Man of Steel vs Superman 2025 – Which is truly better?
Since the first glimpse of James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ was out, fans of Zack Snyder’s ‘Man of Steel’ left no stone unturned to bash the former. While the internet is locked in a fight between the two camps, here’s our take on the boiling topic.
Before we begin, I want to make some points clear that I have been an ardent fan of DC Comics since my childhood. And not just that, I am and will always say that Henry Cavill is the best person to wear the cape. I signed around a hundred online petitions to – Release the Snyder Cut, and have always believed in his vision. But despite being all of these, I went to see ‘Superman’ with my absolute love for James Gunn’s direction and DC!
In my childhood, I never liked the Kryptonian and was always a fan of Batman. But Zack Snyder and Cavill made me fall in love with the man in ‘Man of Steel’. So, I said all of these things about myself just to ensure that everything I write will be completely unbiased.
Direction – Gunn vs Snyder
Even before MOS, Snyder gave us some amazing films that have turned into a cult. He gave us the brutal, raw, and high-octane “300” in 2003 and also the unapologetic “Watchmen” in 2009. But if you look closely, Zack has always been a fan of dark scenes. Both in terms of cinematography and lighting. Man of Steel broke the stereotypical take of colourful superhero movies and gave us a darker visualisation. Well, it worked in 2013, but later all the films of that cinematic universe followed the same colour tones. Even the sunny scenes didn’t feel sunny!
But ‘Superman’ was never that, right? He is by far the most positive superhero in the world. Like we first saw him in Christopher Reeve’s films or the animated series. He is the ray of hope that the world needs so badly. We are now going through superhero fatigue, and Gunn’s film feels so fresh and soothing in this crowd. It brings back the colourful palette, and like it or not, the red underwear too. The scenes feel energetic, refreshing, with iconic hero shots. There are pacing issues with the screenplay, but there’s never a dull moment in the direction.
Kal-El’s Parents
James Gunn tends to cast his friends and ex-colleagues in his works. He does the same here with Bradley Cooper playing Jor-El with Angela Sarafyan playing Lara Vor Van. But this casting never felt right and was more caricaturized. In MOS, the casting was done perfectly with legendary Russel Crowe and Ayelet Zurer delivering a far more convincing and emotional performance. I will give this point to Zack.
Acing Lois Lane
The casting of Amy Adams as Lois Lane promised us a character of a tough journalist who can fight her own battles and use her pen to destroy baddies. But with very little screen time and almost zero character development, her character was reduced to just a love interest of Kal-El.
In Gunn’s ‘Superman’, Rachel Brosnahan plays the role with absolute conviction in a nonsensical style. I can’t find a single scene where David Corenswet’s Clark Kent saves her, but the reverse does happen. Here we find Lois Lane, powerful, confident, and in her own words, a person who knows how to question everything and everyone. This one goes to her.
Music
Snyder’s cult classic was backed by an exceptional soundtrack from the legend Hans Zimmer. There should be no question asked about how the music was, but his score lifted the film by several notches. The dark, gritty tone was perfectly suited to the music, which was powerful and motivational, and still thumps me up during my leg days at the gym.
James, on the other hand, is someone who likes the nostalgic tracks from the 70s-80s. In his earlier outings with the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy, we have been introduced to his taste in music. The same is done in his latest outing with DC, but he kept the original score from Reeve’s film with a new touch.
As both films are made in a completely different tone, the music undoubtedly matches both of them perfectly. It’s a tough call to decide the winner in this division, but for the legendary Zimmer, MOS will have an edge.
Action Scenes
Man of Steel had fight scenes that felt brutal. It had scenes when Cavill was getting beaten up, but he was shown as a God and despite everything, he overcame them with ease. But to be honest, the punches and fights were forced and unnatural, and somewhat clunky. The transition from one scene to another was also not as smooth as required.
In the latest film, the fights were not always about landing the hardest punches but also about strategy. Specially, the scenes when Luthor was dictating to Ultraman about the next moves. What worked here was that the entire focus was not just upon David, but also on the other characters. Mr. Terrific really had some cool action scenes, which looked amazing in IMAX 3D, and The Engineer, too, looked dangerous. I would not say that these characters overthrew Michael Shannon’s General Zod, but the point goes to Gunn this time.
Who’s better? Henry Cavill or David Corenswet
In Zack’s DCEU, Cavill was portrayed as a God among us. He was brutal, powerful, strong-built built and nonsensical. The smiling face of Clark Kent was a rare sight with him, but when he donned the cape, he was unbeatable.
David Corenswet didn’t try to go overboard and copy others. He kept his charming and simplistic nature intact. In his portrayal of both Clark Kent and Superman, he was humble, charming, caring, and smiling. This is what it is meant to be, right? But to summarise, I must say that Cavill is a much better Kal-El while David is the best Clark Kent to date.
Which is the better Superman?
Superman is someone who is not just a powerful superhero of the world, but also the icon of hope. The most positive hero of the world, who sees good in everyone and everything. He is more vulnerable than anyone other. He makes mistakes, he feels sad, he is not perfect, and that’s what makes him so powerful. And yes, he loves the sun, colours, and wears his underwear outside.
This was reversed in Man of Steel with a much darker, brutal, real-world feel. It worked in most of the parts but failed in many. With the over-packed line-up of dark and gritty movies and the same old superhero stories, we needed something that stays true to its roots, entertains, has emotions, and talks about the present scenarios. James Gunn delivered everything and opened up a door for a brighter future. Let’s wait and give him a chance to show us his vision.
Read our full review of the film here.
Let us know in the comments below which film you like the most between the two and why.
Avik
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