General Zod's death in Superman II is actually even worse than Man Of Steel's version. The latter film's moment has become one of the most heavily debated scenes in superhero movie history. However, the way it plays out in the other film (at least in the original Richard Lester cut,) is much more controversial.

Zack Snyder's Man Of Steel is one of the most polarizing superhero films in recent memory, largely in part due to Snyder's attempts to modernize Superman on a more grounded level. This takes the character in a direction that is deemed questionable by many, such as the parenting methods and death of Man Of Steel's Jonathan Kent. None of these changes, however, could come close to the reaction caused by Superman killing the film's villain, General Zod. Simply put, there was a clear divide between fans who thought it worked for this version of the character and those who thought it went completely against everything he stood for.

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Ultimately, whether Zod's death in Man Of Steel worked or not remains a raging debate. That being said, the moment does fit perfectly within the context of the film. The same cannot be said for Superman II, however, where Superman had far more reason not to kill him. In that film, Christopher Reeves' Superman defeats General Zod in the Fortress of Solitude, wherein a diversion he uses the Fortress' technology to strip the villain and his minions of their powers and render them human. At that point, Superman hurls Zod down a deep chasm, seemingly to his death, with his minions following suit. Although Zod was undoubtedly a formidable adversary throughout Superman II, this act is incredibly brutal for the Man of Tomorrow, perhaps even more so than Man of Steel's notorious neck-snap because of the circumstances that surround it.

Superman kneeling before Zod

In Man Of Steel, Superman is a relatively inexperienced superhero who does not know the extent of his powers. As a result, as powerful as he is, he could not think to face Zod unless he truly tapped into his true potential. Zod's final moments are also spent trying to incinerate an innocent family. Between this and his inexperience, killing Zod is Superman's last-resort option, one that ends up breaking him. By contrast, while Superman II's Zod and his minions were holding Lois Lane hostage, there is no reason for Superman to kill him because turning Zod human meant he no longer posed a real threat, which is unquestionably proven by him crushing his hand. The fact that this doesn't seem to faze him in the slightest is also quite jarring given that Reeves' depiction of the character is rather lighthearted and wholesome.

Overall, the death of General Zod in Superman II may not change the minds of viewers who dislike his death in Man Of Steel. This is especially true given that the Richard Donner Cut (which many consider the superior version of the film) retcons Zod's death by having Superman reverse time and send him and his minions back to the Phantom Zone. Whether Superman should kill or not is a tricky subject, but Zack Snyder and his crew built their version of the character to experience hardships to grow from, and the death of Zod was one such obstacle.

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