I think that all the collateral damage and Superman killing Zod will be explored in the sequel. Perhaps with a more psychological villain like Lex?

We have to remember that this is the first time that Superman got into a fight.

Thanks, love!

Doomsday was created from a dead clone, he is no longer sentient. Killing him is less inhumane the the cows killed in the burgers Superman eats.

@violetphoenix: Those questions could lead to the rise of lex luthor

Only my opinion ok? Man of steel is batman meet immortals= killer hopeman? what a crap, to me = movie sucked.

Clones can be sentient.

I'm in Law Enforcement and I strongly believe that we are in the business of saving lives, more so then any fictional character of man made conception. In law enforcement we are never trained to shoot in the leg, shoulder or foot to stop a criminal from destroying or taking the life of another human being. In this movie Superman had to make a decision, save the life of the last surviving relic of his people, his own blood, or save the lives of innocent human life caught in the struggle on the planet that has raised him. People, there is a difference between murdering and saving lives. We are often so deep in science fiction that we often refuse to see the difference in the opinions. By doing so you discredit every standing citizen of our armed forces that fight to defend our nation. To stop a woman from being raped or a family from being murdered, I do the best in my power to stop the criminal. And if such is the case to where the criminal will not comply to my warnings and resist arrest and I feel that the person or family I was swore to protect will suffer loss at the hand of the criminal, I will take my service weapon and fire twice into the heart of the criminal. I am not a murderer. Neither I, nor my brothers in blue or our armed forces. Heroes kill all the time. To save the lives of the innocent and to those who can not defend themselves, I will take the life of the another. This is not something I want to do, but these are things that happen in reality. Fictional heroes are grounded in reality. Zod had trained his whole life as warriors, given time and mastery of his skills he could have easily defeated a man that has never been in a fight. Zod would have never left the city, he would have destroyed as many people as possible to hurt Superman for destroying the hope of his people. It is a shame for someone to have to die in order for others to live peaceably but there are young man and women on the front line doing that for us everyday. So please be careful not to call a hero who has killed as a murderer who is a criminal, that hero may very well save your life, and God forbid he hesitates. Superman represents me and all those who work to save lives.

@outside_85 well said. I agree with everything u said

I just can't see this Superman or Nolan's Batman in a Justice League movie. Even Green Lantern didn't have the right tone for a JL, in less Hal Jordan suddenly became a wise ass. Warner needs to seriously consider who these characters are before they make a JL movie.

I hated Superman before this reboot and still don't care much for the character... With that said,

1) everyone that complained about Superman Returns helped create this new Supes.

--- People were moaning and groaning that there wasn't enough action, it was too cheesy and it was a crappy movie.

2) Superman has killed/yet others die before. It has happened. Get over it.

3) this in no way changes your previous outings of superman. He's changed a bit, accept that.

4) Pa Kent was ok. What are you suppose to say to your adopted-alien son? He wants to protect his child at all costs. I agree he could have said it differently, so it didn't seem so cold hearted.

---- Pa does end up teaching him a lesson about sacrifice.

5) if this is the start to the DCU, I want Zack Snyder out of there. The movie was beautifully shot but the character development had a lot to be desired.

Closing: look on the bright side, sequels are usually better....

I don't ever post on ComicVine, but this time I felt the need to leave a comment, just because I think Man of Steel was one of the most despicably awful movies I have ever seen in a theater. The characters were paper thin in their characterization and the plot was almost non-existent in favor of rushing from one action scene to the next. Everything about this movie except for its special effects was abysmal. It felt like a direct attack on the intelligence of the viewership. I can't believe Nolan and Goyer thought this movie was in any form presentable for an audience. This movie is so bad that it makes me cast a much more merciful second look at X-Men: The Last Stand.

I just want to say that aside from agreeing with you wholeheartedly, I also want to thank you for what you do. Some of us love you for the risks you take daily.

Something I've never understood in ANY Superman movie...

Why is it that every time Superman gets into a battle on Earth, the bad guys hit him with surrounding items (buses, cars, streetlights, etc.) that SHOULD do less than nothing to him because, well, he's Superman. Yet, when a Kryptonian throws one of these items at him, it hurts alot.

The question is HOW??? Isn't it theoretically the same as a Kryptonian throwing a piece of paper at another Kryptonian?

I will say one thing. There needs to be a creative change.

@botiste: I Agreed with you.

Thanks for this sir.

