Monday, November 10, 2014

Man of Steel and Samarkand

Troodons were special in that much like other dinosaurs they probably had feathers, probably the smartest out of all the dinosaurs, aside from some unsaid others, scientists claim it could be as smart as modern birds. How do we judge that, however? We have it's bones but not it's marrow, we have drawings of skin and feathers but no samples. No, I believe it may have been much, much smarter.

Timur made his capital in Samarkand. What does this post have to do with Man of Steel? Well, this time around, in my several posts lately focusing on the film, I am going to analyze the character of General Zod. What is Zod, he is a man, bound by his own programming and fueled by an insatiable desire to do what is best for his people. He wants to make sure that he is able to continue the race of his people, the Kryptonians. Searching in space the outposts of Krypton for thirty years, most people would relent and he wants to as well... but he can't. It is impossible for him to relent because it is written in his blood that he is to protect and give the Kryptonian people hope. He has his own feelings and emotions and intentions, but he takes the values of what Krypton holds dear and uses them as loopholes. He is the protector of Krypton, he will not tolerate any insurgencies and the insurgency that is started by him in the beginning of the film is not a revolt, in fact it is his method of suppressing the revolt he believes the council to have started. Much like Timur had his lame leg, Zod has his DNA. Earth is Zod's Samarkand, the capital he claims but unlike Timur, Zod can never truly take Earth, but he will die trying.

Why am I analyzing this character? Well, keeping up with my recent string of posts focusing on Man of Steel, I felt that before Remembrance Day, it might be good to analyze a character from the film. The only military character given enough depth to do so is General Zod. He is a patriot, but not by choice. He is a patriot because he was programmed to be one. His inferiors respect and obey him. They were programmed to do so, but their fear of him is genuine. He gives Kal-El, a person who's very existence to Zod screams blasphemy, a chance to do his people right and bring back Krypton. When Superman refuses, Zod does what he wants and tries to take what he believes is his by force. Then when all of the Kryptonians are sucked into the Phantom Zone, Superman and General Zod are the only two Kryptonians left alive. With all chances of saving Krypton now gone, Zod has failed his programming, he has literally failed his own blood. For the first time in his life is he given the chance of choice... but he doesn't want it and he is consumed by rage and thinks of the today, not the tomorrow. It is that thought that brings his downfall. This is my design.

Also, I'll upload my YouTube videos whenever possible.

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