MAN OF STEEL Writer David Goyer Discusses Metropolis Devastation and Potential Impact on Sequels

MAN OF STEEL Writer David Goyer Discusses Metropolis Devastation and Potential Impact on Sequels

In an excerpt from an interview with Film School Rejects, David Goyer talks about the controversial wide spread destruction of Metropolis in MAN OF STEEL and how this impacts the Henry Cavill's Superman in the movies to come.

By DAGuess - Jun 24, 2013 06:06 AM EST
Filed Under: Superman
Source: filmschoolrejects.com

One of the major criticisms of Zack Snyder's MAN OF STEEL was the level of destruction in Metropolis and Smallville and the apparent disregard for human life which conflicts with the traditional image of Superman. It has been my opinion since seeing MAN OF STEEL that like Batman's clumsiness in Christopher Nolan's BATMAN BEGINS, the character is new to being a superhero and is a little rough around the edges. This is apparent in MOS with Clark Kent's/Superman's mischievousness and recklessness seen throughout the film. Goyer seems to confirm this character trait during an interview with Film School Rejects. This could also hint at future character development in later installments.

Goyer stated, "If we’re dealing with Superman and Clark six months or a year after this experience, there’s going to be a learning curve and he’s going to understand his place in the world more. The other thing is, he may not have chosen to come forward prior to Zod threatening the planet. This decision was thrust upon him, not one of his choosing. He did the best job he could, in terms of saving people and stopping Zod. Some people say, “Well, why wasn’t Zod arrested?” Actually, there was a line in the script we cut because it’s obvious, but it asked, “What prison would hold him?” [Laughs] There’s no prison on the planet that can hold him and Zod says, “Either you die or I die.” "

Leave your opinions in the usual place!

SUPERMAN Official Concept Art Spotlights María Gabriela De Faría's Engineer Costume Design
Related:

SUPERMAN Official Concept Art Spotlights María Gabriela De Faría's Engineer Costume Design

James Gunn Says Two Superheroes In SUPERMAN Metahuman Mural Have A Key Role In The DCU
Recommended For You:

James Gunn Says Two Superheroes In SUPERMAN Metahuman Mural Have A Key Role In The DCU

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

BlackPhillip
BlackPhillip - 6/24/2013, 7:14 AM
Yes, Bats was clumsy in BB, but he was still clumsy in TDKR.
Invictor
Invictor - 6/24/2013, 7:28 AM
I think it was still a good movie, but they did have a lot of collateral damage.
irondragon
irondragon - 6/24/2013, 8:04 AM
im sorry but this along with the way superman was written the past five years got me to like the character. i loved the movie and the amount of destruction that was caused. people need to stop complaining about it. never like the infallable hero verson of supes. i never like how when ever the justice league was in trouble here comes a hero who can take out the leage by himself to save everything concept. i want a tested superman not some guy who knows how to be a perfect hero off the bat thats boring. when he kills zod it was powerfull cause as stated zod was gonna kill every human on the planet to get back at him and the only phantom drive was already used. hes supermans match with years of fighting experience and you saw how quickly he started getting used to his powers. supes had to kill him or zod would eventually kill him and everyone else. this is his journey to becoming a symbol and it starts off rocky so he knows how to better hone himself.
n1ghtw1ng2832
n1ghtw1ng2832 - 6/24/2013, 8:04 AM
I AGREE WITH GOYER EXACTLY ON EVERYTHING HE JUST POINTED OUT.
irondragon
irondragon - 6/24/2013, 8:10 AM
and how many times has dc "rebooted its universe cause every time since supes had so much power his fight would just be against versions of himself or darkseid. although enjoyable in a story sense boring. ive never been a huge fan of superman but so called purists are negleting all the timeshe is forced to kill in the comics. and he does kill zod in them. these are people who know of version of him in passing. i did my research and bought some of those issues good reads. you dont know everything about him like i dont know every single thing about the character so please stop acting like you people do. stop bitching and enjoy.
irondragon
irondragon - 6/24/2013, 8:10 AM
sorry guys crazy person rant over lol
DAGuess
DAGuess - 6/24/2013, 8:38 AM
The destruction in MOS certainly isn't unprecedented in Superman comics are other comics for that matter. Coast City was completely destroyed in Green Lantern and Hal Jordan was a vet.
GoILL
GoILL - 6/24/2013, 8:51 AM
@Nomis

