Why Michael Shannon Felt Disappointed With His Return as General Zod in The Flash

Michael Shannon, who portrayed General Zod in Man of Steel, expressed dissatisfaction with his return as the character in The Flash. Initially, Shannon admitted feeling "a little confused" upon receiving the offer to reprise his role, given that Superman had killed General Zod in Man of Steel. However, in the multiverse world of these films, any character can potentially make a comeback. The Flash, based on the Flashpoint comic book story, follows Barry Allen's journey through time to save his mother, resulting in an alternate timeline where everything is different. In the trailers, fans catch glimpses of a second Barry Allen played by Ezra Miller, Ben Affleck returning as Batman, and Michael Keaton as the alternate timeline Batman. Additionally, Sasha Calle is set to play Supergirl, and General Zod is seen with an intact neck.

"Yeah, it wasn't quite fulfilling for me as an actor," said Shannon in an interview with Collider, regarding his return as General Zod after a decade. He compared the multiverse movies to someone playing with action figures, where characters are thrown together to fight. Shannon expressed his preference for the character study that Zack Snyder did in Man of Steel. "It's not quite the same level of depth that I honestly felt Man of Steel was." He also shared his disappointment in how the studio treated Snyder and his DC films, and even sought Snyder's approval before taking on the role. Despite receiving Snyder's blessing, Shannon remained unsatisfied with his performance as General Zod.

Multiverse movies have become increasingly popular with releases like Spider-Verse, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and The Flash. While it can be exciting to see beloved characters return or have actors make cameos, it can sometimes feel like surface-level fan service rather than meaningful storytelling.

Despite Michael Shannon's dissatisfaction with his role in The Flash, he is still looking forward to seeing Ezra Miller's performance in the film. Miller's portrayal of two characters is said to be pretty crazy, leading fans to speculate that one of them may be the Reverse Flash. Fortunately, eager fans won't have to wait much longer to find out.

The Flash will hit theaters on June 16, 2023.

Source: Collider