They're not unstoppable to each other. That's my point. They're on an even playing field.
Could Zod kill Superman in a fight and vice versa?
Also, Zod:
Last edited by a moderator:
They're not unstoppable to each other. That's my point. They're on an even playing field.
Could Zod kill Superman in a fight and vice versa?
Also, Zod:
My point is basically, is he Bane or Ra's al Ghul?
Ra's al Ghul could probably have fought for hours on that train if it was a circular rail, whereas Bane would beat Batman to death, which is he?
Probably a mixture of both.
1David S. Goyer from Entertainment Weekly said:"People were bred to be warriors or scientists or what-have-you, and there's a whole element in the movie about nature versus nurture," Goyer says. EW adds, "Kal-El is unique because he's a natural conception, free from genetic manipulation to choose his own course in life - which also makes his existence highly illegal."
The reason Superman is different has nothing to do with vulnerabilities or Kryptonite, it's a genetic notability, and just unique, not necessarily advantageous.
1
This is most likely taken from John Bryne's run with Superman, given the inclusion of Krypton's indulgence of genetic manipulation, and makes sense given Krypton's current state of civil war. Personally, I like this spin; if anything, Superman could potentially very well be seen as an anomaly or lesser-than-equal by the "genetically superior" Kryptonians like Dru-Zod or Faora. This might also imply that Zod may be more powerful than Superman.
I wasn't so much ragging on Superman's uniqueness, as I was talking more broadly about how they might tackle the character's physical weaknesses in the film without Kryptonite given his godlike powers. Especially trying to relate it to mainstream audiences.
It's not like it was needed for Thor or Hulk, especially in the Avengers film. Just make a threat that equals or surpasses their abilities, and the playing field is at least evened. There's, I believe, at least four antagonist Kryptonians in Man of Steel, and all are just as strong as Superman with military training and possibly stronger due to genetic engineering.
Kryptonite is more of a needed element when the antagonist is seeking to outmaneuver Superman (ie, Lex Luthor, Brainiac in some cases) or overcome him (Metallo), not for antagonists that can defeat him by overpowering him (Doomsday, Mongul, Darkseid, Zod, Lobo, etc.)
Besides, it'd be difficult - and more importantly, unnecessary - to include Kryptonite when the antagonists are universally Kryptonians. It's not impossible and could probably be done well if properly conceived, but it's about time the general audiences were brought out of woeful ignorance that you need Kryptonite to defeat Superman. That's a horribly outdated misconception, and is part of the reason people think he's impossible to relate to.
It's not impossible and could probably be done well if properly conceived, but it's about time the general audiences were brought out of woeful ignorance that you need Kryptonite to defeat Superman. That's a horribly outdated misconception, and is part of the reason people think he's impossible to relate to.
Everything you've just stated is essentially my point, I was attempting to play Devil's Advocate for the mainstream audiences to gauge whether or not these types of scenarios have been executed well within the realm of the comics, of which my own knowledge is limited as well. It worked within the context of Thor's universe because he was fighting giant ****ing Frost Giants until he's de-powered for half the movie, until finally he needs four allies just to best one weapon sent from where he comes from. In The Avengers, it's an entire army and the rest essentially explains itself.
If they make the Kryptonians a convincing enough threat without it seeming hammy/campy and ridiculous, I can see it working, but only if they do it right.
Sounds like Jor-El character on his own held the belief to be something more than what he is, and that philosophy guided his decision to keep Kal-El from being confined to Kryptonian genetic philosophy, where your destiny is per-determined even before conception.Jor-El said:"What if a child dreamed of becoming something other than what society had intended? What if a child aspired to something greater?"