In thinking about "Man of Steel" and the torrent of theories and interpretations that will surely follow in the coming days, weeks and months, I believe an initial response is the most valid and pure. So here it goes.
"Man of Steel" in essence is about accepting death. Not only accepting, but understanding. I know that the Christ comparisons have already begun for this film and have followed the character of Superman for a long time. However, this transcends the concept of dying for sins and leading through example as a moral arbiter. The film is all about breaking through the chains of life and using that freedom to do something special. I would say acceptance leads to accomplishments. Several examples follow this.
Firstly, Jor-El's death. Jor-El puts himself at considerable risk to save his son and give him a chance at life. After placing his son in a spaceship programed fir Earth, he fights off and kills several guards and then bests General Zod. After the ship escapes Zod mortally wounds Jor-El. Now, with his son safely gone and off to fulfill his father's hope, Jor-El accepts death. Maybe not necessarily from Zod, but he had resigned himself to death when he discovered that Krypton was doomed. Jor-El has a singular purpose that he follows in the face of death. Jor-El simply looks to his son knowing he is safe as death consumes him.
Secondly, the death of Jonathan Kent. As opposed to traditional Superman lore where he dies of a heart attack (I think the average 50 year old is not dropping dead from those as often as in the golden age of comics) he dies in a tornado after saving the family dog. He refuses to let his son use his extraordinary abilities to save him, in order to protect him from the world. For in his eyes if the world found out about him too early, they might reject him. Jonathan realizes the end is near and looks to his son with a calmness about him before the tornado takes him.
Thirdly, the death of Colonel Hardy. Colonel Hardy may become slightly overlooked in retrospect in spite of his character's worth. Colonel Hardy is hesitant about Superman until he is saved by him. He comes to represent the acceptance of Superman by humans. However, before this when he is attacked he expends all of his ammunition and turns to his knife against a super-powered alien. Having seen what the creature was capable of, he showed no fear in engaging it in combat. Right before Superman saves Colonel Hardy he lunges in with his knife, knowing full well he will surely perish. Later on he crashes the C-10 carrying Superman's ship with the phantom drive that sends the army of Zod back to the phantom zone. When confronted again by the alien commander he crashes the plane quoting her from earlier "a noble death is its own reward" (I believe this is the quote, I was pretty floored by the awesome so I may have missed exactly what was said).
Now, looking at how these three men died, a man of science, a man of agriculture and a man of the military, we see a serenity about them that shows their acceptance of death. And in doing so they all save Superman, and by that virtue Earth. I know Superman saved Hardy twice before this, but it does not change the deed. They are able to do this because they do not fear death, nor do they think of themselves. They think of their actions and the good it will do. By being unafraid of death they transcend.
The opposite of this is Zod. Zod is so fearful of death that he commits acts of heinous injustice. He kills untold numbers of people in Metropolis (the movie is pretty vague on how many civilians actually died). Zod is scared of the death of his people, the Kryptonians, which is the death of him. He says that he was raised to defend Krypton and her people and when he cannot do that he loses control. Zod dies struggling against Superman. In that scene Zod is the old world that is afraid of letting go and accepting death and Superman is the new world that understand the necessity of death as a means of moving on. The wrinkle to this argument is that Zod is trying to change Earth into a new Krypton by killing all of Earth's inhabitants. This shows that death is not good or evil, but instead a tool that can be used by those who dare to wield it. Superman's killing of Zod to protect a family exemplifies this notion.
In the end, "Man of Steel" is like a child's first goldfish. Its death teaches the child about the finites confines of life. "Man of Steel" is a goldfish for grownups. It shows that you do not have to be a superman to be more than you are, to commit great deeds of generosity, kindness and love. Because without Jor-El, Jonathan Kent and Colonel Hardy standing bold in the clutches of death, Superman would have never had the chance to save Earth.
Random Gripes:
I cannot write about Superman without addressing the issues I have with the character. These are random thoughts with little to no structure.
-He's an alien who does not call himself human. So how is he a man? How is he a Superman then?
-Superman makes for a more compelling character outside of the confines of his comic books (Action Comics and Superman). See "Red Son" or "Batman: Noel" for examples. He works best as a symbol and an archetype. This could be the result of Superman being the gold standard of superheroes.
-Why doesn't he play football? He could makes millions, not have to worry about a job and would have 6 days off to save as many people as he wants. He could even save people during halftime.
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