After rewatching Man of Steel, I’ve just realized the DCEU movie shares a notable scene with Marvel’s Daredevil, and I can’t believe I didn’t realize before now. The DCEU’s Superman debut movie and Marvel’s Daredevil show are both superhero releases that have remained key cornerstones of the genre several years after their initial debuts, thanks to the dramatic and striking ways they adapted their respective beloved heroes. However, in many ways, that’s where the similarities between the two are generally expected to end, for what are some almost immediately apparent reasons.

With Superman’s stories tending to be inherently larger-than-life – as is arguably fitting for an intensely powerful member of an alien race who grew up on Earth but with very different abilities – and Daredevil’s generally speaking exploring more grounded street-level territory even when featuring magic or the supernatural, there’s a world of differences between the two figures, which is only further reinforced by the fact they exist in different superhero franchises. However, all these differences don’t stop Man of Steel and the Daredevil series from having one notably similar scene.

Man Of Steel’s Priest Moment Is A Major DCEU Movie Moment

Superman’s Talk With Father Daniel Leone Is A Key Part Of Man Of Steel’s Story

After General Zod broadcasts a world-wide threat to Earth wherein he states he will wreak havoc upon the planet unless the sole Kryptonian on Earth – who we obviously know to be Clark – is delivered to him, Superman experiences an understandable conflict about what to do next. While Zod’s immediate threats serve to underline that his intentions for meeting Clark aren’t exactly wholesome, to do anything other than meet with the other Kryptonians would be to endanger all of humanity for Superman’s own self-preservation, which obviously goes against his own morals.

Battling with himself about what to do next, Clark takes an unexpected approach and meets with Father Daniel Leone – a Smallville priest – who has also just heard the same ominous broadcast from Zod, revealing his secret idenтιтy and asking for guidance on the matter. Despite knowing his words could define the future of humanity, Leone ultimately focuses on the hero’s own thoughts, asking him what his gut thinks, and telling Clark to do what he thinks is right – a decision that leads Superman to give himself up to Zod and the remaining Kryptonians to try and protect the world he grew up in.

Though it seems likely Clark would have decided to sacrifice himself for the good of others had he had this conversation or not, his decision to try and consult with someone who is presumably a big part of Smallville’s community is a poignant moment that speaks to Superman’s desire to do right by those around him, and his desire to trust in others even when he himself is being distrusted because of who he is and his powers. As such, it’s even more interesting that this has a striking Marvel parallel.

Daredevil’s Priest Scenes Are Also Almost Identical To Man Of Steel’s

Daredevil’s Father Paul Lantom Provides Unexpected Parallels To Man Of Steel

Daredevil famously also has Matt Murdock in his civilian form seeking out guidance from a local priest. That said, it is worth noting these scenarios are not exactly the same – firstly because Daredevil involves a different kind of priest, with Reverend Father Paul Lantom being a Roman Catholic priest, where Father Daniel Leone oversaw the Trinity Lutheran Church, and given Lantom is a priest who Murdock has decades of backstory with, having first met him as a child.

However, the superhero seemingly wants much the same guidance from Lantom as Superman does from Leone, with the two interacting throughout much of the show as Daredevil seeks both penance and wisdom from the philosophical and witty older man. This largely includes conversations wherein Murdock loosely tries to discuss his current plights as a costumed vigilante, albeit in terms where it’s initially not explicitly clear whether Lantom knows exactly what they’re talking about.

While the first of these parallels Man of Steel in the sense that it’s depicted as Murdock’s first meeting with Lantom in this context, the version of these scenes that perhaps most strongly mirrors the DCEU movie is actually found in Daredevil season 1, episode 11. It’s in this sequence that the priest reveals he knows that Matt is Daredevil, and continues to offer advice and his perspective on the situation, while also – like Leone – focusing more on Murdock’s own perspective, and demonstrating understanding about his decision to become a vigilante while offering advice about how to continue forward.

Though these moments are different in the sense that Murdock is actively religious and his conversation with the Reverend is thus more coded in scripture – and longer due to the television format allowing for a deeper dive into scenes like this – the way in which the two scenes mirror each other is decidedly notable, and interesting for the fact that this appears to be entirely unintentional. In fact, given Daredevil is drawing more from the comic source material wherein Murdock’s religion is also a core part of his character, it’s fascinating to see this help the Marvel show parallel a DC movie that came years prior.

Man of Steel & Daredevil’s Priest Scene Link Make Both Of Their Stories More Interesting

The DC & Marvel Heroes Having Matching Moments Makes Sense

In both Man of Steel and Daredevil, their mirroring priest scenes are used to explore the hero’s doubts and uncertainties, with Superman being unsure about whether to give himself up to Zod, and Daredevil having a complicated perspective on his vigilante endeavors and their relationship with his religious beliefs throughout the Daredevil show. Giving these heroes more impartial figures to talk these scenarios through with than their own closest friends and allies makes sense for both releases, and allows insight into their internal conflicts that would’ve otherwise been borderline impossible to depict.

Given how otherwise unconnected Man of Steel and Daredevil are, the fact these two aspects of their story intertwine is uniquely interesting, and allows two heroes who are otherwise worlds apart to have a major shared story moment despite their differing worlds, franchises, power levels and depictions being at opposite ends of the spectrum in almost every conceivable way. In this sense, the wider world of the superhero genre feels that bit more connected, even if a Daredevil and Superman on-screen crossover doesn’t exactly appear to be on the horizon.