6. A Tale of Two Fathers
The main thematic element Snyder and Goyer looked to tackle in
Man of Steel was Clark's internal struggle as he copes with being a child of two worlds. Born on Krypton, he is of course raised in Kansas by Jonathan and Martha Kent. As he grows up, he's forced to decide what kind of man he wants to be and if he should embrace his Kryptonian nature of his Earthly nurture. Nolan's superhero movies (since he's a producer on
Man of Steel, I'm counting this on his résumé) have done an excellent job at giving our protagonist strong father figures. Bruce Wayne had Alfred there to guide him along the way and now Kal-El has both Jor-El and Pa Kent to instill the values that will define him as a symbol of hope.
Man of Steel does a very good job at illustrating the different relationships Kal-El has with his two fathers. Even as a newborn baby, Jor-El knew that his son would be a "god" to the people of Earth. He had high hopes that Kal would become a bridge between two worlds, showing how Kryptonians and humans can live together. Jor-El's plan all along was for Kal-El to use his powers and give the people of Earth "an ideal to strive towards" and help them "accomplish wonders." On the other hand, Jonathan Kent takes a very different approach to raising a boy with these abilities. Several times, he urges Clark to "keep this side of himself a secret" in fear that his adoptive son will become an outcast. During the early part of Clark's life, Kent wanted him to live a normal life. People are afraid of what they don't understand and he only wanted the best for his son. Kent knew that the truth would eventually come out (there's the scene when he tells Clark that whatever man he grows up to be "will change the world") but he wanted it to happen when Clark was ready. When you really look at it, Kent was concerned about his son's best interests. It makes sense for him to have matured into a grown man before he dons the cape and becomes Superman.
The teachings of these two fathers help shape Kal-El/Clark into the hero we all know. The audience begins to understand the
why behind Clark's decision to be the world's first superhero. During the first part of the film, he's lost and looking for his place in this world. Hopping from job to job, he never quite fits in despite his best intentions. When he meets the holographic Jor-El in the Kryptonian ship, he finally understand his purpose and why he was put on Earth. Putting the lessons of Jor-El and Kent together, Clark decides at long last he is ready to show the world who he really is and defend the people of Earth. The time was finally right to see if the world was ready. One of the strongest aspects of
Man of Steel was the emotional conflict Kal-El had. It allowed the audience to become emotionally invested in his character and made this super-powered alien relatable in some regards. It's a tough thing to pull off, but Goyer and Snyder did it.