‘Man Of Steel’ Writer Talks About Film Controversy, ‘Batman Vs. Superman’
Man Of Steel, the remake of the comic book superhero Superman, didn’t come without controversy. Now, David S. Goyer, the script writer, explains some of the most troubling issues fans had with this new version.
When Henry Cavill put on the new and improved suit to play Superman, it was not only a new look for the old classic but a completely new take.
In prior versions, Superman is all about keeping the peace and not violent, but, in this case, Zack Snyder decided to go a darker route, making him a haunted human, trying to find his place among his adoptive people while at the same time being the savior of those in distress.
The two didn’t end up going hand in hand in Man Of Steel, as we saw when Kal-El unleashed his fury on General Zod in that last epic scene of the film
Now writer David S. Goyer, is speaking out about the controversy, which bothered some fans. Goyer stated he doesn’t agree with the premise that Superman is not allowed to kill when needed.
We were pretty sure [the ending to Man of Steel] was going to be controversial. It’s not like we were deluding ourselves, and we weren’t just doing it to be cool. We felt, in the case of Zod, we wanted to put the character in an impossible situation and make an impossible choice.
This is one area, and I’ve written comic books as well and this is where I disagree with some of my fellow comic book writers – ‘Superman doesn’t kill’. It’s a rule that exists outside of the narrative and I just don’t believe in rules like that. I believe when you’re writing film or television, you can’t rely on a crutch or rule that exists outside of the narrative of the film.
According toScreen Rant, Zack Snyder has stated that is precisely what explains Superman’s aversion to killing, in keeping with the origins angle of the film
“If [the film] was truly an origin story, his aversion to killing is [otherwise left] unexplained.” Snyder said.
Goyer also addressed the origins angle of Man Of Steel, saying he considers the film to be similar to Batman Begins in its explaining of why Superman is who he is.
“Our movie was in a way Superman Begins, he’s not really Superman until the end of the film. We wanted him to have had that experience of having taken a life and carry that through onto the next films. Because he’s Superman and because people idolize him he will have to hold himself to a higher standard.”
Goyer defends his take on the film because, as in the case of Batman, Man Of Steel, is setting up the character’s motivations moving forward and explains, as it hasn’t been done in film previously, why he has that “no-kill” policy.
Some SPOILERS coming up.
Screen Rant suggests that the new Batman we will see, played by the more “mature” Ben Affleck will be the antagonist, not necessarily a villain, but the voice that will be reminding Supes about his responsibility now that he realizes how powerful he is.
Goyer and Snyder are definitely going the more philosophical route with this new take on Man Of Steel, focusing on the character and his struggles to become a balanced superhero that not only rescues people in distress, but is so much deeper than that. Will the audiences embrace that vision? That’s the million dollar question.
