How Man Of Steel Should Have Ended: With Aquaman Begging For A Justice League Movie

The discussions started the moment Zod’s body hit the ground: Should Superman have snapped his enemy's neck, allowing himself to break his own “never kill” Cardinal Rule? I fall on the side of finding the ending of Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel as far too harsh, particularly for a superhero movie that’s hoping to appeal to kids. Thankfully, the team at HISHE.com posted an alternate ending to YouTube. We’ve shared it above.

This is the latest in a series of alternate endings by the creative team at HISHE (How It Should Have Ended) that also includes reimagined conclusions for such recent and classic blockbusters as Fast and Furious 6, The Hobbit, Prometheus and Return of the Jedi:

As for the Man of Steel version, the animation – as usual – makes some valid critiques and raises interesting points. Jor-El (Russell Crowe) copying his conscience for his son to boot up later? Ridiculous. The random priest? Hilarious. The “It’s a trap!” guy from Star Wars? He would have been a welcome addition! And we get the Superman/Batman team up that we’re all hoping to see … and soon.

Which brings us to Comic-Con, and Saturday’s Hall H panel sponsored by Warner Bros. Do you think it’s possible that the studio has something up its sleeve regarding Man of Steel 2, a World’s Finest team-up movie, or a possible Justice League of America movie (as Aquaman suggests at the end of the cartoon)? It’s a stretch. But I think that a Warner panel without a mention of Superman’s future plans is a missed opportunity, given the success of Man of Steel this summer.

Sean O'Connell
Managing Editor

Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.