Zack Snyder Reveals Man of Steel Scenes That Make Him Cry

Man of Steel, Zack Snyder's 2013 Superman movie starring Henry Cavill, marked Snyder's second entry into the DC cinematic canon (after Watchmen) and the launch of the now-concluded DC Extended Universe. Man of Steel remains a divisive film among fans. However, those who appreciate Snyder's at-times somber take on DC's iconic superhero find it affecting on a deep emotional level. Snyder himself is no exception. The director recently sat for a mailbag Q&A with a host from film-centric social media website Letterboxd. One fan asked Snyder if the Man of Steel scenes featuring Kevin Costner as Superman's adoptive father, Jonathan "Pa" Kent, make him cry like they do some viewers.

"I get teary with all the Costner scenes," Snyder says. "I get pretty teary at, 'You are my son.' So yeah, Costner's just great in that movie… 'I just want to be your son.' 'You are my son.' David Goyer crushed that one."

Costner's role as Jonathan Kent in Man of Steel is among the film's most frequently debated elements. Rather than encouraging young Clark Kent to use his superhuman gifts for good, Pa Kent insists that Clark keep his abilities hidden.

This comes to a head in a particularly controversial scene when Jonathan finds himself staring down a tornado. Clark is nearby and could save him, but Jonathan signals for Clark to remain hidden. Pa Kent's sacrifice ultimately convinces Lois Lane (Amy Adams) to drop a story that would reveal Superman's secret identity to the world.

Did Warner Bros. mishandle Man of Steel's legacy?

Man of Steel is a polarizing film, but what came next may be even more divisive. Instead of creating a standalone Superman-focused sequel, Warner Bros. tried to jumpstart a cinematic universe comparable to Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe by introducing Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) in 2016's Sndyer-directed follow-up film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Barely more than a year and a half later, Warner Bros. added Cyborg (Ray Fisher), The Flash (Ezra Miller), and Aquaman (Jason Momoa) into the mix in Justice League, which was controversially taken out of Snyder's hand and given to Joss Whedon to complete (though Zack Snyder's Justice League was eventually released). Both films met more negative critical receptions than Man of Steel.

Man of Steel writer David S. Goyer recently discussed the pressure from Warner Bros. to create DC's answer to the MCU. "I know the pressure we were getting from Warner Bros., which was, 'We need our MCU! We need our MCU!' And I was like, let's not run before we walk," Goyer said on an episode of the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast. "The other thing that was difficult at the time was there was this revolving door of executives at Warner Bros. and DC. Every 18 months, someone new would come in. We were just getting whiplash. Every new person was like, 'We're going to go bigger!'"

Goyer continued, "I remember at one point the person running Warner Bros. at the time had this release that pitched the next 20 movies over the next 10 years. But none of them had been written yet! It was crazy how much architecture was being built on air… This is not how you build a house."

Goyer agreed that a standalone Man of Steel sequel should have preceded Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. "There was, and but it's would've, should've, could've," said of the long-rumored Man of Steel 2. However, Goyer stopped there, feeling discussing the unproduced film further would be "bad form."

Who is in the Man of Steel cast?

Snyder directed Man of Steel from Goyer's screenplay. Cavill starred as Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El. The film's supporting cast included Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Michael Shannon as General Zod, Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, and Russell Crowe as Jor-El.

Man of Steel is currently streaming on Netflix and Max. Superman is set to return to theaters in James Gunn's upcoming reboot film, Superman: Legacy.