It’s not a spoiler, as he’s featured in most of the marketing material, but Michael Shannon is about to make his return to the DC film universe in “The Flash.” Reprising his role as General Zod, Shannon gets to revive a character who was killed in “Man of Steel” in a new film thanks to multiversal shenanigans. And though he’s clearly proud of being in the film, Shannon feels the multiverse aspect made playing Zod a different, somewhat less thrilling experience in “The Flash.”
Speaking to Collider,” Michael Shannon talked about his acclaimed role in “George & Tammy,” but he also spent some time talking about his return as Zod in “The Flash.” Specifically, he talked about what it’s like to return to a character that was previously killed, since the latest DC film deals with multiverse storytelling—something that is running rampant in current superhero films and TV series. And interestingly, he thought the multiversal aspect of returning in “The Flash” made for a less satisfying experience for the actor.
“I’m not gonna lie, it wasn’t quite satisfying for me, as an actor,” said Shannon. “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.”
Now, you shouldn’t take what Shannon said as some sort of rebuke of “The Flash.” The actor still thinks the new DC film is great and wants people to see it. He just believes that “The Flash” is less about Zod’s story than the greater story of Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen.
“Honestly, to me, it’s all about Ezra [Miller],” he explained. “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.”
What he is hinting at in this comment is the fact that Miller has a dual role in “The Flash,” playing different versions of Barry Allen. This does present a specific challenge for them, as the two Barrys are very unique and require quite a bit of range for Miller. And honestly, as much as Shannon is in the film, the success of “The Flash” lives and dies on the shoulders of Miller.
“The Flash” arrives in theaters on June 16.