20 Worst DCEU Movie Moments (So Far)

16. Jonathan Kent's Pointless Death - Man Of Steel

Man of Steel Dumb
Warner Bros.

A pivotal moment in the Superman mythos is the loss of his adoptive father Jonathan (Played here by Kevin Costner) and while most versions have him dying of a heart attack, Man of Steel went in a different direction.

In this case, he, Martha Kent (Diane Lane) and Superman (Henry Cavill) get caught up in a tornado and he stays behind to help some people escape. Then, when Jonathan is about to be killed by the tornado, Superman is all set to go and save him... but Jonathan signals for him not to as he doesn't believe the world is ready to see Superman's powers. He then dies, devastating Superman and Martha.

This was an interesting idea, but was poorly executed. Jonathan's death felt so avoidable and surely Superman could've been allowed to use his powers just this once? In the middle of a tornado no-one would've noticed.

There's a similarly off scene earlier on in which Jonathan seems to be telling Clark off for using his powers... to save a school bus full of children. Oh come on Jonathan!

Contributor

Film Studies graduate, aspiring screenwriter and all-around nerd who, despite being a pretentious cinephile who loves art-house movies, also loves modern blockbusters and would rather watch superhero movies than classic Hollywood films. Once met Tommy Wiseau.