FILM · 2013 · UK
Man of Steel
- Directed by
- Zack Snyder
- Runtime
- 143 min
- Studio
- Syncopy, Peters Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures
193 archived facts 7 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.
Summary: TMDB
All facts (193)
- #001
Contains a major spoiler — show
During the final battle, when General Zod and Superman fly into space, both of them collide with a satellite bearing the "Wayne Enterprises" logo.
- #002
Henry Cavill refused to take steroids to add power to his role. He also refused any digital retouching or enhancement of his body in his shirtless scenes. He said that cheating while playing Superman would be dishonest, and that he wanted to push his body's limits and develop his physique to be worthy of the character.
- #003
Henry Cavill said the hardest part of making the film was definitely its two shirtless scenes. He had been training for months before the shoot, but for his shirtless scenes he went on an extremely grueling diet and training regimen in which his calorie intake dropped from five thousand to nearly one thousand five hundred for six weeks. After six weeks he reached a body fat level of just seven percent, the level professional bodybuilders reach during competitions. Henry said he did this because he wanted to make his abs prominent and his muscles as defined as humanly possible in order to create the best possible Superman physique. Cavill returned to a more manageable routine after the scenes were shot, but felt his effort was rewarded when viewers and critics praised his physique as the true embodiment of how Superman should look. After he shot his shirtless scenes, director Zack Snyder gave him pizza and a tub of ice cream to reward his Herculean effort in the shirtless scenes.
- #004
Henry Cavill naturally has a hairy chest, and it was left untouched during the filming of this film. He insisted that Superman have chest hair in this film; he rejected the idea that you shouldn't have chest hair just because you're muscular, and cited the Superman comic "The Death Of Superman" as an iconic representation of Superman having a hairy chest.
- #005
Years before playing father and son, Henry Cavill and Russell Crowe had met when Cavill was an extra in the film Proof of Life (2000), and he received encouraging words to continue acting and a signed photo from Crowe, his favorite actor.
- #006
Various scenes and concepts were taken from the comic Superman: Birthright (2003-04), written by Mark Waid and drawn by Leinil Yu, for example: * Superman's "S" shield meaning "hope" in the Kryptonian language. * Superman flying over a herd of zebra. * Jonathan Kent's line, "You are the answer to 'Are we alone in the universe?'" (although in the comic this line is spoken by Martha).
- #007
The film was released in June 2013, the 75th anniversary of Superman's first appearance in Action Comics #1.
- #008
According to Zack Snyder, the producers put the Superman (1978) costume on Henry Cavill to see how well suited he was for the role. Despite the lighter blue color of the suit and the red shorts, nobody laughed at Cavill. Snyder knew then that Cavill was the right person for the role.
- #009
At around the 31st minute, Clark's line "Can't I keep pretending I'm your son?" and Jonathan's reply "You are my son" are taken from "Superman: Secret Origin," written by Geoff Johns.
- #010
Zack Snyder said he really wanted to include a shirtless scene of Henry Cavill in the film because throughout the movie you see him in a skin-tight bodysuit in which he looks extremely muscular. He said the audience would think it was all made of rubber muscles, but he felt it was important to show them that what was inside that suit was really Cavill's body and that everything was real.
- #011
To have a physique suited to the role of Kal-El, Henry Cavill began a special four-month training program with his trainer Mark Twight. He gained weight by drinking five thousand calories of protein shakes a day, then did cardiovascular exercises to burn fat and build muscle, and finally did a grueling two-hour workout to build his muscles and abs. According to Cavill, the real problem he faced was the intensity of the training: "Mark based his technique on pushing yourself beyond your limits. Instead of slowing down toward the end of the workout, he wanted me to work more and more so that my body would reach its limits. What he meant is that if his client can walk out of the gym, he hasn't worked hard enough."
- #012
The producers hired Professor Christine E. Schreyer, an anthropology and linguistics expert at the University of British Columbia, to create the Kryptonian language. To reflect that the people of Krypton had become selfish and materialistic, she developed an object-subject-verb sentence structure opposite to English's subject-verb-object structure (for example, "I see him" in English would be "Him I see" in Kryptonian).
- #013
Contains a major spoiler — show
At around 40 minutes, there is a compartment left open before Clark enters the Kryptonian ship. A promotional comic revealed that the ship was once occupied by Clark's cousin Kara Zor-El, also known as Supergirl, suggesting she would likely appear in a future installment. Kara would indeed have appeared in The Flash (2023) while Barry 'The Flash' Allen was investigating an alternate timeline.
- #014
According to David S. Goyer, Superman's costume in this film is described as an undergarment: "All battle armors go over the clothes. But since Superman is a refugee, his suit doesn't have that hardware, and that will leave him vulnerable on his own Kryptonian soil." This is also a nod to the popular culture joke that Superman's costume looks like underwear.
- #015
At around the 49th minute, when Clark first learns to fly, he can only make a few enormous leaps. In the first few Superman comics of 1938-9, he couldn't manage to fly and could only leap an eighth of a mile like a high-powered kangaroo. The first cartoons and films decided this looked undignified and made him fly, which looks more glorious.
- #016
At around the 59th minute, in the Smallville scene near the Kent house, a double-tanker truck passing in the background bears the brand name "LexCorp." A building and another tanker in Metropolis later carry the same name (at around 2 hours). This is the company run by Superman's archenemy Lex Luthor.
- #017
Gal Gadot was initially cast for the role of Faora but had to leave the cast due to her pregnancy, and Antje Traue was cast in her place. Gadot would later be cast to play Diana Prince, also known as Wonder Woman, in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and the subsequent Wonder Woman (2017) and Justice League films.
- #018
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, writer David S. Goyer discussed the absurd script notes and comments he had received from producers and studio executives over the years. One of them was a meeting he had with executives while working on this film, in which at the end Superman uses the pod he arrived in as a child to bring down General Zod's ship. The note read: "You have to change this. Because if Superman uses that capsule and it's destroyed while he's saving the city, how will he get back to Krypton?" Goyer said there was just this long pause in the room, and then someone pointed out, "Krypton blew up. You saw 30 minutes of it."
- #019
Russell Crowe admitted he was jealous of lead actor Henry Cavill's extremely shredded body and admired "Henry's frame and his body fat ratio." He said "He's a bit too perfect for words" and joked that because his body looked so great, "Apart from being his dad, I hate the son of the bitch."
