After BVS, these two films are my favorite DCEU films and my favorite superhero films and I'm constantly going back and forth on which one I prefer. This is my breakdown of the 2 films into an arbitrary 12 points to try and figure out which one I like more.
Let me just start by saying that I LOVE both of these films to bits. Even the lesser parts of both films are good and the best parts are just...amazing. I alternate between the two because both capture my heart in different ways.
Sections:
Both films I divide into 3 rough sections. Both films have an introductory section that introduces the viewer to a fantastical world that the rest of the film does not take place in. These are the scenes in Krypton and Themiscyra. Both films have then a section developing the main character, "the development section". For Man of Steel this extends from the cut to Clark working on the boat to Zod's introduction. For Wonder Woman this extends from the scene of Diana and Steve on the boat for London to No-Man's Land. Finally both have an action-filled final segment where the hero must engage with the villain and their allies, starting with Zod's introduction in MOS and the No Man Land's Scene in Wonder Woman.
If I compare these sections directly, two of the three comparisons seem pretty clear to me so I will start with those just to get them out of the way quickly.
Comparing the Development Sequence of MOS to the Development Sequence of WW to me seems a clear point for MOS. The Second Section of MOS is the film's best section in my view, with the First Flight sequence and the flashback sequences, which are amazing. WW's second section in contrast is the weakest part of WW. That's not to say it's bad, it's still quite good with many praiseworthy elements, however it revolves partially around a more cliche plotline of "fish out of water". MOS second section is more original and has far greater aspirations of depicting the Superman as a great figure of majesty.
Conversely the Third Section is the inverse. The Final Section of MOS, while still very good and has some very exciting elements like the World Engine Scene and the confrontation with Zod, is probably the weakest to me, relying a bit on adrenaline rush and using a lot of fight scenes which is not as interesting to me. The Final section of WW is probably the strongest section of the film in my opinion also contains several fight scenes, but not only does the final confrontation more directly underscore the themes of the film (MOS had a little bit of that but not to the same extent), but also the culmination of the romance of Diana and Steve, the culmination of the arcs of WW's supporting cast, the destruction of Veld and the subsequent breaking of Diana's faith in humanity and so on. The Final section of MOS, while as exciting as WW and does carry thematic elements, does not naturally integrate all the thematic elements with the character development as fluid and naturally as WW's final section.
The one part that's pretty hard to decide for me is the prologue for both films. Both scenes are entrenched in themes of parental love, which is a big thing for me. Man of Steel contains an amazingly efficient exploration of the political drama of Krypton that shakes me with it's Shakespearean elegance. On the other hand, WW begins with Diana's time on Themiscyra. While not as classically elegant, I will admit getting to know our main character more in this first section is an advantage and the WW's opening sequence also benefits from a recreation of a classic storybook air with the story of Ares being related to young Diana, the intrusion of man on Paradise Island. Both scenes contain exciting action. This point I would say is a draw, though if I had to pick one I would probably pick MOS's introduction.
Characters:
Let's start the characters section by looking at the two main characters. Superman and Wonder Woman. I love both of them in the comics, and their film depictions are amazing. Superman is a philosopher hero, contemplating his role among the world of Humans, and on a rational level he comes closer to my internal ideal of the Superman, the inhuman contemplating the greatness of humanity and wanting to be one of them. Wonder Woman on the other hand is a romantic idealist. Instead of being unsure of her place, she is in fact TOO sure, which leads to her despair when her notions are challenged. The Film Wonder Woman is fantastically both godlike in her demeanor while still being humanly relatable. I fully and completely enjoyed both characters the whole time they were on screen and were always excited to see what they'd do. Both were relatable to me on different levels. I'd probably call this category a draw, though if I had to pick I probably would pick Wonder Woman as Wonder Woman had a more full character arc. Superman certainly changes during Man of Steel, but much of his development takes place off-screen while he's growing up. He doesn't so much change who he is, he just learns who he is. Wonder Woman in contrast has massive on-screen development, so much that it could be said to be central to the film. The film's plot acts as the testing of the romantic dreamer's ideals, and forces her through a full fall and redemption as she first loses her ideals thinking they were false only to gain them again then she realizes they were true in a way she didn't know. So overall, a draw, though if I had to pick one, I'd do Wonder Woman.
Moving onto the allied supporting cast, we have people like Jor-El, Perry White, Lois Lane, General Swanwick, Doctor Hamilton for MOS and we have Hippolyta, Etta Candy, Steve Trevor, Sameer, Charle, and Chief Napi for WW. Both of these are great supporting casts in my opinion and both are a cast of varied noble people supporting the DCEU's theme humanity being great. Both series have a very interesting supporting cast. That said if I had to pick one I'd go with Wonder Woman's. While both casts are very good people, WW's cast develops and has characters arcs which isn't really true of most of MOS cast. Most of MOS's supporting cast are just generally good people who do their job and do their part to protecting their world and while that's inspiring in it's own way, most of WW's cast has more complexity. One of my favorite subtle parts in WW is when Sameer said his dream was to be an actor but he was the wrong color, referencing the racism of the time, and yet he uses his acting skills to help get Steve into the Party of German Officers.
Onto the primary villains General Zod and Ares. Again this one seems kinda clear to me. Ares is a great villain conceptually, but he doesn't have much to him outside of what is implied to him. While I still like him since conceptually he is very interesting to think about, Ares is mostly, as fitting his character as the God and Personification of War, mostly a symbol of what Wonder Woman has to overcome. Zod on the other hand....the comic book movie scene is imo bereft of good villains but Zod easily stands one of the best. Threatening and Imposing, yet complex and multi-dimensional. Motivation is both clear and realistic. Zod is a narrative force on all layers, an amazing villain.
