Man of Steel

## Release chronology

"*You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun, Kal. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders.*"
―Jor-El to Kal-El
***Man of Steel*** is a 2012 superhero film based on the DC Comics superhero Superman. It is the 1st film in the DC Extended Universe and the 1st installment of the Golden Age. It was released on June 14, 2012.

The film is followed by *Man of Steel: Enter the Knight* in 2015 and *Man of Tomorrow* in 2027.

The film introduces Superman, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, General Zod, Jor-El, Jonathan Kent, Martha Kent, Perry White, Martian Manhunter, and Carol Ferris into the DCEU.

## Synopsis

Kal-El is sent to Earth after the destruction of his home world Krypton. Now, with the help of Lois Lane he must embrace his destiny as the Superman when the survivors of Krypton, led by General Zod plans to terraform Earth into the New Krypton.

## Plot

With Krypton destabilized from mining of the planet's core, Jor-El, chief advisor to Krypton's supreme council, recommends the council give him control of the genetics codex. Before any action can be taken, soldiers led by General Zod, an old friend of El's, launch an uprising and arrest the councilors. Realising that Krypton is doomed, El steals the genetic codex sought by Zod and infuses them into the DNA of his infant son, Kal-El – the first naturally born Kryptonian child in centuries. Donning his old armor, El sacrifices his life to allow his son to escape on a preprogrammed spacecraft. Zod's rebellion is suppressed by the council and are sentenced to the Phantom Zone after being convicted of treason. Krypton explodes soon after.

Following El's coordinates, the ship crash lands on Earth in Smallville, Kansas. A childless couple, Jonathan and Martha Kent, find Kal-El and raise him as their own, naming him Clark. Clark eventually becomes an isolated young man as a result of developing superhuman powers which he tries to hide from others. He then learns his true origins from Jonathan, who urges him to keep his powers hidden. Several years later, Jonathan dies in a tornado while refusing to let Clark rescue him. Burdened with guilt and looking for a new purpose in his life, Clark leaves to travel the world for an extended period of time under several disguises.

Several months later, *Daily Planet* reporter Lois Lane receives an assignment to investigate the discovery of a Kryptonian outpost in the Canadian Arctic. Disguised as a worker, Clark enters the outpost and activates its central computer using a key left by Jor-El, which allows him to communicate with an artificial intelligence modeled after his father. The AI explains that Clark was sent to Earth to guide its people, and presents him with a Kryptonian uniform bearing his family's symbol. While following Clark, Lois inadvertently triggers the ship's security system. Clark uses his powers to rescue Lois before wearing the uniform and testing his flying 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, after hearing of Jonathan Kent's sacrifice, Lois drops the story, keeping Clark's identity safe, despite Perry's suspicions.

Escaping the Phantom Zone, Zod and his crew intercept a transmission from the outpost and travel to Earth. Deducing that Kal-El is nearby, they broadcast a global address demanding that he surrender or risk war. Clark meets with the United States Air Force and agrees to comply, with Lois joining him as a hostage. Zod reveals that he possesses numerous terraforming devices, the largest called a World Engine, which he salvaged from Kryptonian outposts, which he intends to use to transform Earth into a new Krypton. His science officer, Jax-Ur, extracts Clark's genes to create Kryptonian colonists who will annihilate humanity and build a society based on Zod's ideals of genetic purity.

With help from Jor-El, Clark and Lois flee and warn the U.S. military after an explosive confrontation between Clark and Zod's troops in Smallville, just as Zod orders an invasion. Zod deploys the World Engine from the Kryptonian ship, which touches down in the Indian Ocean and begins firing a beam through the planet towards the ship, severely damaging Metropolis, and initiating the terraforming strategy. Given the codename "Superman", Clark destroys the terraforming platform while the military launches a suicide attack, 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 the Earth and its inhabitants just to spite Superman. The two Kryptonians engage in a lengthy battle across Metropolis, which concludes when Superman is forced to kill Zod as he attacks a family in a train station.

### Epilogue

Superman persuades the government to let him act independently, so long as he does not turn against humanity. To allow access to dangerous situations without attracting attention, Clark takes a job as a freelance reporter for the *Daily Planet*.

**Mid-credits scene**: -

**Post-credits scene**: -

## Cast

### Main characters

* Henry Cavill as Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman
	+ Dylan Sprayberry as 14 year old Clark
* Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Lois Lane
* Diane Lane as Martha Kent
* Russell Crowe as Jor-El
* Jack Quaid as Jimmy Olsen
* Harry Lennix as General Calvin Swanwick

### Side characters

* Christina Wren as Carol Ferris
* Richard Schiff as Dr. Emil Hamilton
* Christopher Meloni as Colonel Nathan Hardy
* Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent
* Ayelet Zurer as Lara Lor-Van
* Laurence Fishburne as Perry White

### Antagonist(s)

* Michael Shannon as General Dru-Zod
* Antje Traue as Sub-Commander Faora Hu-Ul
* TBA as Nam-Ek
* TBA as Tor-An
* TBA as Jax-Ur
* Samantha Win as Car-Vex
* TBA as Dev-Em II
* TBA as Nadira
* TBA as Gor

## Appearances

### Characters

SupermanLois LaneGeneral ZodFaora Hu-UlJor-ElPerry WhiteJimmy OlsenMartha KentJonathan KentCalvin SwanwickCarol FerrisLara Lor-VanEmil.jpgEmil HamiltonHardy.jpgNathan HardyName.jpgNam-EkToran.jpgTor-AnJaxur.jpgJax-UrCarvex.jpgCar-VexDevem.jpgDev-Em IINadira.jpgNadiraGor.jpgGor
#### Mentioned

* Brainiac (referenced)
* Rao (inscriptions)

### Locations

* Multiverse
	+ Earth-1
		- Space Sector 2813
			* Rao
			* Krypton
				+ Argo City
				+ House of El Citadel
		- Space Sector 2814
			* Sol
			* Moon
			* Mars
			* Earth
				+ Canada
					- Fortress of Solitude
						* Genesis Chamber
				+ United States of America
					- Smallville
						* Kent Farm
					- Metropolis
						* LexCorp Tower
	+ Phantom Zone

### Events

* Fall of Kandor (referenced)
* Destruction of Krypton
* Black Zero Event

### Items

* Black Zero
* Growth Codex
* House of El Command Key
* Kryptonian Supersuit
* Kal-El's starcraft
* World Engines

### Species

* Humans
* Kryptonians
* Green Martians

### Organizations

* *Daily Planet*
* Council of Krypton
* House of El
* LexCorp
* Metropolis City Police Department
* Sapphire Guards
* S.T.A.R. Labs
* Sword of Rao
* United States Army
* Wayne Enterprises

## Production

In 2009, it was announced that there would be a new Superman film that would launch a cinematic universe of DC characters. Henry Cavill and Mary Elizabeth Winstead were cast as Superman and Lois Lane shortly after the announcement.

Filming began on August 2010.