The superhero genre continues to be wildly popular, thanks to various cinematic universes in play. While DC co-CEO James Gunn is forming a new universe, fan are still unpacking the events of the DCEU (which is streaming in its entirety with a HBO Max subscription). One of the most controversial moments was Superman killing Zod in Man of Steel, and now Michael Shannon is responding to the discourse surrounding that twist.
Fans who spent years watching the DC movies in order will recall that the chatter surrounding Zod's death has been consistent, despite Man of Steel hitting theaters back in 2013. While Henry Cavill defended this choice, Shannon recently offered his two cents during a conversation with Vanity Fair about his career. The actor addressed this twist, saying:
Oh gosh, I just wish people didn’t kill people, period. I mean, whether or not they’re aliens from outer space or just regular joes. I guess one of the controversies with this film, and Zach engineered this really, is that Superman is not supposed to kill anybody, so I put him in a situation where if he wants to save these people, he has to kill me, and he does, and that obviously led to a lot of strum and drang, or whatever you say.
Points were made. It's not like Superman killed Zod out of rage or a quest for power. Instead, following the massive destruction around Metropolis, he is forced to choose between snapping Zod's neck or letting the villain kill more people before his eyes. Ultimately Henry Cavill's hero had to do the unthinkable to save people, even if he's left completely distraught afterwards.
Zack Snyder got a ton of flak for having Superman kill at the end of Man of Steel, and he's not the only hero. Similarly, Batman killing in Batman v Superman was also the subject of backlash for the visionary filmmaker. Later in the same interview, Michael Shannon went on to sing Snyder's praises, sharing:
I really loved working with Zack, and I really loved making this movie. I think a lot of people say, ‘Oh, you know, this isn’t what he usually does. He just went for the big payday or something.' But I’m proud of this movie. I think it’s actually about something.
Points were made. Whether or not you agree with Snyder's directorial choices in the DCEU, he has a clear point of view in his storytelling. That includes having heroes who typically don't kill in the comics abandon these values under specific circumstances. Superman was never seen killing again in Batman v Superman or Justice League, so it's possible that his no killing rule actually started as a result of executing General Zod in Man of Steel.
Snyder was originally planning a five-movie storyline for the DCEU, but that never came to fruition. But after Zack Snyder's Justice League was released, fans began campaigning for Warner Bros. to #RestoreTheSnyderVerse. Unfortunately for those fans, there's no indication that this is happening, especially now that we've got a new DC shared universe.
The next upcoming DC movie hitting theaters is Supergirl on June 26th as part of the 2026 movie release list. As for Michael Shannon, his new TV series Death By Lightning is streaming now in its entirety for those with a Netflix subscription.
