The Kryptonian Codex storyline is incomplete. Zack Snyder had plans to pay it off in the Justice League sequels. But what is the codex in Man of Steel, and how did it fit into the future sequels?
Zack Snyder Had Much Bigger Plans
One of the saddest realities fans of the DC Extended Universe have had to come to terms with is that the SnyderVerse might never become a reality. The seeds of intrigue planted all the way back in Man of Steel will simply be ignored by what’s to come in the DCEU, leaving one key element of Superman’s last solo outing unfulfilled.
Clark Kent wasn’t the only surviving member of the Kryptonian race, and neither was Zod and his cronies. At the centre of all of Man of Steel’s conflict lies the Kryptonian Codex – a MacGuffin that could have been even more important for the future of DCEU than anyone could have predicted in 2013.
Much like The Avengers introducing Thanos as a background element at the end of their first film, Man of Steel’s Kryptonian Codex might have been meant as the catalyst for the entirety of Zack Snyder’s intended Justice League trilogy.
Snyder had much bigger plans for Superman in the long run for the Snyderverse, making him essentially the centre of DC’s cinematic universe. Part of the reason why he was so central to the overarching plot was the Kryptonian Codex. Still, Man of Steel remains the only movie where the codex is mentioned, so why do we say that it was going to be such an integral part of the larger DCEU?
What Is The Codex In Man of Steel?
Before we can analyze why the Kryptonian codex was so important, we first need to understand what is it and what was contained in this vital piece of Kryptonian heritage.
At the beginning of Man of Steel, we learn that the codex is a safeguard measure in case of an extinction event that wipes out the Kryptonians. It just so happens that such extinction takes place at the very beginning of the film.
Jor-El, Superman’s biological father, steals the codex and merges the DNA of all of Krypton with his infant son, Kal-El. This seemingly selfish act would set in motion the events of Zod’s invasion, with the Kryptonian General’s only mission being to steal the codeX and terraform the Earth to make it resemble Krypton.
Needless to say, Zod’s plans didn’t take into account Kal-El and his new, flashy Superman persona. With the other remaining Kryptonians either dead or trapped in the Phantom Zone, it seems like good ol’ Clark Kent might be the last remaining Kryptonian in the DCEU… but it wasn’t always meant to be that way.
Bridging the Genetic Gap
In Man of Steel, it is later revealed that while Zod wanted to conquer Earth, Jor-El wanted a more peaceful coexistence between humans and Kryptonians. In the end, he believed, the two races would mix together and become one, taking some of the best elements of both to create a new race of superhumans.
The relationship between Lois Lane and Clark Kent is evidence enough that Jor-El’s plans for a human-Kryptonian utopia might not have been too farfetched. They would have been even more significant if we had gotten the trilogy that Zack Snyder envisioned.
As we know from Snyder’s plans for Zack Snyder’s Justice League trilogy, Superman would eventually father a child with Lois Lane, and not just any child. After the final confrontation with Darkseid, Batman was supposed to give up his life to save the day—a heroic gesture that wouldn’t go unnoticed by Supes.
Lois and Clark’s firstborn was going to be named Bruce Kent as a way to honour the man who sacrificed himself to stop the biggest threat the Earth has ever faced. Eventually, Bruce Kent was meant to become the next Batman, fulfilling not only Jor-El’s dreams of unification but also Bruce’s wishes for a successor to protect Gotham.
Not only does that sound like the kind of dramatic, larger-than-life storytelling we’re used to getting from Zack Snyder, but it would also be a fitting conclusion to the Justice League saga that fans of the DC Extended Universe would have no doubt loved. Unfortunately, as we know, the SnyderVerse remains a pipe dream at the moment thanks to a series of terrible business decisions by Warner Bros. and their handling of the DC franchise, so who knows if the whole backstory of the codex will ever be addressed in the future.
The Superman Codex Played A Part In The Future Of The DCEU
If there’s one thing that the Snyder Cut made abundantly clear, it is that Zack Snyder had some big plans for the DC Extended Universe. Not only were some iconic characters from all over DC’s publication history set to make their live-action debut in the films, but the saga of the Kryptonian Codex and what it means might have been at the centre of it all.
As we know, Zod’s entire plan relied on getting the codex, and it’s safe to say that such a precious item would also have caught the eye of some pretty dangerous collectors from far beyond the confines of our solar system.
The battle against Apokolips and Darkseid was going to be much bigger than what we saw in the Snyder Cut. With rumours of an overarching plot that spans five movies, it’s easy to see why Snyder needed some time to tell the story he wanted to realize. Since the codex itself seems to be inspired by a storyline from the comics that features the archvillain, Brainiac, quite prominently, it’s safe to say that the “miniature” collector was probably set to appear in the films as a major antagonist sometime down the line, too.
Still, perhaps the worst part about losing the SnyderVerse is that Jor-El never got a chance to be further developed as a character. Even though his vision was more or less realized by the end of Man of Steel, there were still some loose ends that were never addressed – not even by the Snyder Cut.
For example, an integral part of Snyder’s narrative was painting Batman and Superman as heated enemies that, through common battles and struggles, come to respect and even admire each other. The Dark Knight might be the hero Gotham deserves, but even if he needs someone to look up to, Superman might have been the only person to give Bruce Wayne hope for a better tomorrow.
The fact that Supes’ son was meant to be not just the symbolic union of humanity and the Kryptonian – and, therefore, the realization of Jor-El’s hopes and dreams – but also the new Batman was just the cherry on top of the rollercoaster of emotions that the SnyderVerse could have been.
It’s impressive to see just how many things—both big and small—the Kryptonian codex would have changed in the DCEU. From the scrapped rivalry between Batman and Superman and the entirety of the Darkseid saga to Jor-El’s message and the symbolism between Superman’s arrival on Earth, Zack Snyder had every intention of turning the DCEU into a classic epic that would pose a serious threat to Marvel’s more lighthearted tone.
Just as it happened with the codex’s storyline in the films, it seems like the fans’ hopes of seeing the plot that began in Man of Steel come to a satisfying end might have been lost to time—and Warner Bros’ unfathomable plans.
Tell us, do you think the Kryptonian Codex was part of Zack Snyder’s plans for the Justice League sequels? And what are your thoughts on Jonathan Kent’s Death Scene In Man of Steel?
