Zack Synder Comments On Superman’s No Killing Policy And Impact On Batman Vs. Superman

During a live Man Of Steel fan chat earlier today, a fan asked Man Of Steel director Zack Snyder [...]

Man Of Steel Killing

During a live Man Of Steel fan chat earlier today, a fan asked Man Of Steel director Zack Snyder why he had Superman break his no killing policy and kill General Zod. Snyder has of course weighed in on this controversial scene in the past, but he did offer up a little more insight into the decision. Actor Michael Shannon, who played General Zod, was also part of the fan chat and weighed in with some thoughts as well. "Well, what's funny about that rule is that it exists in the movies but it doesn't really exist in the comic books," replied Snyder. "He's killed Zod a couple times in the comic books." When Snyder asked Shannon if the knew the rules, Shannon replied, "I didn't know the rules. I found it surprising. It was something that I didn't really….when we were making the movie, I didn't really clock it. I was like, 'Well, of course, he's got to kill me. I'm out of control.' But then afterwards, when the movie came out, people would walk up and be like, 'He killed you. He's not supposed to kill you.' I'm like, 'Well, he had to kill me. What was he supposed to do?' So that's when I started to realize that there was some sort of rule about that or something." Synder added, "I think that it's a notion that has grown out of the way that he's been popularized on TV and in the movies more than the sort of comic book mythology of Superman, which is he's a much more practical hero. Killing General Zod is a practical solution to the problem. He wouldn't let his personal sort of aversion to killing cost the lives of an entire planet or those little kids, that little family. So if he had said, 'I'm morally opposed to killing so I guess I have to let him kill those people.' Those are the dilemmas. We set that up directly so there would be no solution other than that solution." When Shannon pointed out that this is something that happens in the real world, Snyder continued, "It's a real world problem. And I think the effect on Superman, it is a deeply difficult decision for him to make. It's not a thing that he takes lightly, and you can see it affects him pretty profoundly. And maybe we'll see the repercussions of that in the next film. How that's affected him, making that decision." Batman Vs. Superman is scheduled to be released in movie theaters on July 17, 2015.

0comments