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The planet Krypton faces imminent destruction due to its unstable core, resulting from years of exploiting Krypton's natural resources. The ruling council is deposed by the rebel military leader, General Zod, and his followers. Scientist Jor-El and his wife Lara launch their newborn son Kal-El on a

Man of Steel is a 2013 superhero movie directed by Zack Snyder and written by David S. Goyer. It tells the origin story of Superman in the DC Extended Universe, and shows his first real battle against General Zod.

Synopsis for "Man of Steel (Movie)"

The planet Krypton faces imminent destruction due to its unstable core, resulting from years of exploiting Krypton's natural resources. The ruling council is deposed by the rebel military leader, General Zod, and his followers. Scientist Jor-El and his wife Lara launch their newborn son Kal-El on a spacecraft to Earth, infusing his cells with a genetic codex to preserve the Kryptonian race. After Zod murders Jor-El, he and his followers are captured and banished to the Phantom Zone. However, Krypton explodes some time afterwards, freeing them.

The infant Kal-El is raised as the adopted son of Jonathan and Martha Kent, who name him Clark. Clark's Kryptonian physiology affords him superhuman abilities on Earth, which initially cause him confusion and ostracizing, but he gradually learns to harness his powers to help others. Jonathan reveals to a teenage Clark that he is an alien and advises him not to use his powers publicly, fearing that society will reject him. After Jonathan's death, an adult Clark spends several years living a nomadic lifestyle, working different jobs under false names. He eventually infiltrates a scientific discovery of a Kryptonian scout spaceship in the Arctic. Clark enters the alien ship, and it allows him to communicate with the preserved consciousness of Jor-El in the form of a hologram. Lois Lane, a journalist from the Daily Planet who was sent to write a story on the discovery, sneaks inside the ship while following Clark and is rescued by him when she is injured. Lois's editor Perry White rejects her story of a "superhuman" rescuer, so she traces Clark back to Kansas with the intention of writing an exposé. After hearing his story, she decides not to reveal his secret.

Zod and his crew seek out other colony worlds, and eventually follow a Kryptonian distress signal sent from the ship Clark discovered on Earth. Zod demands that humankind surrender Kal-El, who he believes has the codex, in return for peace. Clark agrees, and the U.S. military hand him and Lois over to Zod's second-in-command, Faora. Zod reveals that he intends to use a terraforming "world engine" to transform Earth into a new Krypton, eradicating the human population in the process, and use the codex to repopulate the planet with genetically-engineered Kryptonians. After Clark and Lois escape Zod's ship, Clark defeats Faora, convincing the military that he is an ally. Zod deploys the world engine and initiates the process in Metropolis and over the Indian Ocean.

Clark, now dubbed "Superman", stops the world engine in the Indian Ocean. The military use the spacecraft that brought Clark to Earth in an aerial strike on Zod's ship over Metropolis, returning Zod's crew to the Phantom Zone. Only Zod remains, and he engages Superman in an aerial battle across Metropolis. In the process, Superman destroys the ship which carries the pivotal technology, the Genesis Chamber, to resurrect the Krytonian race with the codex, completely thwarting Zod's plans. When Zod attempts to murder civilians in revenge for his defeat, Superman is forced to kill him. Some time later, Superman continues to earn the U.S. government's trust, although evading their efforts to uncover his secret identity. To create an alias that gives him access to dangerous situations without arousing suspicion, Clark takes a job as a reporter at the Daily Planet.

Appearing in "Man of Steel (Movie)"

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Trivia

  • The movie makes references to a number of DC Universe companies: LexCorp, Wayne Enterprises, Blaze Comics and S.T.A.R. Labs are included as Easter eggs. LexCorp tankers are visible during the battle in Metropolis, a Wayne Enterprises satellite is shown during a fight between Superman and General Zod in space. A building in Metropolis features a Blaze Comics logo and S.T.A.R. Labs is mentioned.
    • According to Zack Snyder, the Wayne Enterprises logo was added to hint that Batman existed in the DCEU, while Warner Bros. hadn't decided whether Nolanverse would be part of the same universe. It was also a way of paying homage to Christopher Nolan, who was a producer on the film and directed the The Dark Knight Trilogy.[1]
    • According to writer David Goyer, S.T.A.R. Labs was included as a reference to Cyborg.[1]
  • Weisinger Primary School which Clark attended as a child is a reference to comic book editor Mort Weisinger, who oversaw the comics starring Superman from 1950s to 1960s.[1]
  • The character of Whitney Fordham is a reference to Whitney Fordman from Smallville.[1]
  • The name of the Smallville Spartans is a reference to Snyder's film 300.[1]
  • Sullivan's Truck & Tractor Repair where Jonathan Kent worked is a reference to the character of Chloe Sullivan from the TV series Smallville.[1]
  • Ezra's Mail Depot where people take refuge during the battle between Superman and the Kryptonians is named after Ezra Small from Smallville.[2]
  • The building destroyed by Zod while being unable to control his heat vision is revealed to be owned by Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
  • Snyder stated in 2020 that the destroyed moon of Krypton in the film is a reference to Wegthor, that was destroyed due to Doomsday in comics, and was a way to bring him into the DCEU.[3] Earlier in 2018 he had confirmed that the Doomsday seen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice wasn't the real one.[4]

See Also

Links and References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Ali Plumb (June 20, 2013). 15 Man Of Steel Easter Eggs You May Have Missed. Empire. Retrieved on February 8, 2023.
  2. Scott Johnson (June 10, 2013). All Man Of Steel Easter Eggs Confirmed So Far. ComicBook.com. ViacomCBS. Retrieved on February 8, 2023.
  3. Corey Chichizola (May 20, 2020). Zack Snyder Confirms An Awesome Doomsday Easter Egg He Snuck Into Man Of Steel. CinemaBlend. Retrieved on February 8, 2023.
  4. Conner Schwerdtfeger (June 21, 2018). Zack Snyder Confirms Batman v Superman Fan Theory About Doomsday. CinemaBlend. Retrieved on February 8, 2023.
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