A destructive conflict with a faction of militant surviving Kryptonians led by General Zod results in extensive damage to Metropolis, creates a moral divide amongst humanity, and draws the attention of Bruce Wayne / Batman, who would confront Kent for his actions.

With no means to avoid the destruction of the planet, Jor-El and Lara infuse the DNA of their son with a codex containing the genetic information for future Kryptonian births, before sending him to Earth on a pre-programmed starship.

As a child, Clark becomes isolated as a result of developing superhuman powers which he tries to hide from others, but one incident sees him single-handedly lift a school bus carrying his classmates from sinking into a river.

In 2013, Kent ventures to Canada, first getting a job as a bartender but later finding work with a drilling company that has discovered an object that turns out to be a Kryptonian scout ship.

Unable to convince supervisor Perry White to publish an article on the incident, Lane tracks down Kent back to his family home in Kansas, intent on finding the truth.

Without revealing his identity and wearing the Kryptonian uniform, Kent meets with the United States Air Force and agrees to comply, with Lane joining him as a hostage.

Kent destroys the World Engine while the military launches a suicide attack on the ship, sending Zod's troops back to the Phantom Zone.

In the aftermath, Kent adopts a separate public identity with the military codename Superman and persuades General Calvin Swanwick to let him act independently, so long as he does not turn against humanity.

In 2017, in wake of an invasion by the demonic New God Steppenwolf, Prince teams up with Wayne to create their own metahuman group, recruiting Barry Allen, Arthur Curry / Aquaman, and Victor Stone.

Without Superman to aid them, the five heroes travel to a village in Russia where Steppenwolf aims to unite the Mother Boxes once again to remake Earth for his nephew and superior Darkseid who is the ruler of the planet Apokolips.

Superman arrives, remembering his promise to help Batman after Lane reminds him, and assists Allen in evacuating the city, as well as Stone, in separating the Mother Boxes.

Superman picks out a black-colored version of his skinsuit from the scout ship and gets the Justice League's whereabouts from Bruce's butler Alfred Pennyworth, then intercepts a killing blow from Steppenwolf meant for Stone, proceeding to freeze the New God's axe and brutally overpower him, burning off his right horn with his heat vision.

[3] In 2022, he and the Justice League, with the exception of Batman and Cyborg, are called by Waller to assist Christopher Smith / Peacemaker in facing the Butterfly army but arrive too late, missing the fight.

While Reeve's performance was widely regarded as one of the greatest in film history, the series was placed in jeopardy following the critical and commercial failure of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.

With Routh's contract to portray Superman expiring in 2009, Warner Bros. decided to reboot the franchise, beginning to take pitches on ideas to restart the film series.

During the production of the Dark Knight trilogy of Batman films, which later saw tremendous success, producer David S. Goyer told director Christopher Nolan his idea regarding how to present Superman in a modern context.

I only know the way that has worked for us that's what I know how to do," emphasizing the idea that Batman exists in a world where he is the only superhero and a similar approach to the Man of Steel would assure the integrity needed for the film.

"[19] In an interview with Total Film magazine, Cavill stated he had been consuming nearly 5,000 calories a day, training for over two hours daily and plowing protein to pack on the muscle mass.

[2] At the time, it was unconfirmed whether Cavill would reprise the role again, though he stated in 2021 that he was still open to portraying the character, specifically that "There is still a lot of storytelling for me to do as a Superman, and I would absolutely love the opportunity.

[25] Cavill later confirmed following the film's release that he was back as the character long-term, and that his appearance in Black Adam was "a very small taste of things to come".

[27][28] However, plans for further appearances from the actor were shafted in later that month in October 2022 upon the newly-christened DC Studios' change in leadership under new heads James Gunn and Peter Safran.

Specifically, the crest and biceps of the updated suit incorporate a quote from Joseph Campbell written in the Kryptonian language developed for the films: "Where we had thought to stand alone, we will be with all the world".

Many reviewers interpreted Man of Steel as a religious allegory, especially since Warner Bros. set up a website www.manofsteelresources.com that contains "a nine-page pamphlet entitled Jesus – The Original Superhero".

Craig further states there is an allegory to the Trinity within Man of Steel: "Jor-El returns to Kal-El on Earth as a ghost, guiding his budding superhero son on his path to salvation.

[40] In addition, film critic Matt Zoller Seitz notes that Cavill and Sprayberry portray a Clark Kent/Superman riddled with conflict on how to display his powers without being labeled a "freak" and dealing with the aftermath of traumatic events from his life, but is forced out of his comfort zone with the arrival of General Zod on Earth.

Zoller Seitz also comments that Cavill does not showcase Superman's signature confidence as Christopher Reeve did due to the character's internal conflict in the film.

While Cavill's portrayal of Clark Kent's inner turmoil and chemistry with co-star Amy Adams was praised,[41] other critics commented on perceived stiffness and a lack of charisma in Man of Steel.

In a positive review of the film, Richard Corliss wrote, "The movie finds its true, lofty footing not when it displays Kal-El's extraordinary powers, but when it dramatizes Clark Kent's roiling humanity.

[50] However, Adam Holmes of CinemaBlend counters that Clark is still inexperienced as a superhero in Man of Steel, learning from his mistakes by Batman v Superman, in which he successfully drives Doomsday to space.

[22][54] Contrarily, critics praised Superman's character arc in the "Snyder Cut" as being more natural, with some claiming that the best scenes in the movie involved Henry Cavill.