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12 Years Later, Michael Shannon Responds to Man of Steel’s Controversial General Zod Neck Snap
The previous iteration of the DCU held all sorts of promise, and hopes were immensely high for the future after Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel hit theaters. While the film did well at the box office and was generally well-received, it wasn’t without its divisive elements, and one of the most divisive moments in the entire film is when Superman snaps General Zod’s neck. Now, Michael Shannon has addressed that moment and revealed his stance on not only that moment but how he looks at the film as a whole.
Shannon rewatched memorable clips from his films as part of Vanity Fair’s ongoing series, and the first scene was when Superman had to snap Zod’s neck to stop him from killing innocent civilians. “Oh gosh, I just wish people didn’t kill people, period. I mean, whether or not they’re aliens from outer space or just regular joes,” Shannon said. “I guess one of the controversies with this film, and Zach engineered this really, is that Superman is not supposed to kill anybody, so I put him in a situation where if he wants to save these people, he has to kill me, and he does, and that obviously led to a lot of sturm and drang, or whatever you say.”
“I really loved working with Zack, and I really loved making this movie. I think a lot of people say, ‘Oh, you know, this isn’t what he usually does. He just went for the big payday or something, but I’m proud of this movie. I think it’s actually about something,” Shannon said.
Superman snapping Zod’s neck, even to save civilians, didn’t sit well with a section of fans, and it’s understandable as to why. That said, Snyder had a plan in place for this decision, and in a previous interview with GQ, he broke down why Superman has to make that decision in the moment and why it’s important that someone of his immense power has to make those decisions from time to time to be worthy of being in that position.
“He’s not going to stop. He wasn’t going to negotiate an outcome, so it was either Zod or us,” Snyder said. “And that was pretty much the game. There was no like middle ground.” Snyder would go on to add, “Zod said he would fight until either you kill me or I kill you.”
Snyder felt that if Superman can’t handle those hard decisions and occasionally make one that doesn’t sit right with him, then he’s not who everyone thinks he is. “If Superman can’t handle that position, then he’s fake, then he’s not… You got to like… He’s got to address the scenarios that come to him. He can’t pick and choose, as you can’t pick and choose when something is outside of your morality,” Snyder said.
The DCU has now begun a new era under James Gunn and Peter Safran, but people still look fondly upon Man of Steel and what it brought to the Superman mythology. The most recent Superman film shook things up with a lighter tone and overall aesthetic, though there were still some heavy moments and high stakes in the mix like its predecessor. Next up for Superman is Man of Tomorrow, which hits theaters on July 9, 2027.
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