As fans have noticed since Man of Steel released in 2013, the House of El citadel on Krypton holds a distinct resemblance to a certain part of the male anatomy, and the film's director Zack Snyder recently confirmed that's on purpose. After directing Man of Steel, Snyder became the architect for what has become known as the DC Extended Universe, expanding his cinematic world with 2015's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and then 2017's Justice League. He departed during the post-production process on Justice League and hadn't returned, but his Justice League Snyder Cut will be releasing next year.

Though Snyder's DC movies haven't fared well with critics across the board, they've found plenty of fans. Snyder's comic book movie work is regarded for its symbolism and attention to detail. Man of Steel included dozens, if not hundreds, of Easter eggs, some of which viewers spotted on first viewing and others that are only being revealed now. Fans are also still unpacking the symbolism in Snyder's films, even years later, including certain symbols in Man of Steel. In addition to the citadel, the Kryptonian pods and certain portions of Kryptonian ships have been highlighted by fans as resembling male and female genitalia.

Related: DCEU Complete Movie Timeline

During a recent rewatch and live commentary on Vero, Snyder spoke at length about Man of Steel and various aspects of the DC film. Early on in the movie, during the opening scenes on Krypton, he said the citadel looking like a giant phallus is "not an accident" and all the fertility symbols were intentionally included in the movie, as visual representation of Kryptonian culture.

Kryptonian Pods in Man of Steel

While Snyder didn't specifically reference the Kryptonian pods that are also phallus shaped or the Kryptonian ship wall that looks like female genitalia in deleted Justice League scenes, it all ties back to the symbolism in the designs of this alien culture. As established in Man of Steel, Kal-El, who becomes Clark Kent aka Superman on Earth, is one of the first natural births on Krypton in a long time. Prior to his birth, Kryptonians had forgone natural childbirth so they could genetically engineer children. It appears that Snyder meant for these phallic symbols to be one way Krypton's culture is represented in their architecture and engineering.

Whether or not knowing the symbolism improves the experience of watching Man of Steel is down to each viewer, but those curious about how Snyder crafted his DC cinematic world may find this fact fascinating. At the very least, confirmation that the citadel and the Kryptonian pods are meant to look phallus-shaped reveals the intention behind those designs in Man of Steel.

More: Superman's New Krypton Would Be The Perfect Man Of Steel 2 Story

Source: Zack Snyder/Vero

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