- #020
Ben Affleck turned down directing the film because he had no experience with visual effects shoots: "The lesson I learned is not to look at films based on the budget, how much they'll spend on effects, or where they'll shoot. What matters is the story." He took on the role of Batman in Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
- #021
At around 1 hour 7 minutes, in a flashback scene in which Clark Kent is bullied, he is seen reading Plato's "The Republic." In "The Republic," Plato describes his "Perfect Society," which mirrors the structure of Kryptonian society as presented here. Most clearly, both societies have predetermined births in which people are born into roles such as leader, warrior or farmer.
- #022
At around 46 minutes, during Jor-El and Kal-El's first conversation about Krypton's three-dimensional history, Jor tells Kal how he was sent away. In the background, a capsule with an "S" and pointed tips is seen flying away. It doesn't appear this way in this film, but it actually appears this way in Superman (1978).
- #023
According to David S. Goyer, the story's main theme is first contact: "We approached Superman as if it weren't a comic book movie, as if it were real. He's an alien. If the world found out he existed, it would be the biggest thing to happen in human history. His very existence alone would change the face of the Earth forever."
- #024
Contains a major spoiler — show
Zack Snyder proposed that Superman kill General Zod in order to establish Superman's classic "never kills" motto. He wanted it to be brutal and shocking, so that it would stay in Superman's mind forever.
- #025
This was Amy Adams's third time auditioning for Lois Lane. She first read for Lois Lane in Brett Ratner's abandoned film, then read for Superman Returns (2006). Adams said the situation had become ridiculous and that this time she had to make her mark by playing Lois.
- #026
A CGI cape is used for Superman and CGI armor for the other Kryptonians in most of the action scenes.
- #027
Matthew Goode, Armie Hammer, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Zac Efron and Colin O'Donoghue were among the final shortlist for the lead role before Henry Cavill was finally cast. Bomer played Superman in a series of Toyota Prius CW commercials in 2009 and eventually voiced him in the animated film Superman: Unbound (2013). Bomer and Cavill, who resemble each other so strikingly that they are often confused, were both considered to play Superman in another Superman film in the early 2000s (working title: Flyby), but it was never greenlit and Brandon Routh was instead cast in Superman Returns (2006). Cavill was 21 when he tested for Flyby, making him the youngest actor ever considered to play Superman. Cavill also came second for many other major roles, including Batman in Batman Begins (2005), Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), James Bond in Casino Royale (2006) and Edward Cullen in Twilight (2008), earning him the title "the unluckiest man in Hollywood."
- #028
Most of the US military personnel seen in the film are real soldiers, Coast Guardsmen and airmen, including the Army Rangers who appear during the Smallville battle. Most of the equipment and vehicles on screen, including M1A1 Abrams tanks and Little Bird helicopters, are also real. The services providing support are the Army, the Air Force and the Coast Guard.
- #029
When Henry Cavill received the first call from Zack Snyder telling him he had won the role of Superman, he missed it because he was playing World of Warcraft.
- #030
The visual effects team described the Kryptonian computer screens as liquid geometry: "It's a bunch of silver beads suspended in a magnetic field; the machine can control that magnetic field, so the collection of beads behaves like 3D pixels and forms a surface floating in the air that describes what you need to see."
- #031
Contains a major spoiler — show
Before the film's release, DC Comics published a prequel comic about the crew of the abandoned Kryptonian scout ship that Clark finds frozen in Canada. In the comic, the ship is piloted by Kara Zor-El, better known in the comics as Supergirl.
- #032
At around the 52nd minute, when Superman learns to fly, he makes a short flight toward the camera. This is a nod to the earlier films, in which Superman flew over the Earth and then smiled at the camera.
- #033
To fully distinguish this film as a new one separate from its predecessors, John Williams's iconic "Superman Theme" is not heard. This is the first Warner Bros. Superman film not to include Williams's music.
- #034
Bryan Singer and Brandon Routh expressed interest in reprising their positions from Superman Returns (2006) in this film. Singer had originally planned several sequels continuing his own story, and Routh was under contract. Even when Warner Bros. announced this film as a "clean reboot" of Singer's film, Routh was still expressing interest in returning before Zack Snyder stated that this film would have no connection to any previous cinematic version of the character.
- #035
Contains a major spoiler — show
This is the first "Superman" film in which Lois Lane discovers Clark Kent's true identity before she starts working at the Daily Planet.
- #036
Rumors say Zod's broadcast to Earth was made in many languages, including the Klingon of the "Star Trek" universe, but there is no evidence for this.
- #037
Zack Snyder initially planned for Superman's famous red trunks, worn throughout his 75-year existence, to be part of the film's costume. However, after looking at more than 1,500 different designs, he said it didn't work, so he decided to remove them.
- #038
Laurence Fishburne based his performance as Perry White on CBS reporter Ed Bradley: "Ed was a friend, a mentor and a role model to me. Especially because he worked in journalism and was the kind of man who walked with kings, but he had a common touch." As a tribute to Bradley, White has an ear piercing.
- #039
Trainer Mark Twight said that when designing the aesthetic of how Superman's physique should look, he wanted the classic V shape Henry Cavill naturally has (broad shoulders and a narrow waist) and that he only needed to load more muscle onto his body. He added that, to achieve the Greek God ideal, he looked to Steve Reeves's physique in Hercules (1958) as a model for Superman. Zack Snyder told Cavill that his physique had to look so great that he would appear a "freak" in shirtless scenes and be in "absolutely crazy shape." Snyder was later so impressed by the results of Cavill's eleven months of strict training that he called his physique "a great accomplishment." Cavill said that even he was surprised he looked that big in the film.
- #040
Composer Hans Zimmer and Zack Snyder used the world's best drummers to perform the film's score. Zimmer created a single drum piece that all the drummers could play at once, but encouraged them to keep their own unique styles. The drummers included Danny Carey, Pharrell Williams, Josh Freese, Sheila E., Jason Bonham, Toss Panos, Satnam Ramgotra, Matt Chamberlain, John Robinson (also known as John "J. R." Robinson), Jim Keltner, Bernie Dresel, Curt Bisquera, Ryeland Allison, Vinnie Colaiuta and Trevor Lawrence Jr.
- #041
At around 1 hour 45 minutes, Clark Kent is referred to as "Superman" only once in the entire film. In the comics, government agents (classically known as "G-Men") would refer to him in coded transmissions as "the S-Man."
