Batman Vs Superman: 20 Big Questions That Still Need Answers

18. Is Killing Still An Option?

Zack Snyder has said that killing General Zod is the thing that changes Superman forever, and in the mythos of his comics his refusal to kill is his golden rule - even though the rule has been broken many, many times. Even in his original incarnation by Siegel and Shuster he reserved killing for "only when it was absolutely necessary." And in the case of Man Of Steel, for Superman and for the planet Earth, it was absolutely necessary. The killing changed Superman. It's like going to war: you can imagine what it'd be like to take another life, but only when you hold that life in your hands and feel it disappear do you understand the weight of your decision to take it away. Couple killing Zod with witnessing the suffering of thousands because of something you feel you're responsible for, and that's motivation enough for a change in tactics. Batman is going to have to match that same ethic and, on top of the destruction, Superman's decision to kill Zod could make him angry enough to drive them toward confrontation. The most intriguing aspect of the Batman/Superman ethic is watching how the Dark Knight deals with Superman's decision to kill Zod- how it frames his opinion and assessment of Superman, and whether he will be compelled to predetermine that his only option is to bend his own mostly non-fatal ethics.