3. Man of Steel (2013)
“You are not alone… My name is General Zod. I come from a world far from yours. I have journeyed across an ocean of stars to reach you. For some time, your world has sheltered one of my citizens. I request that you return this individual to my custody. For reasons unknown, he has chosen to keep his existence a secret from you. He will have made efforts to blend in. He will look like you, but he is not one of you. To those of you who may know of his current location: the fate of your planet rests in your hands. To Kal-El, I say this: surrender within 24 hours, or watch this world suffer the consequences.”
In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is one of the most popular and beloved characters of all time. Clark Kent / Kal-El is a young journalist of 20-something who feels alone because of his unimaginable powers that ordinary people cannot understand. Transported years ago to Earth from the dying planet Krypton, an advanced and distant planet, Clark struggles to find the ultimate answer to the question “Why am I here?”.
Modeled after his adoptive parents’ values, Martha and Jonathan Kent (Diane Lane and Kevin Costner), Clark realizes that having superhuman powers means that you have a responsibility and difficult decisions to take. Our superhero (played by Henry Cavill, who starred in the series “The Tudors” and the movie “Immortals“) must contend with two other Kryptonian survivors – the infamous General Zod (played by Michael Shannon) and Faora his hellish partner (played by Antje Traue).
The latter failed to turn everyone against Superman threatening that unless you they capture and hand Superman over they will destroy the planet this sending a direct warning to Kal-El (as we know it) and learns that unless he gives up in the next 24 hours he will have to look how the planet will be destroyed and for every man who saves him they will kill one million.
2. Jonah Hex (2010)
“War and me took to each other real well. It felt like it had meaning. The feeling of doing what you thought was right. But it wasn’t. Folks can believe what they like, but eventually a man’s gotta decide if he’s gonna do what’s right. That choice cost me more than I bargained for.”
During the American Civil War, Jonah Hex fought for the Confederacy until he betrayed his commanding officer, Quentin Turnbull to save a hospital, and in his attempt to kill his son Turnbull. A vengeful Turnbull and his right hand, Burke, burning to the ground Jonah’s house with his wife and child still inside, and it marks him with a hot iron with the initials.
A few days later, Native Americans find Jonah and heal him because they hold mystical powers. For this reason, Jonah is present both among the living and among those on the other side. Finally, he hears that Turnbull died in a hotel that was burned, Jonah turns into a bounty hunter.
Jonah arrives in stunk Crick town to give in his last catch and collect the reward, but discovers that the sheriff and other people who hold power have no plan to pay it, on the contrary, want to kill him. Jonah kills the sheriff and several other people of his countrymen and leaves. Meanwhile, a Union train carrying a very powerful weapon was robbed by Burke and Turnbull, who not only are alive, but have great plans. President Grant, informed by Lieutenant Grass that Turnbull plans to attack the Union on July 4 (on America), ordering him to find and hire Jonah Hex to stop Turnbull.
Jonah spends the night at a brothel in the company’s Lilah (Megan Fox), a prostitute who is attracted more to the disfigured man than the mere financial interest. While preparing to leave the next morning, Grass’s men enter there and say that Jonah was elected to serve the country. Although initially not seem too happy about that, at the news that Turnbull is still alive and his mission is the hunt, gives his approval and start looking to avenge his family, not only to stop a massacre.
1. Watchmen (2009)
“Heard joke once: Man goes to doctor. Says he’s depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says, “Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up.” Man bursts into tears. Says, “But doctor…I am Pagliacci.”
In response to the crimes committed by masked gangs Minutemen and Watchmen were created, crime fighters dressed as superheroes. Their existence in the US has significantly affected world events: the super powers of Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) helped America win the war in Vietnam and Richard Nixon’s repeated election as president in the 80s. Dr. Manhattan’s existence provides the west with a strategic advantage over the Soviet Union that are about to turn into one nuclear Cold War. Over that time, the feeling increased anti vigilantes led to the outlawing of masked crime fighters.
While most heroes retire, Dr. Manhattan and “Comedian” (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) working under the government and Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) acting outside the law. Investigating the death of Government agent Edward Blake, Rorschach discovers that Blake was the Comedian, giving rise to the theory that someone is trying to eliminate all “Watchmen“. He attempts to warn his former colleagues – his former partner, Daniel Dreiberg / Night Owl II (Patrick Wilson), Dr. Manhattan and Laurie Jupiter / Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman). Dreiberg is skeptical about these things, but nevertheless this hypothesis linking Adrian Veidt and / Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), former villain now become billionaire, that however, denies the allegations.
After Blake’s funeral, Dr. Manhattan is accused of giving cancer to his former girlfriend and all others who have spent time with him after the accident that gave him super powers. Dr. Manhattan exiles themselves on Mars, giving the Soviet Union courage to invaded Afghanistan in his absence. Later, Rorschach’s conspiracy theory seems to be justified when Viedt, which greatly hesitated until he made public the name of Ozymandias and then decided to retreat, narrowly escapes an assassination attempt in on him and has Rorschach framed for the death of a former villain, Moloch (Matt Frewer).