Supergirl Revives Zack Snyder's Superman Controversy, 13 Years Later

Published Sep 13, 2026, 2:00 PM EDT Simon Gallagher has worked in movie and TV journalism for more than 17 years. He has written more than 6000 articles and reviews, and edited thousands more. He is an expert in the entertainment industry, particularly in the golden age of screen superheroes. Simon is also a Rotten Tomatoes approved critic. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl has provided some good news for anyone who has enjoyed the surprisingly persistent discourse around Man of Steel’s ending, which has raged - and been a focal point of bad faith arguments - for more than a decade. You’d think the new DCU would have avoided such controversy, but if there’s one thing we should already know about James Gunn’s new flagship franchise, it’s that unexpected is pretty much the mantra. On the back of Superman’s success, Supergirl came with plenty of positive hype, not least because it’s based on a beloved comics run - Tom King’s Woman Of Tomorrow - and promised to offer an edgier story than Gunn’s opener. It even came with the added bonuses of a Krytpo-centric story and the return of Jason Momoa to DC in a role even he knew was his dream match: Lobo. Sadly, Supergirl didn’t exactly work out that way. Critics weren’t particularly keen on it, leading to an embarrassing Rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes, and word of mouth failed to turn the far more positive audience sentiment into ticket sales. In the end, Supergirl made just $126 million globally, failing to earn back its production budget, and thanks to a number of controversial decisions - not least the use of that cover of The All-American Rejects “The Middle” - discourse shifted to being about whether it deserved any more. Long into the future, Supergirl’s reception will be questioned, just as Man of Steel’s was. Both landed critics' scores in the 50s, and both deserved considerably better, but both concluded with a controversial villain death that immediately threatened to overshadow every bit of goodwill earned up to that point. 13 years after Henry Cavill’s Superman snapped Zod’s death, Milly Alcock’s Supergirl's controversial ending similarly took rough justice into her own hands to permanently end the threat of Krem. And we’re all forced to relive some old trauma. Supergirl Killing Krem Repeats Man Of Steel's Zod Controversy It’s 2013, a Kryptonian has just crossed the lethal line out of desperation, convinced the only solution to stop a brutal villain is to kill them. It’s 2026, another Kryptonian has just crossed that same line, convinced the only solution to stop their own brutal villain is to kill them. Both villains died through short, sharp violence to their necks. Time is a flat circle. The specific circumstances might have been different, but Supergirl’s ending offers an identical resolution to the villain’s story as Man of Steel. In 2013, Superman snapped both Zod’s neck and the online fanbase, prompting a tidal wave of outrage at the idea that the Man of Steel would ever kill a villain, no matter the circumstances. And those circumstances couldn’t have been more straightforward: if Clark hadn’t abandoned his morals, Zod would have killed innocents. It was the ultimate Catch-22 that couldn’t have gone any other way. And yet, the discourse still raged, and raged, and continued to rage even as the DCEU failed and died. Kara executing Krem hit the exact same raw emotional nerve endings, with online criticism focusing not only on how the decision betrayed Kara’s entire arc, but also on the choice to change King’s comic. Writer Ana Nogueira complicated matters further by suggesting Krem was killed in the comic, and the change to give Kara the killing blow made more sense - despite Krem surviving the comic after being imprisoned for his crimes. That simply fanned the flames, as fans inevitably seized on the suggestion that the core message of the comic had been entirely missed. Supergirl's Controversial Death May Be More Difficult to Fix While both moments courted outrage, Kara’s decision actually feels significantly more difficult to accept. In Man of Steel, Clark was backed into a snap decision, forced to make a split-second choice to save an innocent family from Zod’s heat vision. It was effectively Zod’s final victory, to make him abandon his moral integrity. No matter how you shape it, Kara had genuine alternatives. King’s source material offered exactly how Krem could have been nullified: his imprisonment turned him into a pathetic shadow of himself, and stands as a monument to death not being the only option. That’s sort of the whole point. On top of