Zack Snyder on his critics: "You're living in an f-ing dreamworld!"

[JAK]

Yes, taking a life is something Clark should feel bad about. Because it means he failed. He's real big on redemption. We gotta remember that Clark has seen real, true, pure evil, and punched it in the face. After dealing with things like Darkseid, Satanus & Blaze, and Doomsday, do Lex Luthor or Zod *really* look evil?

Clark *will* kill. He's done it in almost every era and in almost every media adaptation. He's got a surprisingly high body count, especially if we include sentient beings that dont look human. So yeah, Clark will stiffen his upper lip and take a life if there's no other way. But he considers it a failure on his part; he's the guy who's supposed to do the impossible, and if he can't find a way to contain a threat then, in his mind, he's failed.

There's also the issue of his morality. Clark sees the world in black and white. An act is either right or wrong and he seems to struggle with morally gray choices. As his famous quote goes "there is right and wrong in this universe and that distinction is not hard to make." Dude does not see life the way most of us do, he doesn't understand the way intention and circumstance can change right and wrong the same way we do. And in his mind killing is wrong. So when he's presented with a situation where he has to kill in order to do the right thing and save lives, how does he reconcile that?

And given Clark's long-view, big-picture mentality, he also sometimes feels like he's removing a potential hero in the world when he takes a life. Consider the number of times Lex (and Zod too) have ended up helping save the world. If Clark had killed Lex in one of their first encounters, the world would've ended several times over without Lex's involvement (Our Worlds At War comes to mind, where Lex was pivotal in saving earth, as well as Forever Evil). If Clark takes a life, he worries he's condemning the future by removing someone who might make a difference.

And in Zod's case, this is one of the only remaining Kryptonians in the universe. Killing Zod isn't just killing one man, but also killing the chances of Clark's race being repopulated.

Well done, sir. I'll never be wild about the times he does in any medium, but then that's also partly my affinity for the character talking. When the narrative fails, though, it's game over. (which, from the looks of things, it is - and frankly much faster than I anticipated).

Questions, is the act of killing or killing of zod, superman should feel bad about?
If its killing of zod, then what about the collateral damage and deaths that happened that day?
Shouldn't superman feel more bad about that, than killing a monster?
If its the act of killing is what superman should feel bad about?
then my second question still stands. Shouldn't superman feel more bad about the collateral,than his moral integrity?
Personally, i don't care zod got killed.

It's not one or the other. It's both. He should feel badly about both. Ascended said it perfectly. Just because there's a justification doesn't change anything. Heck, you can justify basically anything if you squint hard enough. It doesn't change the act.

You may not care that Zod got killed - this is a natural action movie response. Bad guy does horrible things, so he deserves to die. So he does. But it's not about you and how you feel, it's about Clark's worldview and how that would shape *his* reaction to "what he had to do." And it's on a director and writer to sell that to an audience if that's the character they're using.

That didn't answer my other questions. I am sorry. And your answers screams self righteous jackass who gives more priority towards his moral integrity,than the lives that were lost .because let's face it "his leap of faith" didn't turn out that great.
How am i supposed to connect to a guy who feels more bad about killing, than the lives of the people that died that day? They were thousands. Those lives mattered more than the jackass that decided to commit a genocide or superman's code. Its like saying Superman should feel bad for killing someone like hitler or stalin while they were on their killing spree. I am sorry this is beyond me.
Oh!the guy that decided to become a vigilante doesn't understand there is a subjective nature to morality.that is not credible.
Edit-i have no problem with superman doing penance or whatever. But, it has to be for the right reasons.

He's a self-righteous jackass if he feels badly about killing? Okie-dokie, then...

Why is Zod not responsible for putting himself in a position where somebody had no choice to kill him?

This is exactly the problem with these types of conversations when it comes to this conversation. That the onus is on Superman and Superman alone to create an outcome where no one dies. It's like the critics of this scene ignore that Zod was the one who invaded Earth, Zod was the one who lured Superman aboard his ship in bad faith, Zod was the who wanted to commit genocide of the human race and in the end it was Zod who wanted the fight not Clark. Frankly it comes across as victim blaming.

Of course Zod is responsible. Doesn't change Clark's reaction to it. But for me, the onus isn't on Superman. It's on the writers. If Ocean's Eleven can have the surprise twist ending it had where you think there's no way out but then you spend the next 10 minutes amazed... I'd love to see that concept in a Superman movie.

And if having this conversation is a problem, maybe WB will learn not to touch this with a ten-foot pole next time a director has the bright idea to do it just for the sake of doing it.