- #042
At around 55 minutes, the tornado scene caused some controversy with the National Weather Service, because overpasses are not considered safe shelters during a tornado, since the wind funnel effect increases the likelihood of being hit by debris. In 1991, after a highly publicized video showed a television film crew and some civilians surviving a tornado near El Dorado, Kansas, by taking shelter under an overpass, many people thought overpasses were safe, but the overpass did not take a direct hit. However, in 1999 the deadly Moore/Bridge Creek F5 tornado killed several people sheltering under overpasses, leading the National Weather Service and other weather organizations to declare them unsafe. Coincidentally, about a month before the film's release, two more deadly tornadoes hit the Oklahoma City area, prompting Zack Snyder to consider removing the tornado scene from the film, but he ultimately kept it because Superman would have to deal with all kinds of disasters and tragedies.
- #043
The Fortress of Solitude in this film is a Kryptonian spacecraft hidden in the Arctic. This combines various comic book versions of the Fortress of Solitude: an Arctic location with a key (Silver Age comics (1958)), an artifact from earlier Kryptonians ("Adventures of Superman" (1989)) and an abandoned ship (the New 52 comics (2011)).
- #044
Contains a major spoiler — show
At around 2 hours, during the final fight between Zod and Superman in the construction site, there is a sign reading "Accident free for 106 days." Zod throws Superman into the sign, disabling the 1 and the 6 and making it read "0 days."
- #045
This is the first live-action Superman film in which the character Jimmy Olsen does not appear. Jimmy Olsen appeared not only in every live-action Superman film before Man of Steel, but also in Supergirl (1984), Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993), Smallville (2001) and Supergirl (2015). Olsen turns up briefly in the next film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
- #046
(About 8 minutes in) When Jor-El flees the Council, a shattered moon can be seen in the sky. This is Wegthor, a moon of Krypton that, according to the comics, was destroyed when a warhead was accidentally launched, leading to the abandonment of Krypton's spaceflight and colonization (as recounted to his son by Jor-El's hologram).
- #047
Filming took place in Plano, Illinois and Chicago, Illinois in August and September 2011 under the code name "Autumn Frost." The secret was so poorly kept that on September 6, 2011 the Chicago Tribune published a full article about it ("Code Name: Go Figure").
- #048
Henry Cavill became the first non-American actor to play Clark Kent. The late London-born Lee Quigley, however, played Superman as a baby in Superman (1978). Lee Quigley died at the age of fourteen from inhaling solvents.
- #049
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the first draft, Superman cast Zod into the Phantom Zone, but Zack Snyder and David S. Goyer decided instead to have Superman kill Zod.
- #050
"Man of Steel" was the title of the cancelled sequel to Superman Returns (2006).
- #051
Amy Adams (Lois Lane) is only nine years younger than Diane Lane (Martha Kent).
- #052
Whenever Kal-El flies, a sound effect of violent wind is heard. According to the visual effects artists, this was a tribute to Adventures of Superman (1952), which used a similar effect when Superman flew off, and they used it deliberately to honor that show.
- #053
According to Christine E. Schreyer, the inscriptions in Krypton's Council Chamber read: "Rao's Light warms us / Yuda's four Moons protect us / Telle's Wisdom guides us / Lorra's Beauty inspires us." These were the first four Kryptonian phrases Schreyer formulated and her favorites.
- #054
(At about 1 hour 9 minutes) When Clark speaks with Father Leone, behind him is a stained-glass window containing a painting of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. This was where Christ prayed for strength to endure the trial he was about to face, paralleling Clark's own need for support before he surrenders.
- #055
According to the comics, General Zod's first name is Dru.
- #056
Contains a major spoiler — show
The film contains several nods to the history of Superman and DC Comics, in chronological order: * A school photo of Jonathan and Clark Kent shows that Clark attended Weisinger Elementary School, a reference to DC Comics writer and editor Mort Weisinger, who created Kryptonian solar empathy (the power of the yellow sun and the weakness of the red sun). * When Clark is bullied, he is near "Sullivan Truck and Tractor Repair," a nod to Chloe Sullivan, Clark's best friend and most trusted ally in the series Smallville (2001) and an original character created for the show. In the same scene, Clark is also bullied by a gang led by Whitney Fordham, a character inspired by Whitney Fordman, another character created for the series as Lana Lang's boyfriend in the first season. * The Smallville barber shop is called "Otto's Barber Styling." Otto refers to DC Comics writer Otto Binder, who created Supergirl, Krypto, Brainiac, the Phantom Zone and Jimmy Olsen's signal watch. * During the Smallville fight, residents take refuge in a post office known as Ezra's Mail Depot. According to Smallville (2001), the hometown was founded by Ezra Small. * When Zod uses heat vision for the first time, there is a small sign on the wall behind Superman that reads "Keep Calm and Call Batman." * When Zod throws the tanker truck, a smiling face appears behind Superman. The motif of Zack Snyder's earlier adaptation "Watchmen" was the smiling face. * As Superman and Zod charge at each other in the skyscraper, a "Blaze Comics" sign is visible. This was a fictional publishing company that DC Comics hero Booster Gold hired to tell his stories. * As Superman flies after Zod, a "STAR Labs" sign is seen. Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories is a research facility that first appeared in a Superman comic in 1971. * Continuing the flight, there are "Utopia Casinos" and "WGBS News" signs. These are properties owned by the unscrupulous businessmen Superman has faced (Tony Gallo and Morgan Edge, respectively). * When Zod and Superman fly into space, they both collide with a satellite bearing the "Wayne Enterprises" logo. * In one of the early scenes at the Kent house, a truck with two tankers branded "LexCorp" passes in the background. A building and another tanker in Metropolis later bear the same name. This is the company run by Superman's archenemy Lex Luthor.
- #057
(At about the 17th minute) When Zod and his team are sent to the Phantom Zone, a screaming sound can be heard as the portal opens. This sound is the same one from Superman (1978), in which the Phantom Zone literally screams because it is conscious. This time, however, the sound is more mechanical, indicating that in this film the Phantom Zone is an artificial construct.
- #058
The music featured in the promotional trailer is "The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm," composed by Howard Shore for the soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).
- #059
The robots in the House of El are named Kelex and Kelor. These were the names of the robots that assist Superman in the Fortress of Solitude. In the 1979 miniseries "World of Krypton," Kelex and Kelor were assistants in the House of El in the service of Seyg-El and later his son Jor-El.
- #060
Both posters for the film pay tribute to images of Superman from Mark Waid's critically acclaimed 1996 comic "Kingdom Come," which examines Superman's detachment from humanity and his place in the modern world.
