"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" director Zack Snyder hit back on criticism of the climactic final battle in 2013's "Man of Steel." In the city-destroying climax between Superman and fellow Kryptonian General Zod, thousands of civilians were destroyed and the damage was, reportedly"worse than 9/11."
It ends up becoming a major plot point in the sequel, "Batman v Superman." The two comic legends are at odds partly because of the damage Superman caused from his huge battle.
"Man of Steel" film received heavy criticism for the images of mass destruction and the number of people killed onscreen. But, speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Snyder said it was actually last year's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" which has the highest civilian death toll. As WSJ reported:
Snyder was mystified when someone told him that they couldn’t think of a movie in recent memory that’s had as much collateral damage as “Man of Steel.” “I went, really? And I said, well, what about ['Star Wars: The Force Awakens']?” the director says. “In ‘Star Wars’ they destroy five planets with billions of people on them. That’s gotta be one of the highest death toll movies in history, the new ‘Star Wars’ movie, if you just do the math.”
Snyder is referencing a scene late in "The Force Awakens." When the First Order activates Starkiller Base, a superweapon that draws energy from the sun, it destroys the Hosnian system. The film only briefly discusses the explosion of Hosnian Prime and the surrounding planets, but we know that five in total were incinerated, dealing a huge blow to the New Republic.
Since 2013's "Man of Steel," it seems like more and more superhero films have begun addressing the issue of civilian deaths.
In contrast to "Man of Steel," the sequel "Batman v Superman" takes time to tell audiences its climactic battle pitting the heroes against Doomsday takes places in abandoned areas without civilians. Over in the Marvel universe, 2014's "Avengers: Age of Ultron," saw the Marvel heroes evacuating the small nation of Sokovia, where the final battle against Ultron took place.
It's an interesting emerging trope, to remind heroes that often the people they're trying to protect with their super powers get caught in the crossfire of their huge battles. The upcoming Marvel film "Captain America: Civil War" will also deal with the collateral damage of these super battles, as the heroes are divided on how to prevent more civilian deaths during their missions.
With dozens more big budget action films planned over the next few years, we'll see how the superhero genre addresses this more realistic trend.
"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" arrives in theaters March 25.
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