One of the most controversial aspects of this year’s Man of Steel was the sheer amount of destruction and seemingly wanton disregard for human life during the epic final showdown between Henry Cavill’s Superman and Michael Shannon’s General Zod. We’ve already heard the thoughts of screenwriter David S. Goyer a couple of months back and now director Zack Snyder has chipped in on the matter, explaining his reasoning for the mass devastation of Metropolis during a promotional tour of Japan.
“I wanted the movie to have a mythological feeling,” Snyder tells Japan Times. “In ancient mythology, mass deaths are used to symbolize disasters. In other countries like Greece and Japan, myths were recounted through the generations, partly to answer unanswerable questions about death and violence. In America, we don’t have that legacy of ancient mythology. Superman (who first appeared in Action Comics in 1938) is probably the closest we get. It’s a way of recounting the myth.”
Meanwhile, in a brief piece of news from the upcoming Man of Steel sequel Batman vs. Superman, Snyder has confirmed that the production will head to Detroit thanks in part to “an incentive of $35 million on $131 million of projected in-state expenditures”, although it’s unclear whether the Motor City will double for Metropolis or Gotham. “Detroit is a great example of a quintessential American city, and I know it will make the perfect backdrop for our movie,” states Snyder. “Detroit and the entire state of Michigan have been fantastic collaborators, and we are looking forward to working together on this film.”
Batman vs. Superman is set for release on July 15th 2015, with Ben Affleck taking on the role of The Dark Knight alongside Cavill and returning Man of Steel stars Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Diane Lane (Martha Kent) and Laurence Fishburne (Perry White).
Originally published August 29, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
