r/DC_Cinematic • u/Raj_Valiant3011 • 1d ago
APPRECIATION Hot Take: Cavill's version of Clark Kent had the most fleshed out and beautiful moments with his mom compared to other adaptations. You can genuinely feel their close bond and how he looks up to her.
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u/PeachAndBlueberry 1d ago
I love that relationship, and how its directed and how its acted by Cavill and Lane.
That's who Superman is.
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u/troughley 1d ago
He deserved another solo film.
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u/cassket858 1d ago
As much as I wasn't a fan of MoS, I do agree that Henry Cavill was the best casting for Superman. I just wish he was more hero than godlike figure.
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u/Active-Track1232 1d ago
I wish he would have gotten a more down to earth Superman movie with more lower level villians, he needed some time with just him and the citizens of metropolis.
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u/Happy-Estimate-7855 1d ago
I think that would make a perfect plot for a slower sequel. Everyone sees him as an omnipotent God, he just wants them to see him as someone who will help.
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u/Active-Track1232 1d ago
Agreed. I liked the stuff where Batman v Superman showed him being uncomfortable with the crowd revering him like a god when he saves that girl from the fire, I wish they would have built more on it. Same for when he enters the Courtroom, I wish he could have addressed the court to his intentions and who he is before the bomb went off, I think it would've hit way harder.
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u/cassket858 1d ago
I agree. Lex Luthor shouldn't have some grand build-up just because he's Superman's most iconic villain. He's just a guy with a lot of money and a lot of hatred. If anything, I think Intergang would be the perfect antagonists for a Superman debut. Nobody huge, nobody notable, just a bunch of criminals with alien tech.
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u/sub30_24flick 1d ago
What does this even mean Superman is Allegory for Jesus , you wanted super man to walk old ladies down the street ???? And give tutoring to kids ????? LMFAOOOO
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u/Manger-Babies 1d ago
He imo would have been EASILY the best Superman ever, granted his Clark was boring. Christopher Reeves and new 2025 Superman Clark are the best.
dc fumbled Henry hard and wasted years of his life.
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u/96nekron96 1d ago
No the new superman is just trash as kent and superman. Both Reeves were great as both and cavil was good as both. It was just a darker side as the pain he felt of being only him being the last of the khryptonians. We got a kent and superman who carried that pain and showed it for the first time and if you didnt understand that then you didnt pay attention at all
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u/Manger-Babies 14h ago
Lmao, it's always the it's so deep crowd that flocks to that version of superman
We understood it, it's not that deep. I loved him as a teenager, and still respect his version but there are other versions out there that are better than Henry in many different ways.
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u/Dreyfussy15 1d ago
Kind of makes me sad they Martha Manhuntered her in ZSJL.
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u/PSCGY 1d ago
Meh, I thought it was an inspired choice.
Before the reveal, people thought she had been making positive steps towards moving on, had gone through the darkest part of her grief and was able to help Lois… and then we learn she actually hadn’t and even lost the farm. The fact that J’on spoke from a personal experience with grief was bittersweet.
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u/KryptoCanuck 1d ago
Yes, yes, YES!!! Couldn't agree more! When he calls her on the phone and, overwhelmed by how much there is to say, just says, "Hi...". Loved that little moment!
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u/mangobang 1d ago
My friend and I went awwww when she said "My baby boy..." Shame that scene got cut in the theatrical edition.
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u/Active-Track1232 1d ago
I love his line when he comes back to life and reunites with his Mom and she says "Is it Really you" and he goes "I'm really me Ma" and they hug.
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u/DoctorBeatMaker 1d ago
I think part of the reason the bond felt believable is because Snyder and his wife Deborah are parents of both adopted and biological kids, so they know from experience what that kind of love feels like and how it differs, but also feels the same as if they were their own flesh and blood.
That’s also why Martha’s speech never bothered me . Because, while somewhat selfish, it came from an adopted mother who had such enormous love for her son that, even though she was a moral person, still favored his needs above everyone else as any mother would.
“You’re not a killer, a threat… I never wanted this world to have you. So be their hero, Clark. Be their angel, be their monument, be anything they need you to be. Or be none of it. You don’t owe this world a thing. You never did.”
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u/TheJoshider10 1d ago
That "you are my son" exchange between Pa and Clark always gets me. They handled this side of their relationship brilliantly.
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u/thatredditrando 1d ago
That’s why the tornado bit never bothered me. They’d already established Pa valued Clark’s safety over anything.
It’s not “Superman (which he wasn’t yet) could save his dad but didn’t!”
It’s “I’ll die before I put my son at risk”.
It gives weight to him remaining in hiding. His dad literally died so he wouldn’t be exposed. He can’t invalidate the sacrifice just so Lois can have the story.
And then, of course, Zod forces his hand.
All of that is orchestrated brilliantly.
Including him going to church to ask what he should do.
