Kevin Costner Reflects on His Controversial Role in Man of Steel After a Decade
Kevin Costner portrayed Jonathan Kent in Zack Snyder’s DCEU film Man of Steel, a role that has sparked ongoing debate among fans for years. Even as Warner Bros. shifts its focus to James Gunn’s new DC Universe, the controversial death scene of Jonathan Kent remains a talking point.
In discussing his experience, Costner expressed disappointment at not having a more heroic role in a superhero film. In an interview with CinemaBlend, he remarked:
“It’s just my luck to be in a superhero movie and be the only person that’s normal. I was like, ‘Really? I can’t fly? And I can’t punch my way through a wall? Maybe I should have read this thing closer. I’m just a farmer?’ I looked at that and said, ‘Okay, I can be that.’ I thought it was rooted in doubt. But there’s no doubt when he puts his hand up and says, ‘Stay there’ to his son.”
This moment remains one of the most divisive in the film, as many fans felt that Clark could have saved his father without revealing his identity as Superman, making Jonathan’s sacrifice seem puzzling.
As the DC Universe moves forward, the DCEU appears to be closing its chapter. Although the DCEU created a shared universe that garnered a dedicated fanbase, internal issues and inconsistent direction hindered its potential to rival franchises like Star Wars, The Wizarding World, and the MCU. With James Gunn at the helm, the new DCU is taking shape, although some elements, like Peacemaker and Viola Davis’s Amanda Waller, will transition from the DCEU to this new direction.
