This week marks the tenth anniversary of the film release of Man of Steel, which was released on June 14, 2013. It not only served as a reboot for the Superman film franchise but as the vehicle to launch the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Now the superhero film universe based on DC superheroes comes to an end this year starting with The Flash, which will serve as a soft reboot of the DCEU and transform it into the DC Universe (DCU).

One of the casualties of the DCEU reboot will be Superman himself, which is ironically fitting since his film launched the DCEU.

Man of Steel was directed by Zack Snyder, who presented a darker and more grounded version of Superman in a world filled with muted colors and stark lighting. At the same time, the film and other Snyder-centric DCEU films cast the title hero with mythological, god-like imagery that did not resemble comic book images but rather epic paintings with static poses and even more harsh lighting.

This became more prevalent in future DCEU films such as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, while Man of Steel was more grounded.

This unique approach to Superman was supposed to make him more relevant and relatable to modern audiences. As to whether or not that worked, is open for debate. Before Man of Steel, Superman was seen as a noble, larger-than-life do-gooder as best personified by the Christopher Reeve Superman films of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Thanks to Reeve’s classic performance it was difficult to imagine the superhero in any other kind of light. Even Superman Returns, the last Superman film before Man of Steel, did not veer from the Reeve interpretation of Superman, which led to a lot of criticism. In trying to make this version of Superman distinct from the traditional Boy Scout persona, it can be argued that Snyder veered too far from what made Superman so special. He is supposed to be a beacon of hope for humanity, which was ironic because he was actually an alien who grew up on Earth. Despite humanity’s faults, Superman adopted the best traits of his adopted species and served as an exemplar for the promise of humanity.

In Man of Steel, Superman aka Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) went through something of an identity crisis in an updated origin story. The film went through the typical Superman origin tropes but with new twists. Superman’s home planet, Krypton, was not the cold, crystalline and sterile civilization seen in the Christopher Reeve films. This Krypton was a planet embroiled in civil strife with a warring society that used what seemed to be technology based on programmable matter.

Superman’s origin was more tied to that of his nemesis, General Zod (Michael Shannon), in that Zod was at odds with Superman’s father, Jor-El (Russell Crowe). With the planet dying, Jor-El sends his newborn son, Kal-El, to Earth to have a chance at a new life. Before Kal-El is sent, he is embedded with genetic material called the Codex, which will provide the genetic means to recreate the Kryptonian race on another world.

After arriving on Earth, Kal-El is adopted by a human couple and grows up in a farm in Kansas. He struggles to fit in with society because of his developing super powers, which he has to keep hidden. Once he reaches adulthood, Kal-El who is now called Clark, sets out in the world to find himself and a purpose in life. During his journeys Clark clandestinely uses his powers to help people during emergencies.

Eventually he comes across the wreckage of a Kryptonian scout ship and activates an AI program that takes the image of Jor-El, who reveals to Clark his Kryptonian heritage. Under the guidance of the Jor-El AI, Clark learns to properly use his powers and adopts the famous Superman identity.

Soon after, Zod and his army arrive on Earth and establishes first contact with humanity, with the demand that Superman be turned over to him. Zod earlier learned that Kal-El was implanted with the Codex and wants to retrieve it to rebuild Kryptonian civilization on Earth, which he plans to terraform.

This creates an identity crisis for Superman as he is torn over siding with the human society he struggles to fit in with versus the Kryptonians, who he knows are malevolent. What complicates Superman’s decision is that once he is revealed to the world, he is immediately mistrusted by most of humanity who only see him as an alien threat.

What was interesting about this version of a Superman film was that the superhero was not received by the general public with open arms, but with suspicion. This is what would probably happen in reality if some unknown person was suddenly revealed to the world as an alien with superpowers.

While Man of Steel lacks the light-hearted humor and heart of previous Superman films, it makes up for it with its grounded and frankly more honest approach to the comic book legend. This approach by Snyder and writer David Goyer turned out to be divisive among fans.

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