David Goyer Justifies Zod’s Death In Man Of Steel

It’s a moral dilemma – should Superman have killed General Zod?

It’s one of the big questions that we were left with at the end of ‘Man of Steel’ – after all, it showed us a Superman who was willing to kill in order to save the lives of innocent people. But should it have gone down that way?

“The way I work, the way Chris [Nolan] works, is you do what’s right for the story,” said screenwriter David Goyer in an interview with The Nerdist. “That exists entirely separately from what fans should or shouldn’t think of that character. You have to do what’s right for the story. In that instance, this was a Superman who had only been Superman for like, a week. He wasn’t Superman as we think of him in the DC Comics…or even in a world that conceived of Superman existing.”

- Gal Gadot Talks Wonder Woman Audition
- Batman Almost Gave Danny Elfman A Breakdown
- Man Of Steel Almost Included A Batman Tease

Of course, the Superman we find in ‘Man of Steel’ is very different to the one we’ve read about in the comic books. After all, he was very new to all this – and while the heroics came as second nature to him, the moral choice he was forced to make was far from easy.

“He’d only flown for the first time a few days before that,” said Goyer. “He’d never fought anyone that had super powers before. And so he’s going up against a guy who’s not only super-powered, but has been training since birth to use those super powers, who exists as a superhuman killing machine, who has stated, ‘I will never stop until I destroy all of humanity.’ If you take Superman out of it, what’s the right way to tell that story?”

Now, considering the unique circumstances here, I’m not sure it’s quite so easy to take Superman ‘out of it’… but I have to admit, the moral dilemma was an interesting one.

Would Superman end a life to save innocent people?

“I think the right way to tell that story is if you take this powered alien who says, ‘You can have your race back, but you have to kill your adopted race,’ the moral, horrible situation to be in is to actually be forced to kill, not wanting to, the only other person from your race. Take Superman aside, I think that’s the right way to tell that story.”

Do you think Superman was justified in his actions? Either way, it looks as though the death of Zod is going to come back to haunt him in ‘Batman V Superman’…

At least, if Lex Luthor has his way.

‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice’ heads to cinemas on 25 March 2016.

- New Images From Batman V Superman
- Batman V Superman Toys Revealed
- Guillermo Del Toro Leaves Justice League Dark

Picture Credit: Warner Bros.