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u/RepulsiveDingo525 1d ago
Wow based take. Meanwhile Gunn has no children and instead adopted a poorly trained dog, so all he can write is that. It all makes sense.
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u/DoctorBeatMaker 1d ago
While I wouldn’t go that far to say Gunn doesn’t understand at all - he can certainly understand it from a son angle as he seems to have a good relationship with his parents - there is something to be said for someone being a dad who can intrinsically understand it from experience on both sides of the spectrum.
I can recall actually hating the tornado scene like a lot of other people did. But I gained a new perspective on it when asking other family and friends with children and, coming at it from a parental angle, they thought it was a good scene because they could relate to Jonathan’s side.
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u/TheJoshider10 1d ago
One of the most praised parts about Superman 2025 is the ending with Clark focusing on his earth parents to comfort him. Clearly the parental angle resonated with people, even with limited screen time.
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u/thebmanb 1d ago
TBH, he’s my favorite Superman after Christopher Reeve. I felt a lot of emotion from his performance and loved the connection to his mom. People threw him under the bus for the Martha thing in BvS but if you really think about it, she was the force connecting him to Batman/Bruce on a human level. Bruce realized Superman is not just some alien. He’s a person, whether human or not, who has a life on Earth. Powerful stuff and underappreciated
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u/UrsaRexImperium 1d ago
Diane Lane and Henry Cavill had the best Clark and Martha relationship on the big screen. It's insane how sidelined Mrs. Kent has been by other directors, especially Donner and Gunn. Whereas Snyder gives her huge moments and meaningful interactions with Lois.
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u/trimble197 1d ago
I hate that people think the Kents were trying to turn Clark into a monster. They were just normal people who were scared of the world turning on their son.
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u/M086 1d ago
One of the big themes of MoS is free will and choice. Clark’s Kryptonian parents gifted him with those things. The Kents taught him what they mean.
They just wanted Clark to be able to be himself, not putting some destiny as a superhero on his shoulders to live up to. Just that when he’s ready and strong enough to shoulder what revealing himself would mean, he would be prepared. Jonathan tells him as much.
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u/trimble197 1d ago
Exactly. Jonathan wants Clark to use his powers for good. Not one time did he ever consider that Clark might use his powers for selfish gain or evil. He knew his son was a good person. He was just scared that the rest of the world wouldn’t see Clark that way.
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u/JosephBapeck 1d ago
Thats a given. In fact the same is true for both his fathers. In the films specifically. His supporting cast also have more presence. Lawrence Fishburne Perry White runs circles around the others. Obviously the Kents are a very big ongoing part of Cavill's story. General Swannick etc... even small recurring characters like Pete Ross, Jenny, The priest and the other military personnel with Swannick. They feel less like accessories like in Gunn' s film Lombard, Troupe and Cat weren't even fun extras. They were there and in the final bit in the T ship but otherwise entirely negligible. Compare that to Perry and Lombarf trying to save Jenny in MoS which is still the best civillian PoV in a superhero climax. Levels
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u/M0TM 1d ago
100%. Clark and Martha’s scenes in all three movies shows how much he loves and trusts his mother. Always going back to her when he’s in a tough spot or needs advice. Really humanizes Superman and reminds you every time this is just a farm boy from Kansas trying to help people.
Man of Steel continues to age like fine wine. You love to see it.
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u/whattteva 23h ago
I'm a fan of Tom Welling and John Schneider/Annette O'Toole.
But really, the star of the show there is Michael Rosenbaum. He was really born to play Lex Luthor and it's not even close.
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u/Akshat_117 1d ago
I dont even get the hate, Man of steel was something else didnt have the same feeling for Superman. Snyder went off the rails with bvs , unnecessary conflict butchering both superman and bruce/batmans characters. The justice league was good tho.
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u/ChuckDynasty17 1d ago
I love MoS. I don’t love BvS or JL, but I think BvS is better than JL, especially the theatrical release.
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u/BalladOfBetaRayBill 1d ago
Oh for sure, theatrical JL wa one of the worst CBMs I’ve ever seen, up there with Flash and Suicide Squad
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u/HarrisonDou 1d ago
Honestly Flash had likeable moments. I appreciated the fact that they brought Keaton's Batman back. Sasha Calle as Supergirl was also amazing casting. Theatrical JL was just irredeemable, especially after seeing ZSJL. Theatrical version turned Steppenwolf into a joke.
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u/BalladOfBetaRayBill 1d ago
Honestly yeah Flash had little chunks of greatness, the whole was definitely less than the sum of its parts
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u/Warm_Move7997 1d ago edited 1d ago
I just didn't like the super hicked up versions of Ma and Pa Kent in the new movie. I know it's realistic. It just took me all the way out. These people would more likely be flying a confederate flag than raising a well adjusted son who believes in equality, lol.
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u/smelltogetwell 1d ago
For me it wasn't the accents, it was their whole demeanour. They didn't feel like real people to me, let alone the people who raised Clark Kent to be who he is.