- #061
(At about 50 minutes) When Clark speaks with Jor-El's consciousness, Jor-El's dialogue is: "You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun." It closely resembles the dialogue between Jor-El and Kal-El in the All-Star Superman comic.
- #062
Contains a major spoiler — show
The World Engine, like many other aspects of Kryptonian technology and architecture, was modeled on a biological system, specifically a bacteriophage. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria and hijack their internal resources, causing the bacteria to start producing viral proteins instead of their own. Consequently, depicting the World Engine as a bacteriophage is most fitting, because the device was intended to seize Earth's resources for the benefit of Kryptonians.
- #063
(At about 5 minutes) The flying animal Jor-El rides is named Haraka, which means "fast" in Swahili. In Arabic, Haraka means hot, spicy.
- #064
Superman wears the S, which represents the Kryptonian hieroglyph for "hope," while Zod bears a hieroglyph that strongly resembles the hammer and sickle of the former USSR, as seen later in the film when he removes his armor to fight. In the "Superman: Red Son" comic, an alternate history in which Kal-El's rocket lands in Ukraine instead of Kansas, so that Superman is introduced as a Soviet. The guardian of the Union has national symbols on his chest.
- #065
Michael Kelly gives the first live-action portrayal of Steve Lombard, the Superman comic character who is a sports reporter at the Daily Planet and frequently bullies and insults Clark Kent.
- #066
In the comics, Lana Lang is depicted as a redhead and Lois Lane is usually brunette. Because Amy Adams kept her distinctive red hair for the role, the hair tones were changed in this film: Lois is the redhead, while young Lana has dark hair.
- #067
Screenwriter David S. Goyer said two scenes needed to be added to the film: the scene in which Jonathan and Martha Kent take baby Kal-El to a pediatrician and have a hearing test done on him, the baby screams and all the glass shatters. In the second, after Zod explains how powerful Kryptonians are, Faora and Namek drop into two alien cities as a demonstration. The second was in fact not filmed.
- #068
(At about 1 hour 12 minutes) Along with many images and lines implying Superman's savior-like nature, he tells Dr. Hamilton that he has been on Earth for 33 years, generally considered the age at which Jesus was crucified.
- #069
(At about the 48th minute) When Jor-El tells Clark the meaning of the "S" symbol, he reveals a chest emblem similar to what Superman has done while changing costumes over the years.
- #070
Henry Cavill (Superman) does not appear until the 20th minute of the film and does not speak until the 32nd minute.
- #071
Production designer Alex McDowell described the Kryptonian technology in the film as "geo-technological, scientifically advanced, but also less shiny and more organic than styles on Earth." There is no rock, stone or metal; Kryptonians had perfected the ability to manipulate DNA, and for thousands of years they built almost everything through biological means.
- #072
(At about 1 hour 35 minutes) Behind a childhood photo of young Clark and Jonathan standing at a science fair project (a volcano), there is a small sign reading "Weisinger Public School," a nod to Mort Weisinger, the long-serving "Silver Age" Superman comics editor who introduced many science fiction elements into Superman canon.
- #073
Man of Steel features three different actors playing Clark Kent at different ages, covering most of the modern era in a single superhero film. Superman (1978) had used five actors because of child labor laws, so the normal practice was to cast two similar-looking babies for a role. This film used a CGI baby instead.
- #074
Because of his success with the Batman series, Sir Christopher Nolan was brought in alongside screenwriter David S. Goyer to help develop the film. It was only a creative consultancy, and Nolan was never intended to direct. When Zack Snyder was later hired as director, Nolan chose to hand all creative control to Snyder and focus on The Dark Knight Rises (2012). According to Nolan's wife, producer Dame Emma Thomas, "They (Nolan and Goyer) brought it to an appropriate screenplay, and it's now Snyder's picture."
- #075
Russell Crowe became the second Oscar winner to play Jor-El, after Marlon Brando. Crowe's former band "Rus Le Roq" had a song titled "I want to be like Marlon Brando."
- #076
Academy Award winner Guillermo del Toro lists Man of Steel as one of his favorite superhero films.
- #077
The monologue spoken by Jonathan Kent in the trailer is taken directly from Geoff Johns's "Superman: Secret Origin," regarded as Superman's definitive origin story in the comics following the Infinite Crisis relaunch.
- #078
(Around 1 hour 45 minutes) The name "Superman" is spoken only once in the entire film. In this instance it is said three times, though at one point Lois Lane nearly says it before being cut off.
- #079
Viggo Mortensen and Sir Daniel Day-Lewis were considered to play General Zod. Both actors had previously been considered to play another DC Comics villain, Ra's al Ghul, in Batman Begins (2005).
- #080
Costume designer Michael Wilkinson's main inspirations for the costume were "the Richard Donner movie (Superman (1978)), Frank Miller's comics and Alex Ross's beautiful drawings."
- #081
Superman's conversations with General Swanwick were based on scenes from the comic book "Superman: Secret Identity," written by Kurt Busiek. The book offers an alternate origin for a character who both pays tribute to and imitates the traditional Superman story.
- #082
According to production designer Peter Mitchell Rubin, Krypton's look was primarily influenced by 19th and 20th century "Art Nouveau" ("Art Nouveau designers assumed that nothing could be as beautiful as what nature creates, so we tried to stay as faithful to that ideal as we could.") and by electron-scope/macro/micro photographs of biological systems, particularly bones, tree bark, fungi, insect shells and dried plants.
- #083
Ayelet Zurer is the first female actress to appear in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe, and she also plays Vanessa Marianna (Vanessa Fisk) in Daredevil (2015).
- #084
WILHELM SCREAM: (around 1 hour 55 minutes) When Faora throws a soldier from the back of the C-17. It is also used again when a missile from a fighter jet strikes one of the civilians during the terraforming.
- #085
Contains a major spoiler — show
(Around 1 hour 20 minutes) In the Black Zero scene where Zod explains where he and his group have been since Krypton's destruction, there is an odd dream scene in which Clark stands on New Krypton in an area full of skulls. On close inspection, the Superman costume is almost jet black with grey accents on the shield, resembling the black and silver suit from the comic book "The Death of Superman" and later from Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) (the "Snyder Cut" of Justice League (2017)). The scene also shows the ruins of a city, similar to what is shown in the Knightmare in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
- #086
Glen Woodburn (Chad Krowchuk), the blogger who leaks Lois Lane's story about Superman, is an indirect nod to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the two reporters who received secret information from a government source exposing the Watergate scandal, famously dramatized in All the President's Men (1976).
