Remember that Tornado scene from Man of Steel (spoilers)?

[Jon Clark]

I just think if you really need to see young Clark learn the very important lesson that not even Superman can save every person, every time, it might as well be seeing a beloved pet die, instead of seeing his father commit death by tornado... pointlessly. And really anyone who gets more caught up about Superman losing his pet than his dad has REALLY weird priorities.

In that movie, losing the pet was the worse outcome. Jonathan's death was the only thing that let Clark grow.

My only regret is that it wasn't Jonathan screaming for his life with Clark standing by mouthing "sorry, someone might see me) and grinning.

[Guy1]

Keep in mind it's a post 9/11 world, If Clark exposed himself to the world what would the government have done? The Kent's could have been disappeared/renditioned while Clark was at School only to have a guy standing in his now empty home telling him if you don't help us you'll never see your family again. You really want that? You'd ether have a Super-menace tearing up the world looking for his folks, or Super-slave doing the Governments dirty work.

OR

[Minerboh]

I hated that scene for the way Clark was staring like a dork with his mouth open (just can't understand why they force the actors to leave their mouths opened in intense scenes) and watching his stepdad risking his life for a reason that eludes me for the moment.

[Agent Z]

What makes me mad is the movie saying we earthlings are too stupid and ignorant to understand "special" people. I rolled my eyes at the mom whose child almost drown. Clark SAVE the kid's life. What does the mother do? She gets upset and runs to Ma Kent to complain. If a kid saved my child's life, I would think he is a gift from god.

The woman wasn't complaining and actually sounded pretty grateful to me. But it wasn't how many people were or were not afraid of Clark, it was the unwanted attention it would bring to a family that couldn't handle it. Remember how Jonathan had a bad heart in Smallville because of the stress of keeping Clark's secret? Imagine a 12 year old Clark going through that it

[Agent Z]

A lot of people seem to recall Jonathan on Smallville as this noble figure, and I think that's mostly because of Schneider's terrific performance. Smallville Pa was a dick: he laid the seeds for Clark's self-loathing of his alien nature that would psychologically cripple him for years, and straight-up was responsible for pushing Lex away from Clark back into the arms of his super-evil father, putting him on the path of becoming a tyrant and mass-murderer. He wasn't the paragon that gave the world its greatest hero, he was the self-righteous, pride-driven, spiteful judgmental ass who delayed said heroes ascendancy and guaranteed the existence of its greatest villain.



I can't entirely argue against that in context, but isn't unconditionally trusting people and putting their lives over his own self-interest a huge part of Superman's deal? Even the morality aside of Jonathan teaching his son that aside, even within the movie that makes him someone who teaches the narratively wrong lesson whose sole purpose is to hold Clark back from his destiny--unless you agree that it wasn't "time" for Superman to reveal himself until everyone on Earth would die if he didn't.



How does it teach that lesson at all? The whole "you can't save everyone=it's not worth bothering to save anyone" quandary is so played out and shallow, which is why I think its used much less these days.

Any mistakes that Jonathan may have made (Smallville or MoS) can be excused by the fact that there exists no 'How To Guide' on raising a teenage alien. I remember one episode when Clark actually asks his father if there was a time his parents were ever afraid of him.

[Dispenser Of Truth]

Any mistakes that Jonathan may have made (Smallville or MoS) can be excused by the fact that there exists no 'How To Guide' on raising a teenage alien. I remember one episode when Clark actually asks his father if there was a time his parents were ever afraid of him.

Some mistakes? Yes. Telling his son letting people die is acceptable for the sake of his own safety, or anything Smallville Jonathan ever did to Lex? Those aren't "figuring out how to raise a space-baby" problems, those are "you're selfish and terrible" problems. I get that some dads would tell some children to prize their own self-preservation--it's not noble, but it's an understandable instinct--but for a kid who can save more people than anyone else in the world, it's inexcusable. More importantly, even if it is justifiable, it's far enough afield as far as characterization goes that it isn't really any recognizable version of Jonathan Kent anymore.

[Superlad93]

Any mistakes that Jonathan may have made (Smallville or MoS) can be excused by the fact that there exists no 'How To Guide' on raising a teenage alien. I remember one episode when Clark actually asks his father if there was a time his parents were ever afraid of him.

True but then again we've had versions of Jonathan who have simply been better. The Kents idea has always been to bring the boy up to feel good about himself enough to say "there's nothing wrong with me". To take that boy out of what would likely be a life almost completely devoted to introspection and show him that he has something to offer. The thing has always been that Superman growing up is roughly a metaphor for any of us growing up and our parents helping us grow. While obviously there are books on child care it never really teaches about the real thing. That is something you've gotta deal with for yourself. Each child is different in there own way and there is no real "one size fits all" book for bringing them up. The parents just do their best and hope they did right by the kid.

This is the point of Superman growing up if you take away the bells and shiny things about it (powers, aliens, etc). So nah I don't give either Pa Kents a free pass of any sort. They were dicks and MOS's Pa was probably going crazy from dealing with weight of this secret.

