11) Superman Vs. General Zod (Man Of Steel, 2013)
If Zack Snyder’s Man Of Steel had ended shortly after Superman destroyed Zod’s terraforming engine, most viewers would’ve been satisfied. It was a legitimately climactic action sequence that carried a big feeling fight. The movie doesn’t end there though, and instead we are treated to a one-on-one battle between Superman and General Zod that doesn’t just blow away the previous ship battle, but also every other fight in on-screen superhero history.
Prior to the flight, Zod is kneeling on the ground while he delivers a powerful speech where he basically admits that he has failed his people. Michael Shannon is a brilliantly unnerving actor, and successfully makes Zod almost come across as sympathetic. What makes the pre-battle dialogue truly unforgettable though is Zod slowly rising from the ground after his speech and coming right at Superman with full force.
From there we bear witness to one of the most catastrophic and destructive battles across all of cinema. They fly straight into each other from great distances creating shockwaves that cause various buildings in Metropolis to completely crumble and fall over, get in each other’s faces and pound each other into oblivion, and briefly take the battle all the way into space. Superman ends up taking Zod from space and crashing him back down to Earth into a building filled with citizens, where things become even more intense.
Zod feels that he is defeated, so he is going to test Superman and see if the ultimate goody two-shoes of superheroes will actually kill. As Zod threatens to blast his eye lasers at innocent bystanders, Superman comes to acceptance of what he has to do, and pretty much shocks everyone when he violently snaps Zod’s neck.
Some fans were outraged with the liberties that Zack Snyder had taken with the characters, while others were in love with the edgier direction Superman was going. However you felt, there’s no denying that the closing moment of that battle was palpable, and made for the perfect cherry on top of an already insane fight.