6. Jonathan Kent
The Problem There are actually a host of problems with Man of Steels Jonathan Kent. Nothing against Kevin Costner, he did the best he could with what he had. But this movie seems to want to downplay Jonathan Kent in favor of elevating Jor-El (a similar argument could be made for Superman: The Movie given the limited present of Glenn Ford over Marlon Brando). Jonathans insistence that Clark keep this side of himself hidden is understandable, and its in-character, but it goes a bit too far in the culmination with the twister scene when Jonathan meets his end. One of the best scenes in Superman: The Movie was when Jonathan gives a teenage Clark this great speech about how hes here for a reason. Jonathan then dies from a heart attack and at the funeral, Clark says, all those things I could doall those powersand I couldnt even save him. It was an incredibly humanizing moment for the character. But in Man of Steel, Clark
can save Jonathan given that he dies in a very physical way. I get its supposed to be a choice he makes to protect his son, but it robs us of this opportunity of Clark realizing that even he has limits.
The Fix If youre going to kill Jonathan Kent, I think its important that he dies of natural causes and not from something Clark possesses the ability to stop. Jonathan should not only try to protect Clark, but also be encouraging him, helping him find a path. Show us more about Jonathan helping Clark understand how to live with these powers and how to help people. The scene when Jonathan basically says that this secret is more important than people is going too far. Jonathan Kent is supposed to give Clark his responsibility.