Henry Cavill Reveals Kevin Costner and Diane Lane Shaped Man of Steel’s Most Debated Scene

Yes, we are still talking about the tornado. But there is a reason the Jonathan Kent scene in 2013's Man of Steel keeps coming up: it is the emotional spine of Zack Snyder's take on Superman, and Henry Cavill says it only worked because Kevin Costner and Diane Lane quietly went the extra mile for him when no one was looking.

The off-camera help that made the on-camera heartbreak land

Back when Man of Steel came out, Cavill talked about how Costner and Lane were, in his words, 'enormously giving.' Not just on their own close-ups, but when the camera was pointed only at him. He remembers Costner trekking way down the road — roughly 200 meters — to be there off-camera so Cavill could play the moment to his 'dad,' not to an assistant with a clipboard. That kind of support is the unglamorous stuff that turns a giant superhero set piece into an actual gut punch.

What Snyder was actually chasing with this Superman

Snyder never set out to make the flawless, Boy Scout version. His pitch was a guy with godlike power who still trips over human problems: messy romance, clashing duties, and, yes, ignoring your father's wishes versus honoring them. The whole idea was to ask what it costs to live among us without always flexing — to give Clark internal knots to untangle instead of a perfect moral compass that always points north.

That is why the tornado plays the way it does. Clark could have saved Jonathan. He does not. Jonathan tells him not to, and Clark listens. Snyder has defended that choice more than once, framing it as a test of maturity rather than a failure of heroism. The line he points to is this:

'I let my father die to protect the idea that my father was trying to protect.'

In other words: Clark is still figuring out the kind of man — and hero — he wants to be. Loss, restraint, and learning to live with the weight of your choices are the point. That scene sets the temperature for Snyder's whole DC run: even the strongest person in the room is still painfully, frustratingly human.

Why that tornado still sparks arguments

Over a decade later, the debate has not cooled. Some viewers call it one of Snyder's boldest swings; others think it undercuts the character. I get why that bugs people: having Superman watch his father die sounds like an instant disqualifier if your version of the character is built on rescuing everyone, always.

• On the 'powerful' side: Fans praise the scene for swapping invincibility for vulnerability, forcing Clark to live with a choice instead of a victory lap.
• On the 'nope' side: You still see posts calling it unnecessary or out of character, pointing out that a guy who moves faster than anyone on Earth could have saved his dad without blowing his cover. One 2023 tweet even labeled it 'the stupidest thing ever.'

Whether you think it is profound or preposterous, the moment still lands like a brick, which is why we are still arguing about it 12 years later.

Quick facts, since you are already thinking about a rewatch

Man of Steel hit theaters in 2013, directed by Zack Snyder and produced with Legendary Pictures, DC Entertainment, and Syncopy. It pulled in about $670 million worldwide, sits around a 7.1/10 on IMDb and 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, and is currently streaming on Max.

Where do you land on the Jonathan Kent decision — gutsy choice or character derailment? Drop your take in the comments.