The Flash Star Michael Shannon Says Returning to General Zod ‘Wasn’t Quite Satisfying’

The Flash star Michael Shannon has opened up about returning to General Zod after playing the Superman villain in Man of Steel, saying it wasn’t quite as “satisfying” as he hoped it would be.

Speaking to Collider, Shannon was asked if it felt different to not only return to a character after so many years, but also to play a version of him that’s from a different timeline. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the greatest experience for him, and some of that has to do with the multiverse of it all.

“Yeah. I’m not gonna lie, it wasn’t quite satisfying for me, as an actor,” Shannon said. “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.”

While the role didn’t live up to his expectations, he did have very positive things to say about Ezra Miller and said their performance in the film is what fans should be most excited about.

“Honestly, to me, it’s all about Ezra [Miller],” Shannon said. “I just think Ezra is a fascinating performer and actor. I can’t wait to see this performance. It’s a huge challenge. I don’t wanna give anything away, but what Ezra has to do in this movie is pretty crazy, and I think [they’re] up for the task. I know a lot of times, with movies like this, people are excited about the big set pieces or the effects, but for me, it’s always about performance. I don’t care whether it’s an Ingmar Bergman film or the Avengers. It’s always about performance.”

The wait to see Miller and Shannon on screen is almost over as The Flash is ready to speed into theaters on June 16, 2023. In our The Flash review, we said it “is an ambitious superhero movie that largely pulls off its tale of two worlds, two Flashes, and two Batmans. The superhero fan service is strong with this one – perhaps too strong at times – but it never fully overshadows Barry Allen’s genuinely tragic and heartfelt story of grief.”

For more, check out The Flash director’s comments on why Miller shouldn’t be replaced if there is a sequel despite their recent legal issues and how Shannon only returned as Zod because of Zack Snyder.

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.