The ads for "Man of Steel" have spared no effort rendering the film's iconic hero, Superman, as nothing less than a messiah for the people of Earth. And in a new U.K. television ad, Supes' father Jor-El, played by Russell Crowe, meditates on the potential his son may one day have.

"What if a child dreamed of becoming something other than what society intended?" he asks. "What if a child aspired to something greater?"

The "something greater," according to the clip, is a lot of stone-faced reactions from Kal-El himself, Henry Cavill, as he squares off against the franchise's greatest villain, General Zod (Michael Shannon). Amidst shots of Superman being taken into custody by the same mortals he has sworn to protect, Zod lays waste to buildings and airplanes before the Son of Krypton finally loses his composure and decides to fight back.

How Michael Shannon became General Zod in "Man of Steel."

"300" and "Watchmen" filmmaker Zack Snyder directed "Man of Steel" from a script written by David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan, whose work with Batman made the "Dark Knight" trilogy one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comic book adaptations of all time. Cavill co-stars with Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne and Christopher Meloni. The film offers its own "Batman Begins"-style origin story for the superhero, appearing to ignore the stories previously told in "Superman" and more recently, Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns."

With fan expectations high for the film, "Man of Steel" could re-launch the franchise if it's as successful as distributor Warner Bros. hopes it is. Regardless, Crowe's final comment in the ad's voice-over says it all, for its makers and fans: "You will give them an ideal to strive towards."

Check out everything we've got on "Man of Steel."