I think that you're comparing apples and oranges there. Numbers 1 and 2 are stupid, petty gripes from people that possess the combined maturity of a kindergarten class. Number 3 is a different animal.
Granted, using Zod in no way guarantees that we are getting a rehash. (Yes, I know my signature indicates that I believe we are, but I'm only being half serious there.) But there is a bigger issue here that I think a lot of people are missing.
This is Superman's last shot. If this movie fails, that's it.
I hear ya, and I'd hate if we never got to see Brainiac on the big screen either, but honestly, I think this being "Superman's last shot" justifies the use of Zod. Of course WE want to see villains from the comics that haven't been used, but frankly, we don't know what the general audience wants to see in a Superman movie now. That's been a mystery to the WB in regards to Supes for the last decade or so, and they still haven't figured it out. Which WOULD make it the ideal time to gamble on an "unknown" villain...IF this weren't their one and only shot.
WB knows two things: People loved the Donner movies, but they want to see something new. So making a completely new, edgier, modern vision of Superman with a villain that still has name recognition with the general audience (and is infinitely more exciting than Lex Luthor from a visual/action standpoint) actually seems like a smart move to me. As long as it looks and sounds (this includes music!)
nothing like it did before, no one will feel like they've seen it before. SR didn't get butts in seats because it didn't look or sound like anything new (because it wasn't), but rather an attempt to recreate the past. And because they didn't use the enormous technological resources Hollywood's disposal to show off what Supes can really do in this day in age (Superman fighting ~physics~ and lifting a big rock was the best they could do?). So the whole venture felt kind of pointless. Zod addresses the latter of those problems (People will remember him fighting Supes 30 years ago, and then see how insane such a superbrawl can look now). This will not be a "chick flick" like SR, but an action flick. Nolan/Snyder/Goyer's new approach to the story/character should address the former problem.
This way, their new approach isn't SO foreign that it alienates the fans whose only exposure to Supes is the Donner movies, but shows them a new vision. Basically, it lures them in with things they
think they know: Superman, Lois Lane, Zod, hopefully Luthor... and proceeds to blow their expectations out of the water.
THEN, if the movie's successful and people become attached to this version of Superman's world, it's safer to take chances on villains the general audience is less familiar with, because they'll just want to see a continuation of this universe, whatever it may be.
I realize this is a different strategy than
Batman Begins, but it's worth noting that BB was focused on Batman's origin, which had never truly been showcased on the big screen before, so the lesser-known villains played second-fiddle to that. This movie doesn't have that advantage, so it's gonna need a better-known villain to pull more weight. And sadly, for general moviegoing audiences, that basically means either Zod or Luthor (and possibly Bizarro, but you never start a series with the hero's evil doppelganger, that's totally a 3rd-movie move, lol).
All that said, if we STILL don't get Brainiac in the sequel, I'm gonna blow s*** up.
