This is what Man of Steel should have been...

I keep seeing Snyder fanboys use the excuse "It was his first day!", "He was new to being a super-hero!", and "He didn't understand his powers!" in justifying Superman's destructive, almost nonchalant approach to fighting his foes in Man of Steel.

However, they keep missing a vital component to Superman's moral ethos: he was raised to SAVE and CHERISH life.

This is something that they hammer home in Superman vs. The Elite, where even when he goes back home to talk to his parents about his ways being old-fashioned and outdated, his dad steers him back on the right path to make sure he doesn't lose the plot.

That's always been one of Superman's core components.

Unlike Captain America, who almost never doubts his convictions or duties, Superman carries the weight of humanity's hopes on his shoulders, and was raised to protect life, not take it.

This animated film does an absolutely superb job of exemplifying Superman's moral code and contrasting it with the people who believe that taking a life when justified is fine.

That's where Man of Steel is fundamentally flawed; it wasn't Superman. It was a guy who had god-like powers who was raised to be somewhat selfish and aloof. It's a complete dichotomy from the actual Superman, who was raised to help those in need, to sacrifice himself for the innocent, and to always protect the weak, even if they happen to be villains.

It's a shame that we didn't get THIS portrayal of Superman on the big screen, because oh boy what a story this would have been as a live-action film.

A lot of people keep saying "Superman's old-fashioned morals and character aren't suited for being entertaining in today's times!" but I think highlights the more pertinent prospect that you can tell a compelling story about today's limitless concepts of amorality using someone like Superman to juxtapose those ideas.

This animated flick -- despite the animation and character designs being rather poor -- did a fantastic job of tackling some really complex social, judicial, and political issues, all without forfeiting Superman's core tenets.

I would have loved to have seen how THIS iteration of Superman dealt with Man of Steel's circumstances.

Also, the whole excuse that in Man of Steel he was a "newbie" doesn't hold water, since Superman had been saving people and honing his powers since he was a child. Well, that's how the story was supposed to go. Putting on the cape and tights is just symbolic, but he's been Superman a lot longer than the costume. Even Smallville knew that.