50 Fun Facts About Man of Steel

Who plays Superman in Man of Steel?

He was the first non-American to play the part, and had lost Superman Returns to Brandon Routh.

Who directed Man of Steel?

Nolan produced and developed the story with writer David S. Goyer; del Toro turned it down for At the Mountains of Madness.

Man of Steel was the first film in which shared franchise?

James Gunn's Superman (2025) rebooted things again as the first film of the DC Universe.

Who plays General Zod?

Mortensen and Day-Lewis were considered; Terence Stamp played Zod in the Christopher Reeve era.

Who plays Jor-El?

Penn and Owen were considered; Crowe said he had not realised he would be wearing Spandex.

Who plays Jonathan and Martha Kent?

Costner was reportedly disappointed when he read the script after signing on.

Who plays Perry White, the first African-American to do so in a live-action film?

He based the character on the 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley, a friend and mentor.

Why is Krypton destabilising at the start of the film?

The Council ignores Jor-El's warnings and exiles Zod shortly before the planet blows.

What makes the infant Kal-El unusual among Kryptonians?

Jor-El hides the genetic codex of the whole race inside him before launching him to Earth.

What does Jor-El steal and hide inside his son?

Zod's scientist Jax-Ur later works out that it is encoded in Clark's cells.

Where are Zod and his followers imprisoned after their failed coup?

Krypton's destruction sets them free, and they spend 33 years searching for survivors.

How does Jonathan Kent die?

The refusal is meant to protect Clark's secret and leaves him burdened with guilt.

Where does Lois Lane first encounter Clark, investigating a buried Kryptonian ship?

The scout ship's Jor-El AI is what finally tells Clark who he is and gives him the suit.

What does Lois do when Perry White refuses to publish her story about the alien?

The leak later gets her arrested by the military alongside Clark.

Why does Lois ultimately keep Clark's secret after tracking him to Smallville?

She keeps fuelling Perry's suspicions all the same.

How long do Zod's forces wait after Krypton's destruction before detecting Clark?

Clark activating the scout ship is the signal that draws them to Earth.

What does Zod intend to do with the codex?

His genetic-purity plan would wipe out humanity, which is why Clark refuses to join him.

What is the name of Zod's most powerful terraforming device, deployed against Metropolis?

Clark destroys the platform on the far side of the planet while the military hits Zod's ship.

What does the military use to create the singularity that sends Zod's troops back to their prison?

It leaves Zod alone on Earth with nothing left to lose.

How does the climactic fight with Zod in Metropolis end?

Nolan opposed the killing until Goyer added the heat vision threatening trapped civilians.

What was Zod's fate in the original script before Snyder and Goyer changed it?

They asked DC Comics whether Superman would kill if he had no choice.

Who plays Zod's ruthless sub-commander Faora-Ul?

Gal Gadot was offered the role but was pregnant, which left her free to become Wonder Woman.

Which actresses were on the shortlist for Lois Lane alongside Amy Adams?

Adams had auditioned for Lois twice before, once for an unmade early-2000s film and once for Superman Returns.

During story talks on which Batman film did Goyer pitch Nolan his Superman idea?

Warner hired Nolan to produce and Goyer to write on the strength of The Dark Knight's success.

Whose family won a 2009 court ruling that pressured Warner Bros. to start a Superman film by 2011?

Otherwise the Siegel and Shuster estates could have sued for lost revenue on an unproduced film.

Which comics writer told Warner in 2008 to 'treat Superman Returns as the Ang Lee Hulk'?

Waid, Johns and Meltzer pitched too; Waid later ended up among the finished film's detractors.

Under what codename did filming begin in August 2011 near DuPage Airport?

Snyder shot in 2D and converted to 3D in post, wary of the format's limitations.

Which Illinois town stood in for Smallville?

Filming ran there from August 22 to 29, 2011.

Which Vancouver Island towns pass for Alaska in the film's first hour?

Their winter mist and rough seas did the job; the oil rig rescue was shot on Vancouver's North Shore.

What traditional feature is missing from the redesigned Superman suit?

Snyder said the producers tried to make trunks work with the darker suit but could not.

Who composed the score for Man of Steel?

He deliberately avoided John Williams's Superman March to separate the film from its predecessors.

What company's name appears on the satellite Zod destroys?

It was the first hint of the Batman crossover to come.

Roughly how much did Man of Steel gross worldwide?

That made it the highest-grossing solo Superman film and the ninth-biggest film of 2013.

Man of Steel was the second-highest-grossing reboot ever at the time. Which reboot was ahead of it?

Deadline reckoned Man of Steel turned a healthy profit despite the $225-258 million budget.

Which retailer hosted a Thursday-night screening programme that earned the film $12M before opening day?

Promotional tie-ins reportedly earned the film over $160 million in total.

As of 2025, what approval score did Man of Steel hold on Rotten Tomatoes?

Even the site's own senior editor said on air that she was shocked by the reception.

Where did Man of Steel hold its premiere in June 2013?

It opened wide four days later, on June 14.

Which director planned a Superman Returns sequel subtitled Man of Steel before the reboot?

Warner's Jeff Robinov said Superman Returns 'didn't quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to'.

Which shelved early-2000s project had the film's star originally been cast in?

Amy Adams had auditioned for Lois in that same unmade film.

Who plays Colonel Nathan Hardy, call sign 'Guardian'?

Harry Lennix's General Swanwick would later be revealed as Martian Manhunter in the Snyder Cut of Justice League.

Which actress voices Kelor, the Kryptonian service robot?

Julia Ormond had been announced as Lara before dropping out; Ayelet Zurer took that role.

Which director was Warner Bros.' top choice in 2017 for a Man of Steel sequel that never happened?

Snyder had once considered Brainiac and Metallo as sequel villains before Batman v Superman took over.

Which 2016 film served as Man of Steel's direct sequel?

Snyder announced at Comic-Con 2013 that Batman would appear in the follow-up.

What job does Clark take at the end of the film to get covert access to dangerous situations?

He first persuades the government to let him operate independently.

Where was Krypton built as a set?

Cinematographer Amir Mokri shot on Panavision anamorphic lenses.

Which two acclaimed actors were also considered for General Zod?

Michael Shannon won the part; Snyder called Zod one of Superman's most formidable enemies.

Which director turned down the reboot to work on an adaptation of At the Mountains of Madness?

He had worked with writer David S. Goyer on Blade II; Zemeckis, Affleck, Aronofsky and Tony Scott were among others in the frame.

Which actress was first announced as Lara Lor-Van before dropping out of the film?

Connie Nielsen was then in talks before Ayelet Zurer got the part; Nielsen went on to play Hippolyta in Wonder Woman.

How was the film's 3-D version produced?

Snyder doubted the format's technical limits, shooting in 2-D on film stock rather than digitally for what he called a 'big movie experience'.

Henry Cavill met co-star Russell Crowe as a 16-year-old at which school, where Crowe was filming?

Crowe was shooting Proof of Life on location in 2000, shared acting tips and later sent the teenager a package; they reunited as Jor-El and Kal-El.