Zack Snyder has been a hot and cold figure in the DC fandom. Even though he has been regarded as one of the most talented filmmakers to have even been part of the franchise, his approach towards certain characters raised several eyebrows during his time working in the universe. He made several fundamental changes to certain characters that completely went against their moral code.
The best example would be the fact that Ben Affleck’s Batman killed 30 people in the SnyderVerse. In almost every version of the character, the no-killing rule has been the only separation between the Caped Crusader and the villains he fights. Another perfect example would be that of Superman.
Henry Cavill’s Kal-El killing Zod was a moment that caught many fans off guard. The decision was heavily criticized by audiences, who thought it went against what the character symbolized. Despite this, Snyder has stood by this decision, even though Man of Steel was released more than ten years ago.
Zack Snyder Found Superman Killing Zod To Be Just
Recently, Zack Snyder gave an interview with GQ, where he talked about some of his most iconic projects to date. Naturally, Man of Steel was on this list since it started his journey with DC Studios. After talking about how he even got the film, he moved on to one of the most controversial moments in the movie; when Superman kills Zod to save humanity.
“Zod is not wrong from his point of view, but also, there’s no really, room here for humans, in this scenario that Zod is presenting. He’s not gonna stop. He wasn’t gonna negotiate an outcome. So it was either, Zod or us.”
The filmmaker still stands by his bold decision, thinking there is no other way to deal with the conflict other than killing the antagonist. Zod very openly entered the planet with one motive, to be killed, or kill humanity. Snyder believes that there was no way for Superman to talk his uncle out of such a decision, and so blood had to be spilled.
Some fans have had a counter to this argument, stating that putting the symbol of hope and all that is good, in such a situation was a mistake on Snyder’s part, and the film could have been written differently.
“That was pretty much the game. There was no middle ground. Zod said that ‘He would fight until either you kill me or I kill you.’ That’s the game. They were like, ‘But why would you put Superman in that position.’ I’m like well, ‘If Superman can’t handle that position, then he’s fake. Then he’s not.'”
Superman’s biggest weakness is humans, which is why almost all of his villains tend to threaten them, as a whole. He constantly has to find loopholes to save everyone and make sure no one dies, regardless of where their morals lie. Snyder stated that if Superman had difficulty handling a situation such as this, then he could not call himself super.
Fans Are Not Impressed
Despite Zack Snyder’s detailed explanation of why he took a darker approach with Man of Steel, some fans are not convinced by his argument. On the other hand, many fans were more concerned with why the filmmaker was still talking about the DCEU, even though he parted ways with it years ago.
Some fans pointed out that the movie was released a decade ago, and even fans have moved on from it and the decisions it took. Indeed, DC is already working on a new chapter for Superman, in the form of Superman: Legacy.
Why does he keep talking about DC stuff. Move on man, talk about Rebel Moon or something because that needs all the help it can get.
— KD6-3.7 (@KafkaDarren) April 22, 2024
Bro still yappin about this? 💀💀
— 𝕏 Meme Team (@XMemeTeam) April 22, 2024
Terrible reason ngl
— TizzJ (@TizzJ1) April 22, 2024
Still talking about this shit… pic.twitter.com/w9t75CuM6Y
— Lee (@FilmItLee) April 22, 2024
Someone shut this nigga up bro is coping after his trash rebel moon got shat on so hard he ain’t even talking about it
— Unbiased ‘Real’ DC Fan (@DCStannn) April 22, 2024
Others were confused as to why the filmmaker was talking about a Man of Steel when he just released the second part of the Rebel Moon film series on Netflix. It would seem that even though fans tried very hard to fight for his spot in the franchise since they lost, they just wish for him to move on.
