But they didn't have to be - that's the point. The original ending of the movie had Zod and the Kryptonians back in the Phantom Zone, so they did some re-jiggering to force the issue. Ultimately my problem is less with the killing than with the fact that it didn't have to happen, and there were no repercussions from…

"It wasn't grimdark"

Superman is the guy who when faced with the impossible choice always finds another way other than taking a life. This, however, is the resolution you get in every other action movie.

Halo + Mass Effect + Borderlands