They're not complaining because Nolan/Goyer weren't involved with Superman II.
fedup
fedup - 6/24/2013, 10:40 AM
If this had been a movie about Superman a year after taking up the cape then yeah I'd have had problems with the destruction BIG TIME. But considering it was essentially his first day on the job? Yeah, it's understandable. Plus I think the levels of destruction will give Luthor plenty of anti-Superman fuel for the public when the sequel comes out.
CapA
CapA - 6/24/2013, 11:27 AM
Hell no ! The learning curve should have been handled by the Kents when they got Clark ! That piece of the Superman mythos was treated so poorly... ><
MediaMan
MediaMan - 6/24/2013, 11:40 AM
Oh, I get it. We see numerous scenes of Kal-El saving people on a bus, saving people on an oil rig- so he's been saving people all his life, but - DARN IT! Now I'm wearing a CAPE! I forgot ALL ABOUT my whole life up to this point!

Makes perfect sense to me.
thosemortalmen
thosemortalmen - 6/24/2013, 12:18 PM
IF AND SHOULD you can, please check the movie again and tell us when he doesn't try to priorate and save people. It's a war. He must hold Zod, and it was Zod that brought the destruction with his machine and Kal has to contain it. ZOD HAS ALREADY SAID THAT HE WILL TAKE THE PEOPLE OF EARTH ONE BY ONE.

Now, the only chance Kal can do is defeat and subdue Zod as fast as he can. Think about this: IF Kal has to save a bunch of people in some place, then Zod can kill lots of them in a second in other places! Supes gotta follow him and beat him, that is the only way to stop it from getting worse.

If you paying attention on what was presented in the screen, the buildings are in fact were abandoned by the people of the city, and they should, just when the World machine start online. So the last battle between them aren't causing anything other than brick and concrete.

And don't give me that zero casualities argument. Even in Superman 2 there are many casualities, Batman moviesdo , heck, Iron Mans and Avengers too. It's a war. And they can't be there for everybody.

Casualities does happen. Reality.
Tevii
Tevii - 6/24/2013, 12:55 PM
I LOVED the movie. but i still have a problem with him killing... if he learns by trial and error, that means EVERY superhero has the right to learn by trial and error and Superman never has the right to disagree.

But from a screenwriting standpoint, i understand that now he'll realize he had other options besides killing and that those other options should always be considered first
Tevii
Tevii - 6/24/2013, 12:58 PM
The complaint od the casualties during the destruction to the city is silly. There are casualties of war and Supes was engaged in battle. And not just any battle. Supes never fought before and now here he was fighting a trained soldier. Supes had his hands full, get over it
Gnyah123
Gnyah123 - 6/24/2013, 1:09 PM
a lot of u ppl need to grow up n chill wit the ppl dying n buildings being destroy thing....ppl die things blow up...get over it
superman isnt PERFECT! he cant save every1 and everything from being destroyed...he was a rookie in MOS...had his hands full!
so chill ppl
MediaMan
MediaMan - 6/24/2013, 1:20 PM
@thosemortalmen...

that sounds plausible - except that it didn't happen that way in the film itself. at one point in his battle with zod, supes stops & looks around. now, during that time, the two had obviously lost contact with each other. is zod off rushing around killing people? nope, he's looking for superman, to launch another attack on him, which he does.

I actually liked the scene overall, but I did wonder about the lack of help, etc.

the bottom line, the movie was written the way it was, and it didn't have to be. the writing focused on the destruction that would be caused in a battle between super-beings, if they were real. but apparently in doing so, they overlooked the human element.

basically, I think it was a bit of bad writing, which the movie had its share of.
BloodyHell
BloodyHell - 6/24/2013, 3:23 PM
Man of steel was great. Bruce Wayne and Lex will probably rebuild the city in the sequel. webmemes.org(axe)
MediaMan
MediaMan - 6/24/2013, 5:46 PM
@Nubase, I do have to congratulate you on one of the most delusional posts I have ever read.

