Summary

• Man of Steel was the first installment of the DCEU, setting up a shared universe of DC characters for Warner Bros.
• The film's ending effectively sets up the future of Superman and Clark Kent in the DCEU.
• The divisive decision to have Superman kill Zod adds depth to the film's ending but goes against the character's traditional portrayal as a symbol of hope and pure good-heartedness.

DCEU movies in release order, Man of Steel was the first installment, responsible for kickstarting what was to become Warner Bros. shared universe of DC characters.

As is known from the franchise's success, or lack thereof, after Man of Steel, this did not come to fruition amid several new DC cinematic universe. With compelling characters, outstanding visual direction, and a fantastic musical score from Hans Zimmer, Man of Steel was a solid start for the DCEU, with the film's impactful ending effectively setting up what was to come in the future.

Zod's Villain Plan And Defeat Explained

Man of Steel's core conflict centers on Kal-El, a Kryptonian child who was exiled to Earth as his home planet was being destroyed by natural causes. As Krypton was destroyed, a military general named Zod and his sympathizers were similarly exiled to the Phantom Zone for attempting a coup d'état in an attempt to save Krypton. After Kal-El is raised on Earth and becomes a man, Zod and his allies escape the Phantom Zone. They travel to Earth to find Kal-El, informing him of their plan to restore Krypton using terraforming devices to transform Earth’s atmosphere into one resembling that of Krypton’s.

Given that Kal-El, now known as Clark Kent, was raised on Earth, he opposes this plan. This begins the central conflict of the film, as Clark rushes to stop Zod's plan to destroy Earth completely. During Man of Steel's ending, Clark finds and destroys a terraforming device in the Indian Ocean while the U.S. Army destroys the most powerful of Zod's machines, the World Engine. The World Engine's destruction causes a cataclysmic reaction that results in Zod's soldiers being re-exiled to the Phantom Zone, with Zod vowing to destroy Earth completely out of revenge now that all chances of Krypton's revival are gone.

Superman engages Zod and the two are locked in combat in Metropolis. Eventually, after a hugely damaging battle, Superman gains the upper hand over Zod. The former kills the latter, screaming out of rage and guilt that he was forced to kill the only other surviving member of Krypton that he knows of.

Why Superman Kills Zod

Despite the divisiveness of Superman killing Zod, Man of Steel does an adequate job of explaining why this needed to happen in a way that adds an extra layer of depth to the film's ending. After Superman and Zod battle across Metropolis, the former corners the latter in a train station. Superman grapples with Zod, who begins inching his laser eyes toward a family of bystanders, stating that if Clark loves the people of Earth so much, he can mourn for them. In order to save the family, Clark is forced to snap Zod's neck, ending his threat to the people of Earth once and for all.

Why Man of Steel's Superman Ending Is So Divisive

Superman killing Zod in Man of Steel is undoubtedly one of the most divisive plot points in the entire film. Based on Superman's many DC Comics stories, audiences felt that Clark should not have had to kill someone to save the people of Earth. Superman is supposed to be an ideal of hope, optimism, and pure good-heartedness, meaning his decision to kill Zod - no matter how much it pained Clark in the film - was met with criticism. Audiences thought that, given the overwhelming power of Superman, the character would have been able to defeat Zod without murdering him, something Man of Steel evidently does not reflect.

How Man Of Steel's Ending Set Up Superman And Clark Kent's Future

One of the interesting aspects of Man of Steel is that Clark does not don the moniker of Superman until the film's final few moments. After killing Zod, Clark is shown meeting with Lieutenant General Calvin Swanwick. During this meeting, Clark reveals that he will begin operating independently to save the people of Earth as Superman, insisting that the governing bodies of the globe do not oppose him in return for Superman protecting the planet. As such, this scene officially sets up the future of Superman in the DCEU after 2013's Man of Steel origin story.

Similarly, the ending of Man of Steel also sets up the future of Clark Kent. Given the film's nature as an origin story, Clark is shown as unemployed throughout the events of the film, lacking an occupation that is iconic to the character in DC Comics. By the end of Man of Steel, this is rectified with Clark Kent taking a job as a reporter for the Daily Planet. This not only puts him closer to Lois Lane and sets up their future relationship, but also allows him to keep his ear to the ground regarding dangerous situations on Earth, bridging the gap between Superman's and Clark's future.

