5 Controversial Superman Movie Moments That Were Entirely Justified

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Superman is synonymous with superheroes in many ways, which is why several risky Superman movie moments are quite controversial. The challenge in adapting Superman to the big screen is that a lot of superhero tropes stem from Superman, meaning that there can sometimes be almost no room for the character to expand beyond what is already established. Even the classic Richard Donner Superman movies took some creative liberties with Kal-El’s story, not to mention the often controversial DCEU Superman.
Despite being arguably the greatest superhero of all time, Superman has not had a very consistent cinematic history compared to Batman or Spider-Man. Considering that Superman Returns was envisioned as a sequel to Superman II, there have only been two Superman movie iterations – Christopher Reeve/Brandon Routh’s and Henry Cavill’s. That list will soon increase with James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy. Between the Richard Donner Superman films and the Zack Snyder ones, here are five controversial Superman movie moments that were actually justified within the context of their respective stories.
5 Superman Destroys The Kryptonian Scout Ship (Man Of Steel)

General Zod’s plan in Man of Steel involved terraforming Earth and turning it into a new Krypton, but not without collateral damage. Zod’s World Engine would have essentially ended all life on Earth, which would have then been replaced by Kryptonian life forms provided by the Genesis Chamber. General Zod warned Superman that if he destroyed the ship, he would also destroy Krypton, as all the Kryptonian genetic material would be lost. Though Clark contemplated his options for a few seconds, Superman eventually chose to destroy Zod’s ship and stop the terraforming process, saving Earth and dooming the chances of bringing Krypton back.
While it may seem at first that Superman killed any chances of bringing Krypton back, Zod’s entire plan was inherently flawed. Had Zod’s plan worked, Earth’s population would have been destroyed, meaning that Superman would have traded one planet for another. No one but the Council of Krypton was to blame for what had happened to the planet, and Zod was trying to make up for his and other Kryptonians’ mistakes by becoming a conqueror. Though it is a tragic moment, Superman’s “Krypton had its chance” line does make sense within the context of Man of Steel.
4 Clark Kent Gives Up His Powers (Superman II)

One of the biggest strengths of the Richard Donner Superman movies was showcasing the difference between Clark Kent and Superman, a decision that was elevated by Christopher Reeve’s incredible performance as both the superhero and the human being. The differences between Clark Kent and Superman in the Donner films weren't just a gimmick, something to hide Superman’s secret identity and add charm to the character, but instead, something that set the tone for both Superman and Superman II. More specifically, Clark Kent gave up his powers in Superman II after realizing he could not have a normal life with Lois while also being Superman.

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