MoS was far from a perfect movie, to put it mildly. And it has nothing to do with Marvel, that's just a judgment on MoS's own merits.
James007
James007 - 6/24/2013, 10:34 PM
Superman isn't a real person or Mahatma Gandhi. He is an ongoing fictional character that is continuously evolving, changing to adapt with times and generations. He is a myth. He is not real. To write an effective story for an ongoing comic book character in the live action movies, the character needs to be multi-dimensional, he needs to have many layers, or else he will end up as dull and boring. No matter what anyone thinks, the Superman in MAN OF STEEL has got more emotional dynamics than the past flat, predictable and one dimensional version portrayed by Christopher Reeve. Zod's end was the perfect way to bring more depth and dimension, add layers to Superman's personality. It worked really well.

This Superman has got a real personality. He feels pain, he feels lonely, he feels angry, he feels love, he feels all the strong human emotions like a real person unlike the flat, predictable and campy version that we saw in the old movies. Now we know if the Superman in the MOS universe is pushed too far, he will react very strongly. He is not a priest or ascetic. That's actually really interesting. This Superman has got a real interesting personality.

We don't make a summer blockbuster with 225 million budget to bore the audience. If I want to watch a movie about tolerance and humility, I will watch a movie inspired by Gandhi's life, Buddha's life, or Christ' life. I won't go to watch a summer blockbuster based on an ever evolving comic book character. Nothing turns an audience off more than having to to watch a one-dimensional, predictable hero for 2 and 1/2 hours. The movie writers, comic book writers job is to expand the depth and dimension, enhance the texture of the character to keep the audience interested enough in the mythology of Superman, and David Goyer, Snyder and Nolan did an awesome job. Final outcome: MOS is a smash hit and the general movie going audience are loving this new incarnation of Superman. It's very similar, but it's not predictable.
Brave5partan
Brave5partan - 6/25/2013, 2:42 PM
I agree with Goyer. MoS take the character in a realistic context. Kal was not the hero with a lot of experience we know, it was the first steps of the character. I personnally think that in a sequel he will own the name "Superman" and will care more for the collateral damages, specially if he fights an enemy as dangerous as the kryptonians. MoS is by far the BEST superman movie.
Brave5partan
Brave5partan - 6/25/2013, 2:48 PM
@ thosemortalmen...

I 100% agree with your opinions
adecko
adecko - 6/26/2013, 12:58 AM
The council members on the Avengers wanted to nuke Manhattan...So that means its ok coz tony stark saved the day? Supes tried every inch of his strength to stop Zod and he gets all this hate?
EarOne
EarOne - 6/26/2013, 4:30 AM
umm...i just can't believe he's making a parallel between superman's OUT-OF-CHARACTER stupidity by letting a gazillion people DIE in all the destruction to the young batman's "clumsiness" in BB, WHICH (may i remind you) DOES NOT cause anyone's life.

Man of Steel's HUGE human casualty is over the top, yeah. unnecessary and just embarrassingly POOR choice of story line, just like Jor-El's death (since superman's NEVER made known that Zod KILLED his bio-dad, anyway)..and just like Joe Kent's STUPIDEST way out. i mean, clark coulda saved that damn dog without ANYONE seeing him. pa kent dies by heart attack..it's just something that ain't broke and NOT supposed to be mess around with. period.
EarOne
EarOne - 6/26/2013, 4:30 AM
umm...i just can't believe he's making a parallel between superman's OUT-OF-CHARACTER stupidity by letting a gazillion people DIE in all the destruction to the young batman's "clumsiness" in BB, WHICH (may i remind you) DOES NOT cause anyone's life.

Man of Steel's HUGE human casualty is over the top, yeah. unnecessary and just embarrassingly POOR choice of story line, just like Jor-El's death (since superman's NEVER made known that Zod KILLED his bio-dad, anyway)..and just like Joe Kent's STUPIDEST way out. i mean, clark coulda saved that damn dog without ANYONE seeing him. pa kent dies by heart attack..it's just something that ain't broke and NOT supposed to be messed around with. period.
jp688
jp688 - 6/26/2013, 6:46 AM
Dear idiots,
Supes did not "let a million people die". Did you even see the movie? Do you really thing that the level of destruction Zod brought could be stopped if Supes stopped fighting him and started swooping around to "save the thousands of people who occupy a city's downtown district every day? Get real, grow up, stop whining.
View Recorder