How Man of Steel Set Up Batman V Superman

The sequel to Man of Steel was 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, with the former film's ending adequately setting up the continuation of the story. Man of Steel ending with Clark taking on the moniker of Superman and a job at the Daily Planet ties into the beginning of Batman v Superman, with Clark often shown using his connections as a reporter to continue aiding the world as his super-powered alter ego. However, the governments of the world begin holding Superman able for his actions stemming from the partial destruction of Metropolis during his fight with Zod in Man of Steel's ending.

This leads to a congressional hearing to hold him able in Batman v Superman, with Man of Steel's ending directly setting this up. Also, Man of Steel's ending adequately sets up the introduction of the DCEU's Dark Knight. In Batman v Superman, it was revealed that Bruce Wayne was present in Metropolis on the day of Clark and Zod's battle. A Wayne Industries building in the city was destroyed meaning several of Bruce's friends and colleagues were killed. This leads the vigilante to begin a vendetta against Superman whom he deems a dangerous alien that should not be above the law, thus setting up the titular conflict of the film.

How The Flash Movie Revisited Man Of Steel

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was not the only DCEU film to reference Man of Steel after the latter's 2013 release. In 2023, The Flash was released, with the events of that film also connecting to Superman's battle with Zod in Metropolis. The Flash reveals that Barry Allen gained his superspeed-based powers around the same time as Superman revealed himself. Feeling the burden of responsibility to help people using these powers, The Flash traveled to Metropolis in order to aid Superman against Zod. However, The Flash reveals that the task was too great for a rookie superhero like Barry, traumatizing him into taking his vigilante powers much more seriously.

Why Man of Steel 2 Never Happened

As evident, Man of Steel's ending set up the future of the DCEU in several ways, begging the question of why a true sequel never happened. While Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice acts as a sequel to Man of Steel, the story splits the screen time between the two titular characters. As such, many were still left wanting for Man of Steel 2, a proper continuation of Clark's DCEU story. Unfortunately, this did not come to fruition for several reasons involving a long history of behind-the-scenes issues concerning Warner Bros.'s handling of the DCEU.

Man of Steel 2 was rumored to be in development multiple times by Warner Bros. over the years, though subsequent reveals have made it evident that the studio never intended to continue the story of Zack Snyder's DCEU characters after the filmmakers exit from the franchise.

Man of Steel 2 not happening is an unfortunate case of the butterfly effect, beginning with the negative critical and commercial reaction to Batman v Superman. This negative reaction caused Warner Bros. to course-correct, with Zack Snyder being replaced by Joss Whedon for 2017's Justice League which the former filmmaker planned as the third installment in the Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, Justice League trilogy. Whedon's changes to Justice League meant the story, tone, style, and ultimate appeal of the film were negatively affected, with the film receiving similarly poor reviews to its predecessor.

As a result, more standalone projects like Shazam!, Birds of Prey, Black Adam, and Blue Beetle were placed into production. Cavill then went through a frustrating period of being ostracized from the franchise, with Superman only appearing as faceless cameos in Shazam! and the DCEU TV show, Peacemaker

In yet another attempt to course-correct, Warner Bros. began moving away from the established characters of the so-called "Snyderverse," including Henry Cavill's Superman. As a result, more standalone projects like Shazam!, Birds of Prey, Black Adam, and Blue Beetle were placed into production. Cavill then went through a frustrating period of being ostracized from the franchise, with Superman only appearing as faceless cameos in Shazam! and the DCEU TV show, Peacemaker. Many thought Man of Steel 2 would finally come after Cavill announced his return to the franchise upon his cameo in Black Adam, though this excitement was short-lived.

Thanks to yet another mishap on Warner Bros.'s part, James Gunn and Peter Safran were announced as the new co-heads of DC Studios without Cavill nor any other creatives in the DCEU being alerted. Gunn and Safran announced a complete reboot of the DCEU complete with full recasts of all major roles including Henry Cavill's Superman. This put the final nail in the coffin of Man of Steel 2 as the future of the DCEU became the DCU. While Man of Steel was well-received and had a significant ending brimming with future set-up, the failures of the studio above meant its successes were frustratingly impermanent.