Marvel’s Iron Man and Warner Bros.’ Man of Steel are very similar movies. They’re both origin stories, and they both launched entire cinematic universes. They’re both about men who inherited their powers who learn harsh lessons about the world and themselves. Even their titles, referring to guys who are as strong as various metals, resemble each other. But one has become one of the most beloved superhero movies in history. The other ... not as much. Why is that?

This new video from ScreenCrush’s Ryan Arey tries to find a reason. It compares all the ways Iron Man and Man of Steel are alike, and discovers one key reason — one key scene really — that they are different. It all boils down to the choice that Clark Kent makes to protect his secret identity, even at the expense of his father’s life, and how Man of Steel chooses to pay off (or rather not pay off) that choice through the use of General Zod as its villain.

Watch the video here:

If you liked this video about what makes Iron Man works (and makes Man of Steel not work) check out some more of our videos below, including our theory about Obadiah Stane and Hydra, our video on a great deleted scene from Avengers: Infinity War, and all the Easter eggs in the final Black Widow trailer. Plus, there’s tons more over at ScreenCrush’s YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe to catch all our future episodes.

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