this, you have to consider popularity for how Alcock’s hero will survive this controversy. Cavill’s Superman had decades of cultural goodwill as one of DC’s flagship heroes, who had bounced back from multiple cinematic missteps. He could have come back with a direct Man of Steel sequel, even though Warner Bros couldn’t resist the urge to bring in Batman prematurely, and we might have got a chance for the fallout to be properly explored. Regardless, Cavill’s Superman remained incredibly popular, even years after the idea of a sequel dried up. Can Supergirl rely on that sort of longevity? It doesn’t feel like there’s the same cushion. Metropolis · Daily Planet Edition SupermanTrivia Challenge 🌏OriginsLast son ☠VillainsKneel! ⚡PowersInvincible 🎥FilmsBelieve 💫LegacyHope UP, UP AND AWAY! → 01 Before he was Clark Kent, Superman was born Kal-El on a distant planet doomed to destruction. His parents Jor-El and Lara placed him in a rocket ship as an infant, sending him across the cosmos to Earth. What is the name of Superman’s home planet? AThanagar BKrypton CApokolips DOa ✓ Correct! Krypton was a scientifically advanced planet that exploded due to its unstable core. Jor-El, Superman’s father, was the only scientist who foresaw the catastrophe and managed to save his son by launching him toward Earth in a small spacecraft. ✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Krypton. Thanagar is Hawkman’s homeworld, Apokolips is Darkseid’s domain, and Oa is the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps. Krypton’s destruction is the defining event of Superman’s origin story. NEXT → 02 Superman’s greatest love is a fearless, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who works alongside Clark Kent at the Daily Planet. She’s known for her relentless pursuit of the truth and for being one of the few people who sees both the hero and the man. Who is she? ADiana Prince BLana Lang CLois Lane DCat Grant ✓ Correct! Lois Lane has been Superman’s primary love interest since her debut in Action Comics #1 in 1938. A brilliant investigative reporter, she’s as iconic as Superman himself — tough, smart, and unafraid to chase the biggest stories in Metropolis. ✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Lois Lane. Diana Prince is Wonder Woman, Lana Lang is Clark’s high school sweetheart from Smallville, and Cat Grant is a gossip columnist at the Daily Planet. Lois Lane is Superman’s iconic partner. NEXT → 03 Despite being nearly invulnerable under Earth’s yellow sun, Superman has one famous weakness — a radioactive mineral from the remnants of his destroyed homeworld. Exposure to it drains his powers and can even kill him. What is this substance called? AKryptonite BVibranium CNth Metal DRed Sun Ore ✓ Correct! Kryptonite is the irradiated remnants of planet Krypton. Green Kryptonite is the most common and deadly variety, but there are many other types — Red Kryptonite causes unpredictable behavior, Gold Kryptonite can permanently strip his powers, and Blue Kryptonite affects Bizarro. ✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Kryptonite. Vibranium is from Marvel’s Black Panther universe, Nth Metal is tied to Hawkman, and Red Sun Ore isn’t a real DC substance. Kryptonite is the iconic green-glowing mineral that is Superman’s ultimate weakness. NEXT → 04 In 1978, a then-unknown actor donned the cape and made the world believe a man could fly. His portrayal of Superman became the gold standard for superhero films and he starred in four Superman movies. Who is this legendary actor? AHenry Cavill BBrandon Routh CTom Welling DChristopher Reeve ✓ Correct! Christopher Reeve’s portrayal in Superman: The Movie (1978) is widely regarded as the definitive live-action Superman. His performance perfectly balanced the heroic confidence of Superman with the endearing clumsiness of Clark Kent, setting the template every Superman actor has followed since. ✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Christopher Reeve. Henry Cavill played Superman in the DCEU starting with Man of Steel (2013), Brandon Routh starred in Superman Returns (2006), and Tom Welling played young Clark in TV’s Smallville. Reeve was the original big-screen Superman. NEXT → 05 Superman’s greatest enemy isn’t a superpowered alien — he’s a brilliant, ruthless human billionaire who believes Superman is a threat to humanity’s potential. This bald-headed genius has been Superman’s archenemy for over 80 years. Who is he? ABrainiac BLex Luthor CDarkseid DDoomsday ✓ Correct! Lex Luthor is the ultimate foil to Superman — where Superman represents hope and selflessness, Luthor represents ambition and ego. Despite having no superpowers, his genius-level