General Zod actor Michael Shannon recently shared why Man of Steel was a more “satisfying” experience for him than The Flash.
Why does Michael Shannon prefer Man of Steel to The Flash?
In an interview with Collider, Shannon opened up about returning to the role of General Zod in The Flash. His turn comes a decade after portraying the iconic Superman villain in the Zack Snyder-directed Man of Steel. However, it seems like the actor wasn’t too fond of his experience on the Scarlet Speedster’s first solo film.
“I’m not gonna lie, it wasn’t quite satisfying for me, as an actor,” Shannon admitted. “These multiverse movies are like somebody playing with action figures. It’s like, ‘Here’s this person. Here’s that person. And they’re fighting!’ It’s not quite the in-depth character study situation that I honestly felt Man of Steel was. Whether people think that’s crazy or not, I don’t even care. I really felt like Man of Steel was actually a pretty sophisticated story. I feel like The Flash is too, but it’s not Zod’s story. I’m basically there to present a challenge.”
General Zod first appeared as the primary antagonist in 2013’s Man of Steel, the first installment in the DC Extended Universe. Shannon’s performance as Zod was praised by critics and fans, but the film’s decision to have Superman kill Zod by breaking his neck was met with controversy. Zod’s corpse was later used by Lex Luthor to create Doomsday in the 2015 follow-up, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
In The Flash, Shannon will play an alternate timeline version of General Zod. Instead of Henry Cavill’s Superman, Zod will have to contend with Ezra Miller’s The Flash, Michael Keaton’s Batman, and Sasha Calle’s Supergirl.
“Worlds collide in The Flash when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past,” reads the synopsis. “But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no super heroes to turn to.”
Directed by Andy Muschietti, The Flash is scheduled to hit theaters on June 16.
