Michael Shannon Talks About Returning as Zod in 'The Flash'

Comic book fans will be treated to a plethora of cameos from returning DC stars when “The Flash” premieres in theatres the following weekend. Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton will both reprise their roles as Batman, and Nicolas Cage will finally get to don the Superman costume. The wicked General Zod from Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel” will also be present in The Flash, thanks to Michael Shannon’s comeback.

Shannon expressed some opinions regarding his return to the DC Extended Universe in a recent interview with Collider, and not all of them were flattering. He clarified that whereas multiverse films give actors wonderful chances to resurrect beloved characters, they frequently take away the humanity that originally made those parts attractive.

“Yeah. I’m not gonna lie; it wasn’t quite satisfying for me as an actor. These multiverse movies are like somebody playing with action figures,” Shannon said about his experience making “The Flash.”

He continued, “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.”

Shannon may have had some creative issues with “The Flash,” but he has nothing but praise for his troubled co-star Ezra Miller. Shannon recently said that he empathizes with Miller because he is aware of the stress associated with working in the public spotlight, despite the actor’s numerous legal issues.

“I thought Ezra was lovely — very kind to me when I was there,” he said. “It’s difficult to talk about, but I always give people a lot of slack in this business because there’s a lot of people in this business that have issues. And some people have more privacy than others.”

On June 16, The Flash bursts into theatres with the promise of reshaping the DC Multiverse with the aid of well-known characters and fresh new heroes. Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) goes back in time to alter history, which has enormous effects on the present and future.

The Scarlet Speedster is compelled to work with another version of Barry, the enigmatic Kryptonian known as Supergirl (Sasha Calle), and the legendary Batman (Michael Keaton) in order to salvage a doomed reality. Andy Muschietti is the director of The Flash, Christina Hodson wrote the script based on a tale by Joby Harold, and Barbara Muschietti is the producer.