Your argument is nonsense. Superman has to evolve. Christopher Reeve with all due respect to his work and life is not walking through that door. Your logic that this can't be a Superman film would have to apply to the Nolan Batman as well. Batman who in the recent history of the comics will not take a life including the Jokers, allowed the film version of Ras to die. Batman did not throw a rope around him and pull him out the cart. I am sure you will say well what about the Dark Knight and the Joker. Still doesn't negate the fact that in the first film he did not show Ras the mercy he showed the Joker. If we can say that Batman values Human life then why did he not value Ras. The screenwriters may deal with the fallout from what Superman did in the next film and I am curious to see what they do with Lex. I don't want my Superman to be cheesy and I do not want some sappy nonsense. The film was great. It obviously got tips from the Byrne run and the Mark Waid Birthright book. A great movie.

You give five stars to comics that are violent every week and then you want to whine about Superman. Have you seen a lot of the stuff being written lately? I think your argument is weak dude.

Hollywood could care less about the moaning and whining of fanboys who go to shops every week and argue on message boards. They could care less about the tingle you got in your leg when Christopher Reeve lifted Margot Kidder up and flew around with he. Lets be honest Superman has been the recipient of horrible movies and lately with the exception of the Scott Snyder book, horrible comics. I like the New 52 version. He is comfortable in his skin and not whining about humanity. He embraces his power and what he has the ability to do. Superman has to evolve not regress. Ask Bryan Singer how that worked out for him? Are you kidding me?

Fanboys especially the professional ones whine and moan about not having a Superman movie, then they get one and they still cry about it.

Well, thanks for the tip, Hans Driesch. But if you would bother reading you'd see I said he was created from a DEAD clone. Doomsday was resuscitated and killed again over and over until he was nothing more than a killing machine incapable of thought or feeling.

As Supes said in Superman: Doomsday: "It's why I'm here."

@g_man: sure there are plot reasons for Superman to kill Zod but too many other reasons for Superman not to kill him. He didn't even have to.

Two Words: FREEZE BREATH

I wouldn't change a thing about this movie. I thought it was a fresh breath of superman. I literally said holy f*** and had goosebumps go up my back when he snapped zod's neck. The one thing superman has never had to take into his hands in the books (except alternate stories which people probably equally cried about).

He's just so unbelievably, unbelievable and un-interesting in comic books that his sales don't really match up with his name and place in history. I think it's about time some fresh breath and a different new 52'ish spin has been taken with the movie franchise.

People complained about sim city being boring because they knew what was going to happen line for line. And I think the same can be said for superman, it's boring as hell if every damn superman movie is going to tell the same story.

I've never seen krypton explained the way it was, the way they break down his powers instead of "he's an alien and unstoppable because of the sun" was always just stupid to me. They made Superman more sci fi and less make believe, and it carried the same appeal that iron man brought to the big screen for me.

I am no new age superman fan, I'm just sick of companies trying to make a superhero movie with the same tired old ass story line and it fails in the box office and we get stuck with some crummy ass reboot ever other year. Personally I hope this creative team stays.

Dead clone makes no difference. And he was capable of thought and feelings. He expressed joy upon killing a bird the very first time he escaped his prison on Earth and he was said to have thoughts filled with anger just prior to his death by Superman. It behooves me to inform you that you are wrong on all counts.

@superboy101: Well said.

This wasn't the ideal superman movie but I do feel it was a Superman movie, and I really hope they go into detail about how Kal-El feels pyschologically about Zod's death, and have Lex take advantage of that in the sequel. I do agree that a lot of the movie felt rushed or gapped.

Rich711, doesn't matter clone or not it was still a living thing...and Superman doesn't like to kill anything living despite mind or no mind...but if he didn't kill them then lots of amazons would have died....so it was the logical solution.

Exactly, lol you just can't please all people or some people...no matter what directors do, they can listen to majority of the fans and someone out there will still b%$%$ and moan over something. I just see it as just another way of telling or shaping Superman because if you noticed while Superman of the 70's with Reeve, Smallville with Welling, Returns with Routh and now Cavilles Superman are all told a bit differently but ultimate share the same end result...the problem is those certain "fanboys" out there have a certain image of Superman in their own minds, not openminded to other interpretations of the character so if someone god forbid changes the slightest thing about Superman they flip out...because it's not like Superman hasn't changed over the years in different archs, stories, writers or universes nahhh lol.

Why don't you go watch the Donner films again it's obvious that's what you wanted to see.