intellect and vast resources make him Superman’s most persistent and dangerous adversary. ✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Lex Luthor. Brainiac is an alien android who collects cities, Darkseid is the god-like ruler of Apokolips, and Doomsday is the monster who famously killed Superman. But Lex Luthor is the definitive archenemy — Superman’s dark mirror. NEXT → 06 After crash-landing on Earth as a baby, Kal-El was found and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, a kind farming couple. They raised him with strong moral values in a small rural town. Where did Clark Kent grow up? AGotham City BMetropolis CSmallville, Kansas DCoast City ✓ Correct! Smallville, Kansas is the quintessential American small town where Jonathan and Martha Kent raised Clark with heartland values of honesty, compassion, and humility. It’s the foundation of who Superman is — not the powers from Krypton, but the character instilled by his Kansas parents. ✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Smallville, Kansas. Gotham is Batman’s city, Metropolis is where Clark moves as an adult to work at the Daily Planet, and Coast City is Green Lantern’s home. Smallville is where the Kents raised Clark on their farm. NEXT → 07 As Clark Kent, Superman disguises himself as a mild-mannered reporter working at Metropolis’s most famous newspaper, alongside Lois Lane and photographer Jimmy Olsen. Their editor-in-chief Perry White runs the newsroom. What is the name of this newspaper? ADaily Planet BDaily Bugle CMetropolis Star DGotham Gazette ✓ Correct! The Daily Planet, with its iconic globe on the rooftop, is one of the most recognizable fictional newspapers in pop culture. Working there gives Clark Kent both a cover identity and a way to stay informed about threats to the city and the world. ✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is the Daily Planet. The Daily Bugle is Spider-Man’s Marvel universe newspaper, the Metropolis Star and Gotham Gazette are lesser DC publications. The Daily Planet — with its spinning globe — is Superman’s journalistic home. NEXT → 08 This Kryptonian military commander was banished to the Phantom Zone for treason before Krypton’s destruction. He escaped and came to Earth seeking vengeance, famously demanding that others “Kneel before” him. His iconic portrayal by Terence Stamp cemented him in pop culture. Who is this villain? ABizarro BParasite CMetallo DGeneral Zod ✓ Correct! General Zod is one of Superman’s most terrifying foes because he has all of Superman’s powers but none of his morality. Terence Stamp’s portrayal in Superman II (1980) made “Kneel before Zod” one of the most quoted villain lines in film history. Michael Shannon later reimagined the role in Man of Steel (2013). ✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is General Zod. Bizarro is a flawed clone of Superman, Parasite drains powers through touch, and Metallo is a cyborg with a Kryptonite heart. General Zod is the Kryptonian military leader whose cry of “Kneel before Zod!” echoes through decades of Superman stories. REVEAL MY SCORE → Mission Complete Your Kryptonian Record / 8 Are you the Man of Steel — or still stuck in a phone booth? ↻ FLY AGAIN And let’s make no mistake here, Kara has further to come back from than Cavill’s Superman, who still couldn’t shake off the discourse. When she put on the Supergirl costume given to her by David Corenswet’s Clark, she was accepting the symbol of hope and goodness that came with it. For her first act to be one of fatal vengeance doesn’t sit well with everything Superman represents, even if we’ve repeatedly been told she will be a different hero than her cousin. If that’s the case, why bother with the costume scene at all? Kara, the angry, haunted daughter of Krypton killing a deranged villain who robbed a young girl of her home and family makes a lot of sense as long as the hero sticks by her own morals. But there was literally a scene that suggested radical transformation, and she ends the movie taking her place beside Superman: they have the same uniform and completely different approaches to heroism, and it’s impossible not to see the discussion about Krem’s death not defining her entire DCU arc. We’ve been here before. It’s never pretty. Can 2027's Man of Tomorrow address Supergirl's choice while balancing the stories of Clark, Lex, and Brainiac? Will the box office failure of Supergirl allow a direct sequel that addresses the original's ending in a way Man of Steel was never allowed? It feels extremely unlikely that either is possible at this point. Supergirl is available to watch on HBO Max now. Supergirl 6/10 Release Date June 26, 2026 Runtime 108 minutes