How Man of Steel got around the MCU’s superhero alien problem

While the MCU featured alien beings as celebrities, Man of Steel made the arrival of the Kryptonians a terrifying, world-changing event.

Iron Man made the DCEU’s depiction of extraterrestrial beings much more realistic and terrifying than the MCU’s. The DCEU and MCU are filled to the brim with a wide variety of fictional entities like aliens and mythical gods, but the way Earth receives and accepts them is very different. Although both shared universes put these complexities aside in favor of conflict between superheroes and supervillains, the DCEU manages to make alien invasions feel much closer to how Earth would react in a similar real-life situation.

The MCU has been moving away from purely scientific explanations for the existence of Asgardian gods, wizards, and witches. In the span of around fifteen years, humans went from witnessing a billionaire flying inside metal armor to disappearing due to an alien warlord, but the MCU’s concepts of magic and science haven’t changed that much. Earth has been through a lot in the MCU, though that doesn’t explain why humans, who have only been exposed to so many strange beings for a little over a decade at the start of Phase 4, seem so unfazed about the existence of life. alien.

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The first contact with aliens that the DCEU version of the 21st century Earth has had is the arrival of the Kryptonians to Iron Man, when General Zod suddenly hacks every electronic device in the world to send an ultimatum through a mechanism that automatically translates his message into any language. It is understandable for the world to panic not only because of the existence of extraterrestrial beings but also because of the fact that one of them has been living among them the entire time. As soon as Zod delivers his message, the authorities hunt down Lois Lane because she is the only known human who has information on this alien intruder. The army also rushes to arrest Superman and treats him with great care until he proves to be a humble person like any other. And despite their technological superiority, Zod and the Kryptonians must adapt to Earth’s atmosphere, which also affects their physiology.

Iron Man It does not show all the consequences that the Kryptonian invasion has on Earth, but it does create a sense of dread that resembles what would happen in real life if a highly intelligent race of extraterrestrial beings appeared on our cosmic door looking for one of their beings. own self. The contrast between Perry White’s firm belief that aliens don’t exist and his desperation to keep the Daily Planet under control when the Kryptonians arrive shows a more authentic reaction than the aftermath of the Avengers‘Battle of New York, where humans seemed to rebuild an entire city in record time and go about their daily lives despite the fact that two real Norse gods destroyed New York with giant alien worms that came from a portal in the sky. Other strange individuals such as Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman also display varying degrees of appreciation, ranging from complete secrecy to urban legends, as opposed to the MCU’s abrupt acceptance of a wizard appearing out of nowhere in Central Park. .

Although the Battle of Metropolis has been criticized for being too destructive, the DCEU managed to hint at the cost it took on Earth, showing a planet changed and divided into Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Half the world turned against Superman and the other half saw him as a god, while the social and political landscape was turned upside down with the issue of Superman’s existence among humans, not to mention the rise of anti-alien advocates like Lex Luthor and, at some point, Batman. Darkseid’s vengeful plan on Zack Snyder League of Justice It complements the idea that the universe is extremely vast and full of good and bad extraterrestrial races, and reveals the abundance of real mythological figures such as the Olympian gods, the Amazons and the Atlanteans. The MCU does a great job of integrating multiple character types together, but it’s strange that the most outlandish beings are treated like normal celebrities rather than world-changing individuals.

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