Superman has not had a smooth flight in his first two films as part of a broader, shared film universe. Despite an earnest performance from Henry Cavill, Zack Snyder's version of the Man of Steel has (so far) been criticized as too grim and brooding in comparison to his comic book counterpart. Things look set to change when Superman returns from the dead in Justice League, though the creative minds behind this iteration remain committed to telling the story of Cavill's "more relatable" hero.
In an interview with Forbes, executive producer Deborah Snyder weighed in on what makes Zack Snyder's interpretation of the character so much more interesting in comparison to previous versions. "It’s about these journeys. I mean, Zack really loves Joseph Campbell and the hero’s journey," Snyder said. "And these characters are just so mythic, and their journeys– I always say their journeys are what we can relate to. Because we can’t relate to their powers, so what do you have? That’s the great thing about our Superman. He is more relatable."
Snyder continued, addressing fan concerns that this Superman is just too dark. "Someone said, 'It’s so dark,' and I go, 'Well, is it dark? He’s going through real problems that we go through as people every day.' To me that’s not dark, that’s life. We’re complicated people. And we’re making him in that way more relatable. So I don’t think that’s dark, I think that’s just who we are. People are complex, we’re not strictly just the good Boy Scout trying to do good. He does want to do good, and I think all of the the things Superman represents are who he is, but he also stumbles along the way and learns from it. To me, that’s so much more interesting."
These comments are very interesting, considering much of Batman v Superman illustrated people viewing Superman as more god than man. It's probably safe to say we'll see a lot more of Superman's "human" side when Justice League releases in 2017.
Do you agree with Snyder? What would you like to see from Cavill's Superman going forward? Sound off below!
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