Man of Steel (DCEU)

**Man of Steel** is an American superhero film based on the DC character Superman. It is a reboot of the Superman film series, depicting the character's origin story, and the first installment of the DC Extended Universe, as well as the first Wave One film of the franchise. The film is directed by Zack Snyder and written by David S. Goyer.

## Plot

The planet Krypton is destabilizing from the mining of the planetary core. Just before the planet explodes, Krypton's top scientist, Jor-El, steals and infuses the genetics codex into his infant son, Kal-El, the first naturally born Kryptonian child in centuries. Jor-El manages to send Kal-El in a spacecraft toward Earth before being killed by General Zod during a coup d'état. Kal-El lands in Kansas, where he is adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent and named Clark. As he grows older, he develops superhuman powers that Jonathan urges him to keep hidden, even refusing Clark's help years later during a tornado storm where he loses his life. Burdened with guilt over Jonathan's death, Clark travels the globe hiding under various aliases, seeking a purpose in life.

*Daily Planet* reporter Lois Lane receives an assignment to investigate the discovery of a Kryptonian scout ship in the Arctic. Clark enters the ship disguised as a worker and learns from its artificial intelligence modeled after his father Jor-El about his origins, and that Clark was sent to Earth to guide its people. While following Clark, Lois inadvertently triggers the ship's security system, and he uses his powers to rescue Lois from its defenses. He wears a uniform provided by the ship's AI and begins testing his abilities. Unable to convince supervisor Perry White to publish an article on the incident, Lois tracks down Clark in Smallville, with the intent of exposing him. However, Lois drops the story upon hearing of Jonathan Kent's sacrifice, keeping Clark's identity safe while fueling Perry's suspicions.

Zod and his crew escape the Phantom Zone, where they were imprisoned for treason for their actions against Krypton. They travel to Earth to turn it into a new Krypton, possessing several terraforming devices salvaged from Kryptonian outposts. Following Clark and Lois' capture, Zod's science officer, Jax-Ur, extracts Clark's genes to create new Kryptonians who will build a society based on Zod's ideals of genetic purity. Using the Jor-El AI to take over the ship, Clark and Lois flee and warn the U.S. military of Zod's plan, resulting in a confrontation between Clark and Zod's troops.

Zod deploys his most powerful terraforming device, the World Engine, which severely damages Metropolis and risks humanity's extinction. Clark destroys the terraforming platform while the military launches an attack on the World Engine, sending Zod's troops back to the Phantom Zone. With the ship destroyed and Krypton's only hope of revival gone, Zod vows to destroy Earth and its inhabitants out of revenge. The two Kryptonians engage in a lengthy battle across Metropolis, which concludes when Clark kills Zod as he attacks a family trapped in a train station. Sometime later, Clark adopts the moniker “Superman” and persuades the government to let him act independently, under the condition he does not turn against humanity. To gain covert access to dangerous situations, he takes a job under his civilian identity, Clark Kent, as a reporter for the *Daily Planet*.

## Cast

* **Kal-El/Clark Kent** (portrayed by Henry Cavill) – A Kryptonian with superhuman powers and abilities, sent by his parents to Earth as an infant to escape the destruction of his homeworld, Krypton, and raised under the mental guidance of farmers in Smallville, Kansas, until he is inspired by the holographic message from his late father to become Earth's greatest protector.
	+ Cooper Timberline portrays the 9-year-old Clark Kent,
	+ Dylan Sprayberry portrays the 13-year-old Clark Kent.
* **Lois Lane** (portrayed by Amy Adams) – A reporter for the *Daily Planet* newspaper and the love interest of Clark Kent.
* **General Zod** (portrayed by Michael Shannon) — A Kryptonian general with the same superpowers as Superman, bent on transforming Earth into a new Krypton under his reign.
* **Jonathan Kent** (portrayed by Kevin Costner) – Clark's adoptive father.
* **Martha Kent** (portrayed by Diane Lane) – Clark's adoptive mother.
* **Perry White** (portrayed by Laurence Fishburne) – Editor-in-chief of the *Daily Planet* and the boss of Lois Lane.
* **Faora-Ul** (portrayed by Antje Traue) — General Zod's sub-commander and a commander of the Kryptonian military, who is completely devoted and loyal to Zod.
* **Lara Lor-Van** (portrayed by Ayelet Zurer) — Kal-El's biological mother and loyal wife to Jor-El.
* **Nathan Hardy** (portrayed by Christopher Meloni) – A United States Air Force Colonel, call sign “Guardian”, assigned to the United States Northern Command.
* **Jor-El** (portrayed by Russell Crowe) — A Kryptonian scientist who is Kal-El's biological father.
* **Calwin Swanwick** (portrayed by Harry Lennix) – A United States Army general officer and the deputy commander of United States Northern Command.
* **Carol Ferris** (portrayed by Christina Wren) – A United States Air Force officer and the assistant to General Swanwick.
* **Emil Hamilton** (portrayed by Richard Schiff) – A scientist who works with the United States Armed Forces for DARPA.

## Media

### Videos

Man of Steel - 4K Trailer - Warner Bros. Entertainment

## Future

### Follow-Up

* *Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (DCEU)*