Man of Steel Director on Building "the Mythology of Superheroes"

For fans worrying that Man of Steel would be too dark and brooding should enjoy taking a look at Empire Magazine's cover feature this week. Zack Snyder and others spoke with the magazine about how the movie is really all about hope, and that he's trying to build a Superman that transcends the usual Christ metaphors and gives movie fans a peek at the kind of Superman comic book fans have known for years: one who can set the standard, and provide an operating logic, for the superheroes that come after him. "When you talk about superhero action movies, there is Batman of course, and I think that Chris [Nolan] laid a lot of important groundwork. And there are the Marvel movies... I don't mean it as an insult, Iron Man and Hulk are strong superheroes, but we've never had a superhero movie where everyone can go, 'Yeah, I understand the why of the whole thing.' Superman is a character who deciphers the why of superheroes." Put more simply, Snyder explained, "What is the mythology of superheroes? The answer is Superman. And that is awesome."