Finally we have the supporting villains. For the most part this is going to be Faora vs Doctor Poison. Even the people that didn't like MOS, I have only heard good things about Faora. Faora is a just a joy to watch, a cold machine representing the supposed evolutionary advantage of the Kryptonians. Doctor Poison is almost the diametric opposite, representing the brutality of humanity, a maniacial killer and psychopath. Faora is a lot "cooler" then Doctor Poison but Doctor Poison is a lot more entertaining. Both have their advantages. That said I would probably give the advantage to WW's supporting villains if only because the other Kryptonians have basically no personality while outside of Doctor Poison, General Ludendorff has an entertaining personality of a minor character and I do like his summation of war during the dance scene which pushes WW to get the point here.
Other:
Just some other things I wanted to compare.
If we compare the best scenes in both films; The best film in MOS is the First Flight Sequence while the best scene in WW is Wonder Woman's defeat of Ares. Both are amazing scenes though I would give the edge to the First Flight Sequence. While WW's defeat of Ares is symbolically resonant and beautiful, The first flight sequence is my favorite scene in all of the DCEU and one of the best scenes in both DC Comics and Cinema in my opinion, representing so much, including the very primordial joy of the superhero itself, the triumph of humanity over the forces of nature.
If we compare the worst scenes in both films; neither of these scenes are terrible but they are the least great scenes in these great films. For MOS this is the scene with Teenager Clark doing the "You're not my real dad" scene in the car flashback. While this did give the feels in the love Jonathan Kent had for his son, it did feel a bit cliche, with the adopted son making the you're not my real dad exclamation and him dying to give his son purpose. It felt to me like an ape-ing of the dynamic in the first Raimi Spider-Man film. Conversely the worst scene in WW to me is the boat scene with Diana and Steve traveling to London. The jokes in that scene, while the others around me found them funny, I felt kind of cringe-y. "Do you not sleep with women?" "No...I mean Yes...I mean..." Bit cringe-y to me. The scene was it seems supposed to demonstrate the traits of Diana and Steve, that Diana is a childish romantic idealist and Steve is a cynic and a realist and begin to develop their relationship. Now don't get me wrong I like that dynamic, but I feel the information given was mostly information that could have been inferred from other scenes. While the question of if it is worse to be cliche to being redundant and a bit cringey is personal preference I'd have to give the nod and say the MOS scene was better because it did have the emotional payoff of Jonathan Kent sacrificing himself to save his son which was very heartwarming.
If we compare the romances, Lois x Clark and Diana x Steve...I have a bit of a thing where I don't understand in superhero fiction the romances between civilians and superheroes, mostly because I don't get the appeal on their superhero's side. This seems to favor Diana x Steve. And that is definitely the one I'd go with but for more reasons then that. While I do like MOS' version of Lois Lane as much as I do most versions of Lois, the Diana x Steve's relationship is far more integrated into the narrative, and I generally prefer their dynamic. The Lois x Clark relationship in MOS comes off as rather idyllic and overly perfect, the two understanding each other almost instantly, and rarely coming into any serious conflict. Conversely Diana's curiosity, disgust, infatuation, further disgust and finally love and devotion towards Steve is actually a beautiful signifier of her feelings towards mankind at any point. the romance in WW is a lot more complex and impactful.
In terms of aesthetics...well let me get what I think is the obvious thing out of the way first. Both Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot are VERY easy to look at. :P To the point it's even mentioned in both films ("I just think he's kinda hot" and "Suddenly she's not the most beautiful woman you've ever seen"). Beyond that both movies are beautiful to look at, even if they often show very dark and brutal events, both infuse them with a dignity and majesty. This one is basically a draw as I completely enjoyed physically watching both movies at all points though if I had to give the point I'd probably give it to MOS for their musical score. While WW's track is awesome, MOS's whole track by Zimmer is awesome.
In terms of themes....I love both of their themes so much. Man of Steel is all about the importance of free will and individuality to humanity, the kryptonians having genetically engineered them into a horrific caste system that destroyed them. Wonder Woman is about the redemptive power of love, and the importance of us each fighting our battle against evil, representing Diana's original ideals about fighting evil taken to the ultimate degree. I love both of them immensely, and both are immensely important to me. This one I would call a draw though if I had to pick I would give it to WW due to it's theme being more immediately relatable to me and more well textual rather then subtextual.
Conclusion:
MOS and WW both got 4 points, draw on the last 4, and if forced to pick, they both get 6 points. I love both of these series but they do have advantages over each in my view:
Man of Steel has the more complex development of the hero and treats the legacy with more grandeur and majesty, has a complex villain that is one of the best in the superhero film genre, has the best scene in the entire dceu and has no redundancy being remarkable efficient. It also has a more enjoyable score, and it's introduction contains a brilliant elegance to it's introduction of us to this world.
Wonder Woman has the more thematically rich final section, a cast with a lot more development and change over the runtime and their own interesting scenes, numerous entertaining villains with their own interesting sections, a beautifully symbolic romance woven into the narrative. It also is more relatable to me in both it's heroine and themes.
Man of Steel to me is like going to an amazing futuristic city and wondering at the marvels of mankind, realizing how much greatness went into creating such glories. It is an almost unnaturally elegant film, that leaps into the air and soars through the skies of humanity's greatness.
Wonder Woman to me is like watching a sun setting over a lake, seeing it's reflection in the waters and realizing in the inter-connectedness of nature the deeper meaning of the themes and stories we know, seeing the depths and beautiful significance of the little things in our lives.
I take turns preferring one film or the other but I hope this has helped explain how I feel about them compared to each other.
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