The DC Extended Universe has certainly had its ups and down over the years, although Warner Bros. is showing plenty of optimism for its upcoming slate of releases.
The Suicide Squad will lead the way this summer on HBO Max and in theaters while next year has major outings like The Batman and Black Adam in the final stages of production as well.
While more than half a dozen films are currently in development and more are planned for later, it all started with 2013's Man of Steel from Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan.
This film decided to take somewhat of a new direction with Superman by focusing more on his alien origins than past outings, solidifying his standing as a product of both Krypton and Earth. Featuring the destruction of his homeworld while also showing the hero fight his own people in Metropolis, Man of Steel put forth its best efforts to highlight the two key origins from Superman's background.
However, the latest interview surrounding this movie shows that it wasn't an easy path to get the details squared away on what actually took place during the plot.
MISCOMMUNICATION ON MAN OF STEEL PLOT DETAILS
Man of Steel writer David Goyer spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about his time in the entertainment industry, specifically touching on his run with the DCEU's first movie.
When asked what was the worst note he's even been given by a studio, he reflected on Warner Bros. asking how Superman was "ever going to get back home to Krypton" if he used the pod in which he arrived on Earth to defeat General Zod.
Goyer recalled a long pause after this question was raised by WB, to which he replied "Krypton blew up. You saw 30 minutes of it:"
"One note I got was on Man of Steel, where the ending involves Superman utilizing the pod that he arrived in as a child in order to bring down General Zod’s ship. The note we got from the studio said, 'You have to change that.' We asked why. They said, 'Because if Superman uses that pod and it’s destroyed while saving the city, how is he ever going to get back home to Krypton?' There was just this long pause and we said, 'Krypton blew up. You saw 30 minutes of it!'"
PROBLEMS RIGHT FROM THE START FOR DC
Taking into account that the destruction of both Krypton and General Zod's ship were two pivotal points in Man of Steel at the beginning and end of the movie, this seems like a serious oversight on the part of Warner Bros.' executives.
In the DCEU's debut outing, Superman's home planet met its end within the early stages of the first act, with an infant Clark Kent being sent to Earth in a Kryptonian escape pod. This pod was later used to help penetrate the forcefield surrounding General Zod's terraforming World Engine before Clark took down the villain and his alien technology in one fell swoop.
Looking at how important Krypton's demise at the start of the film was, it seems almost incomprehensible that those overseeing the movie would overlook such a key event in the story. Superman even directly says "Krypton had its chance" to Zod face-to-face right before destroying the ship, doubling up on how mind-blowing it is that this story detail went over the heads of the WB executives.
Even with numerous disputes between Warner Bros. and its filmmakers in the time since this movie, the future is starting to come together as the DCEU continues its run in theaters.
Whether Henry Cavill's Superman will continue is a mystery for the time being, but there are clear plans for the Kryptonian legacy to continue in other entries.
