There is a new Man of Steel rumor pervading the internet, and it's got a lot of people pretty upset. Some Superman fans believe that Krypton will not explode in Zack Snyder’s updated take on the character. Sites like io9 and The Mary Sue have made the suggestion based on a quote from Entertainment Weekly that reads:

In this iteration, Clark Kent’s heroic tendencies would rise to the surface only when the threat was great enough. It would have to be a global menace — one that might also trigger an internal conflict about whether he belongs on Earth even as he yearns to be among his own kind. That’s what pits him against General Zod (Boardwalk Empire‘s Michael Shannon), a Kryptonian tyrant who wants Clark to JOIN HIM BACK ON KRYPTON , which would mean abandoning his post as defender of the weaklings of Earth.

It’s no secret that comic book geeks (such as myself) are a fickle audience. We sometimes get upset when a classic is interpreted the wrong way or everything that is beloved about it gets thrown out the window. Even if the Halle Berry Catwoman film from 2004 wasn’t a horrible movie by itself, the fans would have remained upset by the mere fact that it had nothing to do with any previous iteration of the character. And Superman is a special case. Many of Superman’s changes over time have been rejected by a portion of his fans. For example, the comic book reboot in 1986, Lois & Clark in 1993, Smallville in 2001 and so on, all for various reasons.

Angry Fans

When David S. Goyer was announced as the screenwriter, some fans spoke out about not wanting to see the final film because they didn’t care for his previous work on the Batman or Blade films.

When Zack Snyder was announced as the director, some fans spoke out about not liking 300, Watchmen or Sucker Punch.

When Henry Cavill’s casting was announced, a great deal of fans hit the message boards to explain that Superman had to be played by an American.

When Amy Adams was cast, and then turned out to be playing Lois Lane as a redhead, some fans said “no way.”

When Laurence Fishburne was cast, some of the fans complained that Perry White couldn’t be cast as a nonwhite race. Some even made racist coments.

When the first photos hit the Web, a lot of fans lamented that Superman’s outer red briefs had been removed from his uniform. Some of them even vowed that there was no way they would watch a Superman movie without that vital piece of circus wear.

But this is different. If Superman’s planet survives its final fate, as laid out in every iteration of the character to date (save a few “what if Krypton survived” one-off stories), it would change Superman’s entire motivation to be a hero on Earth. Some have compared it to removing Batman’s motivation by keeping his parents alive, or having Spider-Man save Uncle Ben from the burglar.

If Krypton fails to be destroyed, it might just be too much for me. Even with a good explanation, I don’t think I could fully enjoy the film, and I’m not alone.

Of course, if Zod and company are saved from Krypton’s destruction by being trapped in the “Black Zone,” he may wish to take Kal-El home without even knowing it has been destroyed. Alternatively, Zod may have started a new Kryptonian colony with the few surviving followers.

Fortunately, Krypton is definitely going to explode. So let’s all relax.

PROOF

1) In an interview with SFX from last week, director Zack Snyder said:

"I really wanted my Krypton to be this kind of special place that's immersive and totally different from Earth, but not unbelievable. And ancient. I really wanted to give this ancient feeling to Krypton. I love technology that's rusty because it's so old. It's so advanced, but it's so old. That was the kind of world that I tried to create. A dying world that's ancient and torn apart."

Snyder called it “A dying world.”

Not enough?

2) There’s a track on the score called “Krypton’s Last.”

3) Empire Magazine ran a cover spread about Man of Steel last month. About Krypton, it said, "An impossibly large and consuming sun is about to consume them all."

4) Once the rumor hit the Web, Russell Crowe tweeted this:

5) How about the back of General Zod’s Movie Masters action-figure box?

6) Last December, Michael Shannon was interviewed by Details. When he was asked about how his version of Zod would differ from Terrence Stamp’s in the first two Christopher Reeve films, he said:

"I got my fill of General Zod. Maybe the whole movie will be playful or comical, but when I was doing it, it was very serious: My planet's destroyed, what am I gonna f@©&ing do?”

7) A series of child novels have already hit book stores, and one of them clearly shows Krypton exploding while the new version of Kal-El’s ship from the trailers rockets away.

8) Here are two photos from the trailers that certainly appear to be Krypton's moment of destruction.

So there you have it. Eight reasons for us all to calm down. I love that fans debate these kinds of topics, but let’s get our facts straight first. For those Superman fans who still plan to boycott the film, all I can say is “why not give it a chance?” I can’t wait to see it.

What do you think about the rumor? Would it have killed the whole movie?