Man of Steel: Henry Cavill Addresses Superman Killing Zod

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Henry Cavill Addresses Man of Steel's Most Controversial Moment

By Justin Carter

Published Jul 10, 2018

Man of Steel star Henry Cavill discusses what Superman killing General Zod was intended to mean to the hero's larger arc.

It's been more than five years since Henry Cavill first stepped into the red boots of Superman in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel. At the time, he was defensive of the decision for Superman to snap General Zod's neck at the end of the film, but he also thought it would lead to him becoming the more classic version of the iconic hero.

"“The killing of Zod would have led to a wonderful reason why Superman never kills," Cavill said in a recent interview with Square Mile, "Not he never kills just because his dad said so one day." Because it was an "impossible scenario," this was a choice Clark made on his own. However, because Superman's subsequent appearances have been relegated to other films meant to establish the larger DC Extended Universe, there hasn't been an opportunity for the character to display growth.

"That's where the joy and glee comes from, and that sense of warmth from the character, which is his real superpower," Cavill continued. "It would have been a lovely coupling with the seriousness and the depth of Man of Steel.” Now that the moment's passed, Cavill is certainly ready to be Superman and the version that inspires people.

Cavill is still set to reprise his role as Superman in Man of Steel 2. Beyond the infamous Justice League mustache woes that stemmed from Mission: Impossible--Fallout, one thing that many came away with was that he seemed to be inching more toward the version of the DC hero everyone knows and loves.

In theaters July 27, Mission: Impossible--Fallout stars Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Henry Cavill, Sean Harris, Angela Bassett and Alec Baldwin.