15 Bravest Creative Decisions In Comic Book Movie History

3. Superman Kills Zod - Man Of Steel

Though Batman is the superhero best known for having a no-kill rule, Superman isn't particularly thrilled about ending lives either, though in fairness he doesn't seem quite as strict about it as Bats. This nevertheless led to a highly controversial moment at the end of Man of Steel, as General Zod aims his heat vision at some innocent civilians, essentially committing "suicide by cop" by forcing Superman to kill him in order to save lives. Supes snaps his neck in one of the most shocking moments in recent comic book history. Did It Work? Snyder and David S. Goyer received massive criticism for the scene, and even Christopher Nolan fiercely objected to it, but in the end, it's the high emotional peak of the movie, and isn't flippantly used as a fast way to dispatch Zod: Supes anguishes over the decision and is clearly distraught at having to kill one of his own. Basically, Snyder made it count, and though some might like to cling to their cherished visions of superheroes with one-dimensional sets of rules that aren't really applicable in the real world, Snyder confronted it head-on.