3 Superman Characters Zack Snyder Got Totally Wrong

Superman is considered the first superhero, so it’s fitting that Superman would also lead the superheroes into the era of big-budget movies with 1978’s Superman: The Movie. Since then, Superman has had – let’s say a “checkered” reputation when it comes to feature films. Superman: The Movie and Superman II are all-time greats, but the next two Superman movies don’t quite clear that bar, although Superman III does have some cool ideas. Superman Returns didn’t connect with audiences despite being pretty good, and the DCEU Superman films from Zack Snyder are among the most controversial in a film universe that is nothing but controversial.

The less well-received Superman movies all have their problems, but the biggest criticsms are often the characters. Superman’s characters may not seem like the most complex ever written, but that doesn’t mean filmmakers can be careless with them. Snyder’s DCEU films each had problematic feedback regarding their depictions of different iconic DC characters, but the three Superman characters listed below are the ones who were ruined the most by Snyder’s films.

Lex Luthor

Superman just isn’t Superman without Lex Luthor, and movie fans have gotten two pretty solid Lex Luthors over the decades. Gene Hackman’s Lex wasn’t much like the comic version of the character, but Hackman played his comedic version so well that no one cared. Kevin Spacey’s Lex was more comic accurate, which worked for the movie he was in, though the film itself is largely forgotten. However, there’s another Lex from the films that is the worst version of the character imaginable — Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor from Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Looking at the characters, it’s easy to see what they were going for. Eisenberg’s Lex was supposed to be Eisenberg channeling Mark Zuckerberg as Lex Luthor. This sort of thing — modernizing Lex Luthor to fit the present day — is a tried-and-true part of the character. Playing Lex as an arrogant, yet insecure, tech bro is a good idea, the problem was that they kept messing up in attempting to make the character menacing. Lex Luthor is a lot of things, but there’s always a menace to the character. Eisenberg’s Luthor, on the other hand, felt like a child’s idea of menacing. His Lex was supposed to be scary, but never was, and that’s why it’s considered among Jesse Eisenberg’s worst roles, as well as one of the most mocked performances in the DCEU, which is actually saying something.

Jonathan Kent

There’s a reason Zack Snyder left DC fans divided over his handling of Superman and his mythos. Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Justice League are held up as proof that Snyder knows everything, visually, about the comics and is making comic-accurate movies. However, one needs only to look at the DCEU’s version of Pa Kent played by Kevin Costner to see otherwise.

[RELATED: Before July, Check Out This Superman/Fantastic Four Crossover (That Really Happened)]

In the comics, Pa Kent teaches Superman what it means to be a hero. He supports his son and wants him to use his powers to make a difference in the world. He introduces Clark to the legends of the Golden Age superheroes, showing him that he’s not alone in the world and that there are always people like him around. Pa Kent is a cliche — the kind-hearted Midwesterner who is the personification of everything good in America — and that’s why he’s a perfect character.

Costner’s version of the character is a strange take, as he teaches Clark to be selfish and hide his true nature. He’s not a good role model for someone like Clark, and Pa Kent’s death scene in Man of Steel — foolishly sacrificing his life when Clark could have saved the day with his super speed and no one would have been the wiser — is ranked among the worst scenes in a comic book movie (right alongside the infamous “Martha Moment”).

Superman

The DCEU cast some great actors for its roles, and one of the best was Henry Cavill. The British actor oozed Superman from the moment fans saw him in the costume, and everyone was excited to see what Henry Cavill would bring to the table as Superman. The problem that no one foresaw was that these new Superman movies were going to take a page from Christopher Nolan’s Batman films, which presented a more “grounded” version of Superman. That’s how fans got Henry Cavill as the worst on-screen version of Superman, something that shouldn’t have been possible.

The DCEU’s Superman was a conflicted version of the character, one who was fine with killing his foes. This wasn’t a Superman anyone who loved the classic character recognized and was meant to be something completely different. Superman does have an arc through the three Snyder movies, but it’s not an arc that is all that significant or redeeming. Superman is meant to be a fully-formed character when we meet him; any doubts about himself and his powers were taken care of growing up with the Kents. No one wanted to see Superman struggle with who he was, and that’s why the DCEU Superman didn’t appeal to such a large section of the audience. It’s a shame because Cavill really made an excellent-looking Superman and definitely could have played a more traditional version of the character with aplomb.

What Superman characters do you think have been wasted in movies? Let us know in the comments below!