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In the decade since its debut, Man of Steel has inspired its fair share of debate. Zack Snyder‘s grounded take on Superman is either viewed as a bold reinterpretation of one of the greatest superheroes of all time, or a misfire on various levels. But one thing is for sure; Snyder, alongside writer David S. Goyer and producer Christopher Nolan, hit the ground running in the film’s opening sequence.
Set on the planet Krypton before its destruction, Man of Steel‘s prologue opens with the birth of Kal-El. His father Jor-El (Russell Crowe) is racing against time to save Krypton’s civilization before the planet explodes. Complications arise in the form of General Zod (Michael Shannon), who leads an uprising against Krypton’s governing body. Jor-El now faces a war on two fronts; saving his son as well as the soul of Krypton. It’s a journey that Snyder masterfully brings to the screen.
What Makes Zack Snyder’s Take on Krypton in ‘Man of Steel’ Different?
From the beginning of the Krypton sequence, Zack Snyder takes great care to make his version of Krypton stand out. Most of the structures and vehicles on the doomed planet are bio-organic in nature, with most of the ships resembling dragonflies. In fact, some of the ships piloted by Zod’s soldiers even look like giant flying beetles! Krypton’s inhabitants also wear clothing that resembles skeletons in nature – giving the signature S-shield that Superman wears a rather haunting look. But the standout is Jor-El’s winged mount H’raka. H’raka is a reptilian creature with insectoid wings and cybernetic body armor, making her look like a cross between the tsurak from Avatar and the dragons from Game of Thrones. She’s also part of one of the most dynamic sequences in Man of Steel, as Jor-El steers her through a hail of gunfire. How do you top that? Simple: have the beast racing through a crumbling canyon. Snyder’s camera zooms in and out throughout, making the reader actually feel like they’re flying alongside Jor-El.
This is a marked contrast from the way Krypton was depicted in Richard Donner‘s films. Donner chose to depict the planet as a mass of towering crystals, forming towers as well as gaping canyons. Its cold, unfeeling nature translated to the citizens of Krypton, who had forgone emotion and decided to pursue logic. With Superman: The Movie becoming a cultural phenomenon, it wasn’t long until those visuals made their way into other Superman media – including the comics themselves. Snyder, on the other hand, chooses to depict Krypton’s structures as truly alien as he can. Not only does this give Man of Steel a distinct visual identity, but it also helps drive home the fact that Clark Kent truly is a product of two different worlds.
That same sense of design also extends to Clark’s Superman costume, which features a larger S-symbol as well as Kryptonian lettering woven into the costume itself. “We start the film on the planet of Krypton, which is where the suit comes from, and we go to great pains to show the suit fitting into the culture,” costume designer Michael Wilkinson said when discussing the style of the Superman suit. “Everyone has their family crests on their chests…So by the time we see Superman in his suit we understand why it looks the way it looks.”
Zack Snyder Uses ‘Man of Steel’s Krypton Prologue To Launch a Key Theme
Zack Snyder also uses the Krypton prologue to set up Man of Steel‘s biggest theme: choice. Krypton, at this stage of its life, is a society governed by genetic engineering. Each person on the planet was modified for a certain purpose, whether it was to serve in the military like Zod or as a scientist like Jor-El. In contrast, Kal-El is Krypton’s first natural-born child in decades, with his parents choosing to send him to Earth so that he can survive Krypton’s destruction. That ethos extends to Clark’s adoptive parents Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha (Diane Lane), with Jonathan telling Clark: ” One day, you’re going to have to make a choice. You have to decide what kind of man you want to grow up to be.” Clark eventually does make the choice to reveal himself as Superman, which brings the attention of Zod.
However, the message of choice is somewhat diluted by the dialogue from Clark’s father figures. Both of them often tell Clark that he’s meant for great things; Jor-El even proclaims that Clark will be “like a god” to humanity, while Jonathan says that he was sent to Earth for a reason. This dialogue undercuts the theme of choice – how can Clark make actual choices when the people in his life are pushing to make his choices for him? Goyer’s script more or less declares its themes out loud instead of letting them unfold organically.
How Did ‘Man of Steel’ Influence ‘Krypton’?
The influence of Man of Steel can be heavily felt in the SyFy series Krypton. Set two decades before the titular planet’s destruction, the series focuses on Seg-El (Cameron Cuffe) who will serve as the father of Jor-El. Goyer helped develop the series as well as scripting its pilot and the second season premiere “Light Years From Home”, and he brought several elements from Man of Steel into the process. Krypton’s class system plays a large role in the series, as Seg-El is drawn into an arranged marriage and is banished from his place in high society due to his grandfather’s supposed treason. General Zod even appears in the series, this time portrayed by Colin Salmon.
Krypton was able to put its own stamp on the Superman mythos due to being set so far in the future, and it succeeded wonderfully. Perhaps the best example of this is the direction the series took in its second season. When Jor-El is born, Brainiac (Blake Ritson) ends up spiriting him away to Earth! Further outlines of Krypton‘s third season revealed that Brainiac would have raised Jor-El to be a weapon, further tying into the theme of choice that ran through Man of Steel. No matter its reception, Man of Steel‘s influence – particularly in the world of Krypton – is palpable.
Man of Steel is available to stream on Max.
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