I have to say this movie felt to me like he was and wasn't Superman. I can see a whole take off on this for the DC cineverse and I can see Batman's involvement in JL, heck I wouldn't be surprised if the plot is a take from the tower of babel or doom. But I have to agree that killing Zod at the end wasn't to my liking. The rest of the movie is but the tower not so much. I can kind of see the set up and like the Avengers, the effect of this fight will greatly impact on Superman's career and what kind of hope and threat he poses on the world as we know it. That being said if I was put in that very situation, being a young man who has grown up in the world we live in today, I would've killed Zod too. In the heat of that moment I don't think he could've been calm enough to come up with another way. I'm not sure if I can come up with another way. He's barely learning his powers while Zod is quickly picking up the pace. This should teach him as it would have shown me to end it quickly. Can't let these fight drag out any longer. I will say this, this turn of events is just what is needed to kick off the Lex Luthor that we need. The business man who craves respect and power and doesn't like the boy scout alien that walks among and will try anything to get rid of him. Kevin Spacey was good but not business man enough or serious.

so u the site gave it a five star review......

1) I reviewed the film. Tony Guerrero is the person writing this opinion piece.

2) Just in case you glossed over the author's named under the title, this is plainly stated in the second paragraph.

Thank you, sir, not only for your eloquent words but for the hard work and sacrifice you and other law enforcement officers make every day to keep us safe. I've been a fan of Golden Age Superman for 30+ years but I've never cared for Silver Age at all. As you said, Fictional heroes are grounded in reality and that's the only version of Superman I can stomach.

I thought the movie was pretty meh. It certainly wanst a superman movie. I mean jesus christ they didnt even ever really call him superman i dont think. The only time was when lois was about to say it but got cut off. They treated it like it was a reference or something. Which really bothers me.

Also the way they handled pa kent was nothing short of ridiculous. Pa kent is dissaproving of saving a bus full of kids because it 'might' blow his cover as an alien and pa kent "just wouldn't be able to handle it if the government took his son away for experiments" well guess what genious, by that logic, your son would be dead anyway. I think. Can the man of steel (I call him the man of steel because this is clearly NOT superman) drown? They just basically took the character that helps superman develop his morals and respect for his fellow man and threw it out the window.

What makes superman (to me anyway) a great character is tha although he isnt from america, or earth for that matter, he considers it his home. While in this it was just superman being all bruce banner-ish and outcasty when thats not what makes the character great. he is the ultimate symbol of the greatness that immigrants can contribute to our society, and in this movie they just threw that concept away and said, "No its gotta be more like twilight, so the chicks will wanna see it". Which I get, being somewhat involved in the movie industry myself, but its just NOT what I want in my superman movie.

Long story short. If you want a superman movie. I hear Encore, HBO, and cinemax play Superman and Superman II from the 80s all the time....

Agreed 100% G-Man.

I put this along side Nolan Batman. Doesn't feel like a Superman movie, just as BB, DK, and DKR doesn't feel like a Batman movie to me.

Nitpicking is necessary people.

If not, crap would just get out of hand.

I was completely shocked that Superman killed Zod. I kind of had a feeling Zod would die but I thought it would at his own like Green Goblin and Doc Ock did in the Spider-Man movies. They way Zod was killed was shocking but I understand why he killed him. I think letting that family be killed would haunt him forever. It makes me wonder if Batman or Spider-Man would kill in a similar situation. "Kill one, save a thousand"

@thetimestreamer: All the same reasons I didn't care for it.

@ Protoflash, incorrect. They DID refer to him as Superman a few times. Once Lois suggested it but was cut off...she said Super-

Then during one of the fights with Zod's forces, one of the marines/military/news guys referred to him as "Superman" the other guy said "Super-man?"

Other guys responded "well....that's what they're calling him"

So yes despite who wants to deny it, at the end of the day it IS a Superman movie...what it's not is "Superman in certain fans mind who have one, single interpretation of the character" Big difference...

@biteme_fanboy You didn't like the Nolan verse huh? I liked it ;) in some ways more then the older films. I enjoyed the nolan movies more then the Burton films, in other ways I liked the Burton films. I enjoyed both, but I'm curious if you're a real, oldschool fan of Batman then you probably didn't like the first film with Joker/Jack's joker since he killed him at the end...something Batman would never do. I actually see Superman killing someone before Batman, which is kind of ironic if you think about it.

@om1kron: I Agreed with you 100%

@g_man Have you seen this? Nolan did not agree with the ending. Interesting.

http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2013/06/18/nolan-opposed-man-of-steels-controversial-ending-spoilers/

@thanosofatlanta: Great explanation...Even greater find! Thanks!