- #087
Zack Snyder used the services of Gym Jones to get Henry Cavill ready for the role. Snyder first worked with Gym Jones on 300 (2006) and has since collaborated with them on all of his live-action films to get his cast into the right physical shape.
- #088
General Zod wears a black astronaut suit. This is based on the Modern Age comics (in which he wears a special red suit that filters sunlight) and the early 2000s issues of "Man of Steel" and "Action Comics" (in which he wears a red and black warlord uniform).
- #089
(Around 1 hour 7 minutes) In the flashback where bullies at school beat up young Clark Kent, one of the bullies has a patch with the number "52" on his shoulder. That number has appeared in all DC-related projects since the launch of "The New 52" at DC Comics.
- #090
According to costume designer Michael Wilkinson, the Kryptonian garments are based on the wardrobes of the Versailles aristocracy before the French Revolution. The designers etched velvets and applied embroidery and screen prints to fabrics to create extremely detailed, indulgent costumes.
- #091
Man of Steel was initially planned to take place in the same universe as the Dark Knight Trilogy, in which Joseph Gordon-Levitt appeared as John Blake/Batman, but instead it launched a new DC Comics film universe with Ben Affleck as the new Batman (with Batman still being Bruce Wayne).
- #092
Henry Cavill's nephew Thomas once told his class, "My uncle is Superman," and his teacher replied, "Thomas, we don't lie in school." The teacher only learned Thomas was telling the truth after speaking with Thomas's mother, Cavill's sister-in-law.
- #093
(At about 2 hours 5 minutes) As Zod shakes Superman by his cape, there is a brief extreme close-up of Zod's eye in which the "S" shield is barely visible, mirrored in his iris.
- #094
(At about the 29th minute) When Jonathan tries to teach Clark to keep his powers secret, he mentions how "people will always fear what they don't understand." The same line is also spoken by Falcone in Batman Begins (2005) (directed by producer Christopher Nolan and co-written by screenwriter David S. Goyer) while intimidating Bruce Wayne in a bar.
- #095
Zack Snyder is said to be a big fan of True Blood (2008) and to have watched Joe Manganiello on that series as Superman even before signing on to the film. However, just as Manganiello was about to do a screen test in the suit, HBO stepped in due to contractual obligations. Manganiello would later play a brief role as Deathstroke in Justice League (2017) and Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021).
- #096
The running time is 2 hours 23 minutes, the same as Superman (1978).
- #097
The character Faora-Ul had previously been renamed Ursa for Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980), but her original name was restored here. Ironically, because of the popularity of those films, Ursa was added to the comics as a separate character from Faora-Ul.
- #098
Contains a major spoiler — show
(At about 53 minutes) Jonathan Kent's birth year (according to his gravestone) is 1951, the year George Reeves shot Superman and the Mole-Men (1951), his first appearance as Clark Kent before Adventures of Superman (1952).
- #099
Emmy Rossum, Charlotte Riley, Saoirse Ronan, Dianna Agron, Margot Robbie, Alexis Knapp, Kaya Scodelario, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kristen Bell, Lake Bell, Olivia Wilde, Mila Kunis and Jessica Biel were all considered to play Lois Lane. Robbie and Winstead later took the roles of Harley Quinn and Huntress, respectively, in the DC Extended Universe.
- #100
Contains a major spoiler — show
(At about 1 hour 28 minutes) During the Smallville battle in which Superman fights Faora-Ul and Nam-Ek (and in fact before Zod and Faora threaten Martha), Faora and Nam-Ek wear full-body armor and "ventilation units" that should prevent solar radiation from enhancing their physiology as it does Clark's. Yet throughout these scenes Faora and Nam-Ek display incredible strength and agility. As Jor-El explains earlier in the film's narration, this is probably because Earth's gravity is weaker and has less pull on Kryptonian bodies than on humans.
- #101
Henry Cavill (Kal-El) bought an American Akita dog in January 2014 from Big Bear Akitas breeders in Arkansas and named it Kal.
- #102
It is the first Kevin Costner film to gross over $100 million in the US since The Bodyguard (1992).
- #103
(At about 1 hour 30 minutes) While flying the helicopter over Smallville, Hardy uses the call sign "Guardian." In DC Comics, Guardian was a superhero and the Head of Security for a secret organization called Project Cadmus.
- #104
Contains a major spoiler — show
(At about 2 hours 10 minutes) When Kal-El (as Clark Kent) is introduced to Lois, he says "Welcome to the Planet," meaning the Daily Planet newspaper. But it carries a second meaning too, "Welcome to Earth," which is what Kal-El feared: that people would react badly if they discovered he was an alien.
- #105
On the road to Super Bowl LVII, Henry Cavill revealed that he is a Kansas City Chiefs fan. Because he grew up in England and had no natural connection, he decided to pick the team closest to Clark Kent, who was raised in Kansas.
- #106
This is the third live-action theatrical Superman film not to feature Superman's archenemy Lex Luthor. The others were Superman III (1983) and Superman and the Mole-Men (1951). However, the name of Luthor's company, "LexCorp," appears on tanker trucks in various scenes.
- #107
One of Zod's soldiers is named Nam-Ek. Nam-Ek was a minor Kryptonian who appeared in the December 1974 Superman comic "The Loneliest Man in the Universe" (Superman Volume 1, Issue 282). Nam-Ek was also one of the Kryptonians who came to Earth in the first episode of the fifth season of Smallville (2001). In addition, Nam-Ek is also the name of the home planet of the character Piccolo in the massive manga anime series "Dragon Ball-Z." The story revolves around a child sent to Earth as the last of his kind, who possesses special powers and protects Earth from a surviving member of his own race bent on global domination.
- #108
Laurence Fishburne is the first African-American actor to play Perry White in any medium.
- #109
Russell Crowe (Jor-El) and Kevin Costner (Jonathan Kent), who play both of Superman's fathers, have shared the role of Robin Hood: Costner in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) and Crowe in Robin Hood (2010). Both also played legendary US lawmen who brought down notorious gangsters: Costner as Eliot Ness in The Untouchables (1987) and Crowe as Richie Roberts in American Gangster (2007).
- #110
This is the third film in which Diane Lane plays the mother of a "special" child. The first was Jack (1996) (starring Robin Williams, Christopher Reeve's closest friend), and the second was Jumper (2008).
- #111
Both this film and Superman II (1980) feature actors named Michael Shannon. The two actors are unrelated.
- #112
According to editor David Brenner, the film's original total runtime was three and a half hours.
