10 Utterly Bad-Ass Movie Characters Who Ruled 2013
7. Zod Man Of Steel
It might have been a bad idea from the outset to follow the already all-too-trodden path of both origining a major superhero, and also hammer blowing the parallels between superheroes finding themselves and the troubles of puberty and finding our own place in the world, but Man Of Steel was surprisingly entertaining. Yes, you had to check your brain in at the door if you wanted to take in the remarkably stupid script, or the logical flaws that peppered it, but as a spectacle, and an emotionally affecting piece it worked well. It felt a little like an extended propaganda message for the world struggling out of recession, but it was successful because Henry Cavill impressed far more as Clark Kent/Superman than anyone probably honestly expected, and because Michael Shannon can sleepwalk his way to villain excellence. His Zod was menacing, in the way that gets under your skin, and charming enough to actually balance Superman, which was always the main issue (and the reason everyone always jumps on Lex Luthor as the best choice for Superman's screen villain,) and brilliantly, he was bad enough to make Supes snap his neck.
