Many words have been written, typed, and screamed into microphones about Zack Snyder’s take on Superman in Man of Steel. It’s quite the divisive movie, be it fans or those who have had a hand in crafting the iconic hero over the year. The one voice that was absent from the debate was Snyder, at least in any sort of formal declaration. He’s let the destruction, death, and product placement throughout the film generally speak for itself until now.
In the EW cover feature leading into Comic Con 2015 (featuring Warner Bros. massive showcase on Saturday), Snyder finally laid out some defense for the ending of his film and how it is going to be addressed in Batman V Superman:
“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,” says Snyder. The director says he had always intended for the dead to be counted. Indeed, Batman v Superman addresses these concerns head-on—Superman’s victims serve as Batman’s impetus to take him down.
None of this is too surprising given the bits and pieces we’ve all read since the film was announced. Not to mention it’s the logical progression given the real world reaction to it. It sort of shows that Snyder created a superhero film that has had more effect on the genre — good or bad — than folks want to declare (just look at Avengers: Age of Ultron). Snyder claims that the decisions made in the first movie and their repercussions are a big part of his vision for the hero and the DC film universe as a whole:
“There are other superhero movies where they joke about how basically no one’s getting hurt,” Snyder says. “That’s not us. What is that message? That’s it’s okay that there’s this massive destruction with zero consequence for anyone? That’s what Watchmen was about in a lot of ways too. There was a scene, that scene where Dan and Laurie get mugged. They beat up the criminals. I was like the first guy, I want to show his arm get broken. I want a compound fracture. I don’t want it to be clean. I want you to go, ‘Oh my God, I guess you’re right. If you just beat up a guy in an alley he’s not going to just be lying on the ground. It’s going to be messy.”
I would argue that it is quite the opposite for superhero films, especially after Man of Steel, but I get the point. Plenty of people have treated Man of Steel as a fully fleshed out Superman film, but it’s always seemed like a story about a guy learning the ropes to me. Saying Superman doesn’t kill shouldn’t apply here because we’re seeing why that kicks into effect.
That doesn’t mean it’s a good movie, obviously. Plenty of issues pop up aside from that ending.
There’s also quite a bit of detail thrown in about Batman V Superman, Justice League part one and two, and the original plans for the Man of Steel sequel. Brainiac was once kicked around as a possible villain before the Batman made his entrance, as was Metallo, and it would seem that Wonder Woman is a big part in bringing the team together on film:
“She plays a super-important part. In a lot of ways, she’s the gateway drug to the rest of the Justice League.”
Plenty will be revealed by next week’s presentation in San Diego. Until then, the debate can rage about the direction these films are taking. I’m admittedly more of a Marvel guy from my childhood, but I’ve defended Man of Steel enough to be blue in the face. I’m interested to see where it goes, even if I think disaster looms directly overhead and it’s ready to drop at any moment.
(Via Entertainment Weekly / Collider)