- #113
Alessandro Juliani (Sergeant Sedowsky) played Dr. Emil Hamilton on Smallville (2001). David James Lewis (Major Laramore) played Dr. Marcus and Macy on the series.
- #114
Carla Gugino plays the voice of the birthing device on Krypton. She had previously worked with Zack Snyder on Watchmen (2009) and Sucker Punch (2011).
- #115
(At about 1 hour 50 minutes) Right after the pilot says he has lost his wingman, when one of the planes crashes, the sound of a Transformer transformation can be heard.
- #116
(At about 1 hour 35 minutes) When Superman saves a falling man, he also rolls in midair so that the whip strike does not kill the man. This is probably based on the many discussions in popular media such as The Big Bang Theory (2007) about how Superman's powers would work with real-life physics.
- #117
Dylan Sprayberry (young Clark Kent) is in the cast of Teen Wolf (2011), which stars Tyler Posey and Tyler Hoechlin. Posey appeared in an episode of Smallville (2001), while Hoechlin plays Superman on Supergirl (2015).
- #118
Screenwriter David S. Goyer approached Guillermo del Toro, with whom he had previously worked on Blade II (2002), to direct. Del Toro declined because he was committed to the film adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness," which was eventually cancelled.
- #119
Christopher Meloni (Colonel Nathan Hardy) voiced Superman's colleague Hal Jordan, also known as Green Lantern, in the animated film Green Lantern: First Flight (2009).
- #120
Dennis Quaid, Bruce Greenwood, Michael Biehn and Kurt Russell were considered for the role of Jonathan Kent.
- #121
Diane Kruger, Rosamund Pike, Kate Mara and Gal Gadot were considered for the role of Faora. Gadot later played Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe.
- #122
Henry Cavill was born the same year as the premiere of Superman III (1983).
- #123
Contains a major spoiler — show
The opening sequences on Krypton, involving Jor-El stealing the Codex and Zod's brief rebellion, contain more than a few references to the original Superman film, even though they look completely different visually from Richard Donner's Superman (1978). The most notable are the scenes in which Zod and his rebels are sentenced to the Phantom Zone and Krypton is effectively destroyed.
- #124
(At about 26 minutes) Clark's rescue of a bus full of schoolchildren after it falls off a bridge resembles Superman's rescue of a bus full of schoolchildren from nearly falling off the Golden Gate Bridge in Superman (1978).
- #125
General Zod's appearance in the film seems to have been inspired by General Jax-Ur in Superman: The Animated Series (1996). General Jax-Ur is a mixture of the Superman villains General Zod and Jax-Ur, both of whom appear in this film.
- #126
Contains a major spoiler — show
(At about 14 minutes) Jor-El (Russell Crowe) is stabbed from the side before he dies. Crowe had the same experience in Gladiator (2000), where Commodus stabbed his character to weaken him before the two fought to the death. And just as in Gladiator, he fell to the ground: stiff as a log, without trying to break his fall or absorb the blow.
- #127
The helicopters carrying Colonel Hardy and the Army Rangers squad in the Smallville battle were MH-6 and AH-6 "Little Bird" aircraft. The MH-6 is an unarmed transport, while the AH-6 is a gunship armed with 2.75 rockets as well as pylon-mounted General Dynamics GAU-17/A miniguns.
- #128
Julianne Moore, Lisa Rinna, Jodie Foster, Sela Ward and Elisabeth Shue were considered for the role of Martha Kent.
- #129
The entire Kryptonian armor worn by General Zod was CGI. Real armor would have been too heavy and would have restricted Michael Shannon's movements.
- #130
Richard Schiff (Dr. Emil Hamilton) shares several scenes with Alessandro Juliani (Officer Sekowsky), who had previously played Emil Hamilton on Smallville (2001).
- #131
Mackenzie Gray, who played Jax-Ur, had previously played an adult clone of Lex Luthor in Smallville (2001).
- #132
Diane Lane had previously appeared in the Superman-themed Hollywoodland (2006), in which she played Toni Mannix, George Reeves's former girlfriend.
- #133
Sean Penn and Clive Owen were considered for the role of Jor-El.
- #134
A tie-in campaign was created with Gillette under the slogan "How does the Man of Steel shave?" In fact, as seen in The House of Luthor (1994) and Mxyzpixilated (1997), he shaves by reflecting his heat vision off a mirror and therefore has no need of a razor.
- #135
The film has several connections to the reimagined Battlestar Galactica (2004): many of its visual effects shots were modeled after the documentary look used on Battlestar Galactica to give them a greater sense of realism. In addition, two of the personnel at the Arctic military base are played by the series' stars Tahmoh Penikett and Alessandro Juliani.
- #136
(About 1 hour 30 minutes in) During the first fight with the three Kryptonians, the Thunder call sign used for the aircraft more commonly known as the "Warthog" is a reference to the specific name: the A-10 Thunderbolt II.
- #137
Zod is the only live-action depiction who does not say his signature line "Kneel Before Zod."
- #138
Before Zack Snyder was chosen, Darren Aronofsky, Duncan Jones, Ben Affleck, Tony Scott, Matt Reeves and Jonathan Liebesman were considered to direct the film. Affleck later took on the role of Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and Reeves directed The Batman (2022).
- #139
The twin-engine aircraft in the Smallville attack scene are Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthogs," and the single-engine aircraft in the Metropolis air battle are Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIs. The A-10 was produced between 1972 and 1984, and the F-35 was still in development and was not combat-ready until December 2015.
- #140
Natalie Portman and Anne Hathaway were considered for the role of Lois Lane.
- #141
Kevin Costner later starred in Draft Day (2014) alongside Tom Welling and Frank Langella, who had played Clark in Smallville (2001) and Perry White in Superman Returns (2006), respectively.
- #142
The track "Oil Rig" on the film's soundtrack album features a child's voice saying "uh-oh." No clear reason could be found for why the voice is present on the soundtrack.
- #143
Connie Nielsen was considered for the role of Lara Lor-Van. Julia Ormond was cast but dropped out, so Ayelet Zurer was chosen in her place. Nielsen later took on the role of Hippolyta in Wonder Woman (2017).
- #144
Christopher McQuarrie said that he and Henry Cavill pitched a sequel idea to Warner Bros. In 2018, the plot had a connection to a potential Green Lantern film. He eventually moved on to other projects due to Warner Bros.' lack of interest.
