Superman is an American icon, and was depicted that way right from the very first time he appeared in Action Comics #1 all those years ago. But as time went on the character evolved into more of a global protector, despite holding tight to his American roots. In Zack Snyder's Man Of Steel we see Supes fight to protect his adopted Country from General Zod's attack, even though the Kryptonian's are threatening the entire planet. While chatting to Francine Stock on this week’s BBC Radio 4 Film Programme (transcription via Bleeding Cool), Snyder explains why he felt it was important to establish the character's roots, but teases an arc that will take him global in future movies.
Francine Stock: I’ll tell you something about General Zod. General Zod gets gloablisation, doesn’t he? Because when he arrives on Earth he sends out his message in all the languages of the world, so it is a sort of United Colours of Benetton kind of thing, “It’s all over” … but Superman, he’s just for America.
Zack Snyder: Yeah. 100%… that was always a thing that would be in the evolution of Superman. He has no choice but to become global.
FS: That would be the sequel.
ZS: Knock on wood. That literally has to happen. But for me I was really interested in – and maybe it’s because Barack Obama’s president now – it’s okay for Superman to be American. He’s quintessentially an American creature and creation. I wanted to pay homage to the superhero as coming from the heartland of America, and the “Why?” of that. I was really interested in just how American he was, and I think in the best possible way, the Kevin Costner cornfield kind of way. Which is why I really wanted Kevin and Diane Lane to play those parts [Ma and Pa Kent] because they really represent a believable America but an America that is also… we do it in the most realistic way we can but still all of the icons are very much represented in a way that I don’t know exists for real. But you want it to. Like a Norman Rockwell documentary… handheld Norman Rockwell.