General Zod ’s death inSuperman IIis actually even worse thanMan Of Steel ’s version . The latter film ’s moment has become one of the most heavily debated scenes in superhero flick history . However , the path it play out in the other picture show ( at least in the original Richard Lester cut of meat , ) is much more controversial .

Zack Snyder’sMan Of Steelis one of the most polarizing superhero films in late memory , mostly in part due to Snyder ’s attempts to modernize Superman   on a more grounded layer . This takes the character in a management that is   deemed refutable by many , such as the parenting methods and death ofMan Of Steel’sJonathan Kent . None of these change , however , could come close to the reaction cause by Superman killing the film ’s villain , General Zod . just put , there was a cleared divide between sports fan who retrieve it work for this version of the persona and those who think it choke totally against everything he stand for .

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Jon Kent (AKA Superman’s Young Adult Son) with Kryptonite in the background

Ultimately , whether Zod ’s dying inMan Of Steelworked or not remains a raging debate . That being said , the moment does fit utterly within the context of the picture . The same can not be order forSuperman II , however , where Superman had far more reason not to vote down him . In that film , Christopher Reeves ' Supermandefeats General Zod in the Fortress of Solitude , wherein a diversion he uses the Fortress ' engineering to strip the scoundrel and his minions of their powerfulness and render them human . At that point , Superman hurl Zod down a deep chasm , seemingly to his dying , with his minions following case . Although Zod was undoubtedly a unnerving antagonist throughoutSuperman II , this enactment is incredibly unrelenting for the Man of Tomorrow , perhaps even more so thanMan of Steel’snotorious neck - snap because of the portion that border it .

InMan Of Steel , Superman is a relatively inexperienced superhero who does not know the extent of his powers . As a resolution , as powerful as he is , he could not recall to front Zod unless he truly tapped into his honest voltage . Zod ’s final minute are also spend trying to incinerate an innocent category . Between this and his inexperience , drink down Zod is Superman ’s last - resort choice , one that end up split up him . By contrast , whileSuperman II ’s Zod and his minions were holding Lois Lane hostage , there is no reason for Superman to kill him because release Zod man mean he no longer bewilder a tangible terror , which is in spades proven by him crushing his paw . The fact that this does n’t seem to faze him in the slightest is also quite jarring given that Reeves ' depiction of the graphic symbol is rather lighthearted and wholesome .

Overall ,   the dying of   General Zod inSuperman IImay not change the minds of viewer who dislike his last inMan Of Steel . This is especially true move over that the   Richard Donner Cut ( which many consider the superior reading of the film ) retcons Zod ’s destruction by having Superman reverse time and send him and his minions back tothe Phantom Zone .   Whether Superman should kill or not is a tricky case , but Zack Snyder and his crew build their version of the character to receive hardships to grow from , and the death of Zod was one such obstacle .

James Gunn’s Superman and Krypto comic

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Superman kneeling before General Zod with Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, and Ursa in the background in Superman II.

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