The tenth anniversary of Man of Steel will come and go without a direct sequel, but one may be filming by then, at least. The reception to Henry Cavill’s Superman, especially after Man of Steel, is mostly misunderstood. Superman purists think that Snyder made Kal-El dark or unkind. He didn’t; that was the “new” America the latest Superman landed in.
In the press tour for Black Adam, Dwayne Johnson called Henry Cavill “the Superman of our generation,” and that may be truer than he knows. The main criticism of Snyder’s take on Superman is that Kal-El is darker and more aggressive than past Men of Steel. Some might say that Superman and Lois is a counterargument to that vision. Yet, Cavill and Tyler Hoechlin don’t play the character all that differently, except for one key detail. Both Supermen find their humanity and connection to the world through their loved ones. They also both have a contentious and distrustful relationship with the US Military. They both live in a world where just one super-mistake can almost wipe away all the goodwill the hero built up. In fact, the only real difference between the movie and TV Superman is that the latter’s story began when he was already at least two decades into his superhero career.
Man of Steel Imagined Superman’s Arrival in Post-9/11 America
On Superman & Lois, Kal-El is the world’s only superhero. He’s married to Lois, has twin boys, and lives in Smallville after the death of his mother. He’s been Superman for 20 years (also, the head of the military’s Superman division is his father-in-law). If The CW had to show how a modern world reacted to a superpowered alien’s arrival, it’d probably look a bit like Man of Steel. He probably wouldn’t have killed General Zod, like Christopher Reeve’s Superman did. But that’s less about principle and more about the popularity of recurring villains. Just ask Tom Cavanaugh about that on The Flash. He quit the show and still can’t stop coming back.
Man of Steel presents a very accurate — in feeling — depiction of how post-9/11 America would react to a strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman would not be met with cheers or a firm handshake from a grateful president. He’d be greeted with the barrels of tank guns, missiles and whatever else the military could throw at him, especially if some of his buddies showed up in a big creepy spaceship and threatened the planet.
The film’s last scene is a discussion with him and the General (before he was Martian Manhunter) about how Superman is a friend but will not be a soldier. In the scene, Superman says he grew up in Kansas, pointing out that that’s as “American” as it gets. Yet, alien refugees in search of a home were looked at much differently in 2013 than they were in the days of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
Henry Cavill Is Already Playing a Mostly Traditional Superman
Before Zack Snyder made the questionable decision to include the resurrection of Superman in Justice League, the character Cavill played was Superman. He can’t stop saving people, even though the world in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice doesn’t really want him to. It’s not an accident that conservative blogger Andrew Sullivan is in the opening of that movie saying, “every act is a political act.” Superman is mostly feared by humanity, echoing the fear his father had for when humanity met him. When not afraid, those he saves worship him in a way that clearly makes Clark uncomfortable.
Like any good Superman in that situation, he mitigated this problem by doing what he could and keeping his distance. As Clark Kent, he vented his frustration into his hunt for the Batman, a caped crusader he thought was worthy of scorn. Humanity feared this all-powerful alien, while a person who by all accounts is just “a dude” beat, branded and killed people. The explosion in the capital is the climax of all this. When Superman does go to speak for himself, he’s so distracted by all these mortal politics that he misses the wheelchair hiding a bomb behind a lead casing. Like any good human, Clark takes out the guilt he feels for this mistake on Batman. Still, even at his lowest point, Superman has no intention of killing Batman.
Outside the controversial Knightmare scenes, Zack Snyder showed audiences how a traditional Superman would react to a modern world. Henry Cavill’s new, hopeful Superman will be the same guy. It’s the world around him that will look a little different.
