It’s one of the longest-running superhero debates: would Superman kill? Henry Cavill’s Superman did of course kill General Zod as a last resort in order to save lives in the DCEU. But would David Corenswet’s Superman do the same in the rebooted DCU?
This new Superman is an altogether brighter affair compared to the more grounded, naturalistic SnyderVerse version that came before it. We see Superman care deeply for all forms of life in the movie: human, animal, and alien. For newcomers, this perhaps begs the question: why doesn’t Superman kill?
In a Wired video, Corenswet offered his answer, which tallies with everything we’ve come to understand about Superman over the years: “I think the main reason is that he sees the good in just about everybody, maybe to a fault,” he said. “He even sees the good in those trying to do him harm.”
In the same Wired video, DCU steward James Gunn chimed in to add: “I believe he believes in a basic right to life. That’s [killing someone] just not in him.”
But Gunn goes on to say that this Superman would kill if he had to. “But I’m not a purist in that respect. I think that if, for instance, he had to kill to protect somebody’s life, he would probably do that, even though that would be hard for him.”
Warning! Spoilers for Superman follow:
We see the suggestion that Superman kills in the new Superman movie, specifically during the battle between Superman and Ultraman, who is revealed to be a clone of Superman created by Lex Luthor. But we do not see Ultraman die, rather thrown into a black hole. Indeed, there is a strong fan theory that Ultraman may return in future DCU movies as Bizarro.
Gunn’s comments, however, suggest the movie-maker would have Superman deliberately kill under the right circumstances in a future DCU film, following Snyder’s lead with Cavill’s Superman. The death of Zod in 2013’s Man of Steel was a hot topic throughout the entire DCEU’s run, and no doubt it would be the same if Corenswet’s Superman ever followed suit, although that would perhaps be a surprisingly darker moment that we’ve seen from the tonally upbeat Superman Gunn has now established.
Snyder himself has explained why he had Superman kill Zod in Man of Steel. In an interview with GQ, Snyder said Zod “wasn’t gonna negotiate an outcome, so it was either Zod or us. And that was pretty much the game. There was no middle ground. Zod said he would fight until either you kill me, or I kill you. That’s the game.
“And they’re 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.’ He’s got to address the scenarios that come to him. He can’t pick and choose, as you can’t pick and choose.
“If the character can respond in a way that solidifies his humanity, then he’s stronger.”
Whether we see Gunn’s Superman put in a similar position in future DCU films remains to be seen, although we do have Supergirl to come next year, and the potential for a Justice League team up with Batman and Wonder Woman.
Superman itself got the DCU off to a flyer with a global weekend take of $217 million at the box office. Its $122 million domestic take was enough to make it the biggest North American launch ever for a solo Superman film, not adjusted for inflation.
Check out IGN’s Superman review to find out what we think, and then head over to our Superman Ending and Post-Credits Explained to find out what it all means.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
