give a premise as to why Superman made it his principle not to kill anyone. Of course, no one in the right mind would really want to kill another but there has to be a deeper and personal reason ‘why’ for Kal-El. As Snyder said, Zod’s death could be seen as the reason. Superman thought he was alone before he knew of Zod and his forces; perhaps (and most probably) it made him feel better somehow to know that some of his own people still exist. With that in mind, combine the act of killing with the reality that you had to kill the other remaining member of your race was very difficult for Superman to bear. This is the ‘why’ he made an oath not to kill anyone ever again. And that is the ‘why’ Snyder, Goyer, and Nolan did the scene.
NOTE: Photo used is borrowed and belongs to its owner.
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