3. The Consequences Of Superman
The gloriously destructive third act of Man of Steel left a large chunk of Metropolis in ruins with countless buildings destroyed and unimaginable amounts of property damage done to the city. Not to mention civilian casualties. It would be a gigantic missed opportunity if the sequel does not at least address the aftermath of the Superman and Zod fight. The consequences of these actions
has to be a major plot element in the next movie. The angle of the people not trusting Superman despite his heroic acts almost writes itself. I can easily picture a harrowing opening sequence for Man of Steel 2 with still images of crumbled buildings, a long line of "Have You Seen Me?" posters, and family mourning the loss of loved ones with a Lex Luthor voice over as he leads the campaign against Superman. This could potentially be a deep storyline with heavy morality issues similar to The Dark Knight and Batman refusing to "take off his mask and turn himself in" despite the Joker killing people. It would put Kal-El at an interesting crossroads as he attempts to earn the trust of his doubters. There are also plenty of personal consequences of Kal exposing his true nature. Unlike his caped crusading colleague, Superman does not wear a mask, so it's very easy to find out his secret identity. The lack of a mask puts those he cares about at risk, which is another element to explore as the villain could threaten Lois Lane, Martha Kent, Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, or anyone else. You could even throw in the "save the person you care about or save the world" cliché for good measure. The possibilities are endless here and I really hope the sequel goes down these routes. Speaking of Mr. Luthor...