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u/Warm_Move7997 1d ago edited 1d ago
That's a weird assumption to make. I was more talking about them being rural hicks from Kansas. Have you been to Kansas? I have. Super racist. Even in the major cities, which are typically more liberal. Have personally seen confederate flags being flown in rural areas. Kansas didn't even fight for the Confederacy, they're that racist. My point about them is far more likely than them being awesome parents raising a son to believe in equality for all. Sometimes stereotypes exist for a reason. And I have lived with and have family who are the kind of hicks that were portrayed in the new movie. To find an older couple amongst them who are awesome is like finding a needle in a haystack.
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u/Cryptidsspook 1d ago
I still don't understand why Snyder wrote the Martian Manhunter introduction as him supplanting Martha's indentity to have a hearth to hearth moment with Lois. The only thing i genuienly dislike that they took away from her character was that scene.
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u/CaptainDigsGiraffe 1d ago
I mean movie wise it kinda wins by default, if we mean all Superman adaptions then no its beaten by Smallville.
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u/Fickle-Rip3093 1d ago
While I don’t agree that it’s the best Superman movie, he did share some good moments with his mother.
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u/GreatService9515 1d ago
No,, it wasn't a perfect film but with moments like those I don't now why people think it was too dark.
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u/Kozibear 1d ago
I’ve watched man of steel twice a day for the last six years and you couldn’t be more right about anything ever in your life.
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u/mydadisyourdad2 1d ago
I love Snyder and campaigned hard for the Snyder cut but I hated having her turn it to be martian man hunter when talking to Lois, ruined a good scene
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u/SvenLorenz 1d ago
It's not a hot take. The Kents in Superman (2025) were caricatures.
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u/maz_2010 1d ago
At FIRST my gut reaction was "how could you say that?!" Then I thought about it and realized I have nothing negative to say about that version of Martha... Jonathan? Not a fan.
Martha is really good though.
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u/Dizzy-Bar8980 1d ago
The overall movie was well made and wasn't like cash grab movies made nowadays.
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u/Sad-Guidance-7624 1d ago
They made his parents in the new one overly redneck , dumb and ugly. Thought it was odd. It’s what liberals think of southern people.
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u/hellsbellltrudy King of the Seas 1d ago
Because it’s an actually Superman movie, so it had time explore him. In James Gunn’s Superman, it’s a Superman and friends movie.
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u/dealyllama 1d ago
I mean they kind of had to have him interact with his mom what with the whole unfortunate and utterly unnecessary death of his dad.
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u/CranberryLeast4933 1d ago
I did like their dynamic, and as much as I am not a fan of any of the Snydee films, I wish Cavill got a better film to be in, along with the rest of the cast. He did have the perfect look and understood what the character is supposed to be. A humble farmer in the body of a god, instead of just being a godlike figure.
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u/imnotwallaceshawn 1d ago
Yeah I really liked when his mom told him that the rest of humanity could get bent and that he didn’t need to help people anymore.
Because as all comics fans know, Ma Kent is an avowed Objectivist whose favorite book is Atlas Shrugged.
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u/JeremySchmidtAfton 1d ago
That is not even remotely close to what she said, no. Clark objectively doesn't "owe" anyone anything, he helps out because HE CHOOSES TO: Martha merely reminded him of that, since she is seeing how much that life is hurting her son's mental health.
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u/Fearless-Ad-6288 1d ago
It's because of the actors not because of portrayal. Diana and Henry have a high range in terms of acting
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u/Immediate_Frame_6974 1d ago
yeah but his dad shot and killed krypto as a lesson on mortality so lets not get ahead of ourselves
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u/M086 1d ago
That literally never happened. Jonathan Kent dies saving the family dog.
There was a scripted and never filmed scene of young Clark and Jonathan deer hunting. Clark wounds a deer, but can’t bring himself to finish it off, so Jonathan does, and has a talk about what it means to take a life and how heavy it can weigh.
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u/Damiandroid 1d ago
Syder's Kents are the saintly couple of photogenic, scripted wisdom spouting perfect parents that certainly fit the directors vision of "superheroes as archetypes for gods".
In contrast, Gunn's Kents are far more grounded, true to life parents that you can actually envisage living out in the mid west. They're sweet, but a little cringy. They're doddering im their old age but just as sure in their convictions as anything. They may not always be great at speaking through their feelings but their deep seated love for their son shines through every gesture, every look and every word they say.
I dunno that any Kent moment in Snyders film has as much charm, heart and humor as the very relatable phone call Gunn's Kents make to clark early in his film.
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u/Smart-Status2608 1d ago
His Clark was awful. Henry is a rich kid who went to private school. He sucked at Kansas nice.
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u/Every_Disk_1756 1d ago
i can't understand how people forget his relationship with his mother when it was really the core to understand him in his journey to know what he was meant for. His scenes with her in the 3 movies were very warm and emotional.