- #145
Sir Christopher Nolan banned executive producer Jon Peters from the set. Peters was accused of sexually harassing his assistant during the production of Superman Returns (2006), and in 2011, around the time filming on Man of Steel began, a jury ordered Peters to pay $3.3 million in damages. Peters is also known for the notorious creative deviations of Superman Lives, a planned film to be directed by Tim Burton and starring Nicolas Cage (see The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened? (2015)). Peters only commented on the set ban, saying, "My reputation scares these guys."
- #146
(At about 1 hour 12 minutes) At the start of the scene at the desert base where Clark and Lois wait for the Kryptonians to arrive, Clark and Lois stand facing each other in a wide shot in the center of the frame. This resembles a shot from both this film and the original comic book Watchmen (2009), in which Dan and Laurie stand face to face in a barren landscape about to kiss. Both shots end with a shockwave-like effect. In this film, the Kryptonian spacecraft flies off and throws clouds of sand into the faces of the U.S. Army at the base. In Watchmen, a nuclear explosion occurs in the background and burns Dan and Laurie.
- #147
After the disappointing reception of Superman Returns (2006), Warner Bros. decided in 2008 to completely restart the series. Several comic book writers, including Geoff Johns, Mark Waid, Grant Morrison and Brad Meltzer, promoted Superman films. Waid and Morrison both pitched adaptations of their own comic books Superman: Birthright and All-Star Superman, which influenced this film.
- #148
(At about 1 hour 17 minutes) Kansas farmer Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) can be seen on the front porch of the farmhouse wearing a pale blue Kansas City Royals T-shirt.
- #149
Tyler Hoechlin auditioned for Clark Kent/Superman before playing him in Superman & Lois (2021). He said: "I remember understanding those sides, and because of who the character is, I started looking at those scenes with an idea of how it should be or how it should feel. And I remember looking at the pages and going, 'my instincts are telling me something completely different than what I think they're looking for.' I just decided, 'You know what? If that's what they want and are hoping for in this scene, I'm going to do what my instincts tell me. I'm going to commit to that.'".
- #150
It was the 9th highest-grossing film of 2013.
- #151
Diane Lane (Martha Kent) was the second actor cast, after Henry Cavill.
- #152
Costing $225 million, the film was the most expensive film of 2013, along with The Lone Ranger (2013).
- #153
(At about 2 hours 5 minutes) The end of the final fight scene between Superman and Zod was shot at Union Station on South Canal Street in Chicago. Lois Lane (Amy Adams) stood on the stairs below street level. Twenty-six years earlier, Kevin Costner (Jonathan Kent), in the role of Eliot Ness, had filmed the final shot of The Untouchables (1987) on the same stairs.
- #154
Contains a major spoiler — show
(At about 15 minutes) When Zod's rebellion is put down and the capsule containing baby Kal emerges, Zod stares fixedly at the capsule with controlled rage, and the score plays a noisy sound similar to the music in Inception (2010), also composed by Hans Zimmer. In Aquaman (2018), after Jesse Kane kills himself by detonating a high-powered grenade to complete his mission, a similar look of controlled rage appears on David Kane's face, and a similar noisy sound is heard in the score.
- #155
David Czarra Giuntoli auditioned for the role of Clark Kent/Superman. His real-life wife, Elizabeth Tulloch, plays Lois Lane in Superman & Lois (2021) and other DC Comics television series.
- #156
This was Samantha Win's (Car-Vex) debut.
- #157
In 2010, talks were underway for Jon Hamm to play Superman. However, he turned down the offer because he felt he was too old for the role, as he was already in his early 40s at that point.
- #158
Edgar Ramírez was considered for the role of General Zod.
- #159
Diane Lane and Kevin Costner were reunited as husband and wife in Let Him Go (2020).
- #160
Director Zack Snyder revealed in a 2019 interview that Zoe Saldaña nearly took on the role of Lois Lane.
- #161
Laurence Fishburne and Harry Lennix both appeared in The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003).
- #162
This is the only film co-produced by Sir Christopher Nolan's Syncopy that Nolan himself did not direct; he served as producer and writer instead.
- #163
Kevin Costner and Henry Cavill were considered to play Batman in Batman (1989) and Batman Begins (2005) respectively. They were also considered for other DC roles: Costner for Night Owl in Watchmen (2009) and Cavill for Green Lantern in Green Lantern (2011).
- #164
Both Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner not only play father(s) to Kal-El/Clark Kent but also each portrayed a version of Robin Hood in their own films. Costner played the title character first in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), and Crowe followed nineteen years later in Robin Hood (2010).
- #165
The initial reaction to Henry Cavill's casting as Superman was mixed, as the trend of casting non-American actors as American superheroes continued, such as Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Christian Bale as Batman and Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man. Daniel Fienberg of HitFix joked that Cavill was "revenge" for Robert Downey Jr. being cast as Sherlock Holmes (coincidentally, Cavill himself later played Sherlock in the Enola Holmes series).
- #166
(At about 1 hour 7 minutes) There are two references to Smallville (2001), which depicted Clark Kent's teenage years, when young Clark is bullied by football players. The first is the team jackets worn by the players in the Smallville Crows colors featured in the series. The second is a garage named "Sullivan's," a reference to Chloe Sullivan, Clark's closest friend in the series.
- #167
In Superman (1948), young Clark Kent actually saves his father from the tornado.
- #168
Kevin Costner's role as Jonathan Kent had previously been played by Glenn Ford. Both were involved in rival Wyatt Earp projects: Glenn was cast in a role in Tombstone (1993) but had to leave, while Costner played Wyatt Earp in Wyatt Earp (1994) opposite Gene Hackman (the original Lex Luthor) as his father. Ironically, Russell Crowe, who played Superman's other father, Jor-El, also took on a Glenn Ford role. Crowe played outlaw Ben Wade in the remake of 3:10 to Yuma (2007), the same role Ford played in the original 1957 film.
- #169
Laurence Fishburne (Perry White) appeared alongside Frank Langella in Bad Company (1995); Langella played Perry White in Superman Returns (2006).
- #170
Jamie Dornan auditioned for the role of Clark Kent/Superman.
