8. Jonathan Kent's Death
One of the strongest moments in Man of Steel is a flashback depicting Jonathan Kent's death. A tornado is about to ravage Smallville, and Jonathan is going to be swept up in it, but as Clark motions to save him, Jonathan raises his hand up, insisting that Clark not reveal himself because there are others around. This references an earlier conversation between Jonathan and a young Clark that perhaps he should have let the school bus full of children that careens into the lake drown, given the danger of outing himself to the world before he is capable of contending with it. Jonathan, never one to have a double standard, sacrifices himself for Clark's secret in an emotionally riveting moment that proves far more involving than the typical Pa Kent demise of him simply dying of a heart attack. This is a death packed with ideology and meaning, and it's easily one of the best scenes in the film.