I mean Birthright (the book that MOS is based off) did a Pa was had personal flaws that clashed with Superman's path in life, but they were set in on the stage of having an adopted kid. At one point Pa felt like Clark was discarding him and his family including his name. In a fit of rage he takes a sledge hammer to Clark's ship and nearly kills himself till Clark saves him. In the air they have a heart to heart and both find out were the other is coming from......like real characters in a real story would.

MOS Pa just freaked the hell out of this poor little boy with big weighty philosophical questions and ideas to add some much needed pressure to this boys already stressed and alienated life. Oh and he pulls no punches, he doesn't even try to break it down into softer terms for his (SCARED OUT OF HIS MIND) son. He just straight tells him "you're either gonna save us all or kill us all.....yeah....oh and 'you are my son'".

Then he kills himself in a tornado to scar his kid for life and make him gunshy about everything he ever does from then on ever. In the end Superman is forced out of hiding anyway by forces beyond his control so it's all moot in the end. What a crazy jerk of a dad.

[Pharozonk]

I laughed louder at that scene in the theater than I should have.

[The Red Monk]

I laughed louder at that scene in the theater than I should have.

Yeah, it was just unintentionally hilarious.

Kind of like the entirety of Frank Miller's The Spirit.

[exile001]

Yeah, it was just unintentionally hilarious. Kind of like the entirety of Frank Miller's The Spirit.

Oh please don't remind me. I paid to see that in the cinema.

[adkal]

I did an 'alternate approach' to the movie (posted over on FanFic), including an alternate approach to the tornado scene. One of the main changes I made leading up to this scene, though, was through having Clark actually be an investigative journalist prior to the ending of the movie, and him moving into journalism whilst still at school. Below is the extract of the tornado scene:





'Dad, you've seen the changes my writing has brought to this town, I know I can do more out there.'

'I know, Clark, I know, but...you're barely seventeen. Focus on college for now, please?'

'Dad, come on, I-'

'He has almost graduated, Jonathan,' interrupts Martha.

'Those are remote classes, Martha, and you heard Mr Phillips: Clark could be a great scientist or even an inventor. He can make a difference that way, the way he did when he fixed our thresher.'

'That's not fair, Dad. Please?'

'Son, just...give me this for now. Please? I just...it feels like you're growing up too fast.'

'Fine,' mumbles Clark, slumping into his seat.

Ahead of them they see the storm, and the abandoned cars. Clark leans forward, his eyes wide at first and then squinting, and then wide again. 'It's turning, Pa. It's going to head this way.'

'You're sure?'

'Positive.' Clark looks out of the back of the truck. 'There are too many cars back there to get everyone to turn around, and...no, it's picking up speed.'

'The ditch. Go. Go!'

They clamour out of the car and head to the ditch. Seeing a woman struggling with her children, Jonathan hurries forward to help. All around them panicking people are running, stumbling, falling, and children are crying and struggling.

'Pa!' shouts Clark, and Jonathan nods and shouts back, 'Be careful!'

Clark hurries to the nearest car and tugs at the belt holding in the child safety seat. The belt snaps and Clark pulls out the seat and hands it the child's mother, and tells her to get to the ditch. Martha ushers people to the ditch while Jonathan, Clark, and other people try to help those around them.

A woman stumbles and hurts her leg, and her daughters scream and try to help her up. Clark shouts to his father and the others: 'These are the last ones! Get to the ditch!' and hurries over to her and tells her to get on his back while he carries two of the girls under this arms and the third against his chest. The woman and the girls are screaming against the wind as Clark easily makes his way to the ditch. At the ditch, the woman, helped by Martha, slides off and slumps painfully to the ground, and Clark places two of the girls onto the ground and tries to coax off the one clinging to his neck. From the corner of his eye he sees Jonathan stumble and struggle against the wind.

'Honey, please, you have to let go. I need to go back and help.' The girl is screaming, crying into Clark's chest and Clark sees the winds getting stronger and Jonathan struggling more. 'Please, honey, let me go.' Cars are getting tossed into the air and the other two girls suddenly grab onto Clark's legs.

'Ma!' shouts Clark, desperately. 'Take them. I can save him.' Martha and the girls' mother try to get the girls to let Clark go and Clark, helpless, watches his father struggle.

'Don't,' Jonathan coughs, as he struggles to stand upright. 'You did good, son,' he whispers as he grabs at the side of a car. 'I'm proud of you.'

Clark screams in anguish, fighting every urge to pull the girls off him and rush to his father's aid, and Martha hides her face against his back.

'I made a choice that day, Ms Lane. A choice I knew my father would have wanted me to make, but it was the hardest one I had ever had to make. I could have removed the girls, but I would have hurt them in doing so. I could have rushed to him and saved him, but I would have hurt him and others around me in doing so.

'My father taught me that there is a right and a wrong in the universe and that the distinction isn't a difficult one, but that day the right felt so wrong. My father died in order to keep this secret. He died because the world wasn't ready for something like me.'

'I think the world's ready now, Clark. I really do.'






(If you want to read the rest (it's a little long at just under 30,000 words (and it isn't a complete rewrite as I didn't touch the Krypton scenes, for example)) then here's the link:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1034627...h-to-the-movie )