- #171
The film featured the following characters, adapted from the comics: * Clark Jerome Kent/Superman/Kal-El of Krypton, referred to on screen as Clark Kent or Superman. He first appeared in the comic story "Superman, Champion of the Oppressed" by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster in Action Comics #1 (June 1938). As a fun fact, his middle name, Jerome, comes from the full first name of writer Jerry Siegel. * Lois Joanne Lane, referred to on screen as Lois Lane. She first appeared in the comic story "Superman, Champion of the Oppressed" by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster in Action Comics #1 (June 1938). As a fun fact, her middle name, Joanne, comes from Joanne Siegel, the wife of Jerry Siegel, whom the pair met when she modeled for artist Joe Shuster's drawings of Lois. * Perry White was created for the radio series The Adventures of Superman and voiced by actor Julian Noa. He appeared in the second episode, "Clark Kent, Reporter," broadcast on February 14, 1940. He moved to the comics the same year, appearing in the comic story "The Three Kingpins of Crime" in Superman #7 (November 1940). He was created by radio writer George Putnam Ludlam. This version of Perry White is portrayed as African American, while in the comics he is Caucasian. * Martha Kent first appeared as Mary Kent in the comic story "Clark Kent Gets a Job" by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster in Superman #1 (June 1939). * Jonathan Kent first appeared as John Kent in the comic story "Clark Kent Gets a Job" by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster in Superman #1 (June 1939). * Jor-El first appeared in the Superman comic by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster (January 1939). * Lara Lor-Van first appeared in the Superman comic by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster (January 1939). * Dru-Zod, referred to on screen as General Zod. He first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 (April 1961). He was created by writer Robert Bernstein and artist George Papp. * Faora Hu-U first appeared in the comic story "One of Our Ghosts Is Missing!" in Action Comics #471 (May 1977), written by Cary Bates and drawn by Curt Swan. * Lana Lang first appeared in the comic story "The Girl in Superboy's Life!" in Superboy #10 (October 1950) and was created by writer Bill Finger and artist John Sikela. * Peter "Pete" Ross, referred to on screen as Pete Ross. He first appeared in the comic story "The Boy Who Betrayed Clark Kent!" in Superboy #86 (January 1961) and was created by writer Robert Bernstein and artist George Papp. * Professor Emil Hamilton first appeared in the comic story "Man O'War" by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Jerry Ordway in Adventures of Superman #424 (January 1987). All other characters not listed were created solely for the film. The list above names only the creators of each character's first appearance. As with all comic book characters, Superman and his supporting cast have been reinvented many times with different contributions from different writers. These include different iterations in different media that add different concepts to the characters' overall mythology.
- #172
Matthew Vaughn pitched a Superman film trilogy to DC in 2010, and Charlie Cox wanted to play Superman — the two had previously worked together on Stardust (2007), which also starred Henry Cavill — but it never gained traction. Vaughn wanted "super-fan" Mark Millar involved in the project, but DC refused. "No way, he's Marvel exclusive. It would be so disrespectful to all the DC guys if we went with a Marvel exclusive guy." Millar had in fact written Superman comics, including the acclaimed "Red Son," which he said influenced Cavill's own portrayal. Millar did not approve of Zack Snyder's take on Superman, and his frustration inspired him to write the comic "Huck."
- #173
Rebecca Buller plays a Daily Planet reporter named Jenny. Because her full name appeared as "Jenny Olsen" in the tie-in guidebook "Man of Steel: Superman Takes Flight," the character was said to be a gender-swapped version of Jimmy Olsen. Buller also believed that was the plan for her, but Jimmy was later officially introduced in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), played by Michael Cassidy, and Jenny's full name was changed to "Jenny Jurwich."
- #174
Henry Cavill, born in 1983, is the first Millennial to play Superman.
- #175
Amy Adams and Michael Shannon appeared together in Nocturnal Animals (2016), three years later.
- #176
J. J. Abrams was said to be set to direct the sequel before it was cancelled. In the early 2000s he had written his own Superman film, titled "Flyby," for which Henry Cavill auditioned, but that too was cancelled.
- #177
The film features 3 actors who had previously appeared in Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009). Both Tahmoh Penikett (Karl "Helo" Agathon) and Alessandro Juliani (Felix Gaeta) appear in the Arctic scene, while Mike Dopud (Specialist Gage) later appears as a Canadian airman.
- #178
Amanda Seyfried, Rachel McAdams, Dianna Agron, Kristen Stewart, Jessica Biel and Malin Akerman all screen-tested for the role of Lois Lane. Akerman had previously worked with Zack Snyder on Watchmen (2009).
- #179
Diane Lane was considered to play Vicki Vale in Batman (1989).
- #180
The second official trailer used "Elegy to the Storm" as its music, a mix of Lisa Gerrard's "Elegy" and Craig Armstrong and A. R. Rahman's "Storm," the latter of which appeared on the original score for Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007). The transition from "Elegy" to "Storm" occurs in the trailer when Superman begins to fly.
- #181
Henry Cavill auditioned for Superman wearing Christopher Reeve's costume. In 2025, Zack Snyder posted the original test photos of Cavill in Reeve's costume on Instagram, writing in the caption: "We showed [these photos] to WB and everyone agreed: Henry Cavill was Superman. This is where the journey began."
- #182
(At about 1 hour 45 minutes) The C-17 transports carry the markings of Edwards AFB's 412th Test Wing, a non-combat unit. During the fight in the C-17, the co-pilot is seen with a 729 AS (Aerial Refueling Squadron) patch, the C-17 flying squadron of the 452d Air Mobility Wing at March Air Reserve Base in Southern California. The film also shows papers flying out of the aircraft as the cargo doors open as if this were normal and acceptable, which it is not.
- #183
Former New England Patriots player Jermaine Wiggins is a fan of this film.
- #184
Before it was cancelled, the sequel was said to be considering Nicola Peltz Beckham, Chloë Grace Moretz, Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning to play Supergirl. Sasha Calle played an alternate-timeline version of Supergirl in The Flash (2023).
- #185
The name of internet blogger Glenn Woodburn is a portmanteau of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the famous journalists who uncovered the Watergate scandal.
- #186
It is the first Superman film whose title does not contain the word "Superman."
- #187
Daniel Cudmore auditioned to play Superman. He had previously auditioned for the same role in Superman Returns (2006).
- #188
Amy Adams is nine years older than Henry Cavill, which is the second-largest age gap between the actor playing Superman and the actress playing Lois Lane. The largest gap belongs to George Reeves and Phyllis Coates, who played Superman and Lois respectively in Superman and the Mole-Men (1951); Reeves was thirteen years older than Coates.
- #189
Man of Steel was the most searched film on Google in 2013.
- #190
Dances with Wolves (1990) is Kevin Costner's highest-grossing film.
- #191
It is Russell Crowe's second highest-grossing film worldwide, after Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).
- #192
It was first set to be released in December 2012.
- #193
Robert Zemeckis was considered to direct.
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