Ah this movie just didn't do it for me :/ All the big ass action sequences were a joy to watch but they really took away from the whole symbol of hope that Superman is. Was really left disappointed that they didn't give the symbol of hope concept the portrayal it needed

@thanosofatlanta:

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/notyetamovie/news/?a=81728#comments

While chatting to Empire, Man Of Steel director Zack Snyder speaks at length about the decision to have Superman kill General Zod in order to save a family of innocents. He reveals that in the original version of the script the character was simply once again banished to the Phantom Zone, but Snyder was adamant that Kal-El should kill Zod -- because otherwise where does his aversion to killing originate from? He also shares details of another action scene on Kryton that didn't make the final cut, in which one of Jor El's AIs takes humanoid form and battles Zod's pack of genetically engineered dogs! It's all great stuff so be sure to take a listen from the time Snyder comes in around the 50 minute mark, and then David S. Goyer chimes in too, revealing that Chris Nolan was against Zod's death at the hands of Superman at first. Plus, he once again speaks about WB's plans for a shared DC movie universe (txt after the player below).

The only thing that made this not a superman movie was the fact that clark was not a reporter (yet).

Everyone's so preoccupied with the image of Superman that they hold dearly, that they don't have any room to accept another version of the character. I liked it. No one else has to..

My opinion is if I wanted to see a traditional boyscout Superman, I can go watch Superman 1 and 2 already. I don't want to go to a movie if I already know everything, and with this film they made enough changes to the mythos to make it interesting to see what will happen. If they don't experiment with characters and try new things we would never have had the Nolan Batman Films. Superman Returns tried to recapture the boyscout Superman and I left that film way more disappointed then I did with this film.

I feel people went into this thinking

"AY IT'S SUPAMAN." No, this is Clark Kent becoming Superman. This is him REALIZING who he is, and what his moralities will be. In this movie, he still is a person. He's just a person who got powers, and wants to try and do good. It's what I say to alot of people. This movie did Superman justice, if anything.

If this was an experienced Superman, I'd agree. "What the hell is he doing all of that for?". But this is the start. This is Clark meeting Lois. This is Superman developing. This is his start. Not an auto-Superman. He's still developing.

Nolan's dark knight films were not batman films, he didn't capture who batman was at all

MIND BLOWING!

You said, better than I did, what I was trying to say in my previous post. This has people REA:LLY discussing things. The Avengers and TDK had people saying things like "Hulk hitting Thor was funny." and "Heath Ledger might win an Oscar." This has us discussing the very definition of what it means to be a hero. That to me, is a grand slam home run for this film. If a film can do THAT, throwing around cliches like "The characters were thin" (whatever that means) or "There wasn't a plot" (Umm..yes there was) means little.

While I liked the movie in general , particularly finally bringing superman level action to the big screen, I did have several sticking points. First the pacing was all over the place. While not hard to follow it was noticeable. Also the odd contradictory nature of supes relationships with his fathers. Pa tells him he is destined for great things, then tells him to hide at all costs, including the deaths of children. He says you'll be a great force for good or evil then gives no guidance, just hide.He never tells him of the importance or preciousness of human life, just you're great BUT don't do shit(kinda got The Incredibles act 2 deja vu). Jor El seemed more important to clark than his earth folks did. His instincts are to help people constantly against his fathers wishes but similar to jor el, he straight tells him youre not my dad. then after the funeral ditches his mom acting as if he doesn't fit with her or humans (despite having a recently widowed grieving mom that loves him). He doesn't feel a strong connection until meeting jor el, this is shown when he meets up with his mom to tell her he found his "parents" not his "birth parents" and he immediately feels connected to them unlike the disconnection with his earth parents that left him a loner/drifter. Then despite this connection he chooses to destroy all tech that connects him to krypton and his dad. But one thing that really jumped at me is how odd the end seemed. Metropolis is the DC new york. But where NY had terrorists bring down two towers we watch some 20 towers drop and more than that a 20 block radius is reduced to a crater. NY is haunted by 9/11 to this day but Metropolis seems like its business as usual. Finally killing zod. Definitely not a supes move. Many are saying he had no choice its a real take, but thats not right. What sets supes apart is he always finds a way. Hundreds of times in his history has he been in similarly impossible situations but he always finds a way to do whats right AND not kill. The both times he did he quit being superman because he was no longer worthy of the name (exiled to space and gold kryptonite retirement). Its this honor/love for all life and unfailing goodness is what separates Supes from Apollo, Miracleman, Hyperion, and other flying bricks. Take that away and he loses that special spark and as alan moore wrote no longer worthy of the name Superman