The first trailer for the highly-anticipated yet controversial new DC film The Flash teased the return of many iconic characters from the history of DC adaptations, including iterations of Bruce Wayne played by Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck. While The Flash seems intent on using the freedom of the speedforce to bring back multiple characters from the past, the trailer also teased that in this alternate timeline, Michael Shannon’s version of General Zod is still alive. While Shannon is one of the greatest actors working today, he clearly has better things to do than show up for a needless role in a film universe that’s coming to a close. Did anyone really ask for more Zod content?

Who Is Zod?

Michael Shannon as Zod in Man of Steel
Image Via Warner Bros.

General Zod is one of Superman’s greatest opponents, and back in 1981, the great Terrence Stamp delivered a terrifying, towering performance as the fearsome Kryptonian military leader in Superman II. It was easily one of the greatest comic book villains of all time, leaving massive expectations for whoever inherited the role next. While Shannon desperately tries to give some depth to the character in Man of Steel, he’s unfortunately not given the material needed to truly excel in the role. He shows up again as a floating corpse in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, a film that he admitted he fell asleep while watching.

Shannon clearly has no emotional investment in the role, and why should he? Man of Steel debuted almost a decade ago, and Zod’s death at the hands of Superman (Henry Cavill) has continued to be the most controversial decision in any comic book movie. There are plenty of interesting, complex villains played by performers with real passion for the source material that have popped up throughout the course of DC cinematic adaptations. Zod isn’t one of them, and it feels strange to spend more time on a character that’s best left with his neck snapped.

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The Issue With Zod Is That We Know Nothing About Him

Michael Shannon as Zod in Man of Steel
Image Via Warner Bros.

Man of Steel admittedly tries to give Zod a compelling motivation during its opening sequence, in which Jor-El (Russell Crowe) sends an infant Clark to Earth. Shannon leaves no room for subtly as Zod screams in rage and swears to kill an innocent child as a means of getting vengeance upon Jor-El and the Kryptonian Council that he feels has betrayed the planet’s heritage. Zod’s “I will find him” line is now iconic for all the wrong reasons, but sadly, the film doesn’t really give Shannon the chance to chew the scenery. He’s much more effective in films that give him a chance to be as exaggerated as possible, such as Bug, Nocturnal Animals, 99 Homes, The Shape of Water, and Premium Rush among many others.

Man of Steel’s timeline is all over the place thanks to the constant flashbacks, but amidst all the scenes of Clarke moping around, Zod is barely given any character development. Beyond wanting to rebuild the Kryptonian codex that he plans to use to create the perfect society, Zod doesn’t really show any interest in leadership beyond his warpath. There’s not enough time to show any of his personal relationships with the rest of the Kryptonians imprisoned with him in the Phantom Zone, and there’s little information on his backstory, other than the listed war crimes. Perhaps if Zod has been given a family, a moment of vulnerability, or a weakness that would give him more depth, he’s a relatively one-dimensional character throughout that isn’t worth revisiting.

Zod’s resurgence is only reminding viewers about the ceaseless destruction of Metropolis that was so controversial at the ending of Man of Steel. While many superhero films include sequences of cities being destroyed, the highly gritty capsulation of urban terrorism and lost civilian lives simply made audiences uncomfortable; the reaction to the snapping of Zod’s neck signified that a large portion of the audience didn’t like this tone. Considering that The Flash appears to be restaging parts of Zod’s invasion of Earth, it’s likely that this will overshadow a story that’s already packed with cameos.

Why Does ‘The Flash’ Need Zod?

The Flash Ezra Miller Barry Allen
Image via Warner Bros.

Film fans have been waiting for a standalone film centered around The Flash for what seems like forever. The character has a massive fanbase and a wealth of excellent source material to draw from, and back in 2013, a DCEU film starring Ezra Miller was announced for 2018. After years of pushbacks, director changes, internal changes, and all the controversy surrounding Miller, fans of The Flash at least deserve to see some of the fastest man on Earth’s most memorable villains for once. Flashing back to a forgotten villain from a divisive Superman movie seems like an odd creative choice.

It’s also bound to feel redundant considering that in between the releases of Man of Steel and The Flash, Shannon has already played eccentric movie villains in films like Bullet Train, Knives Out, The Shape of Water, 99 Homes. Playing another sinister antagonist now feels redundant, and there are much more exciting villains from the DCEU that would be far more interesting to incorporate. Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor, Ewan McGregor’s Black Mask, or Mark Strong’s Doctor Silvana would elicit some excitement, as they were all dynamic actors that were clearly making interesting choices. Shannon is just as talented, if not more so, than these actors, but it doesn't mean we need to bring him back as Zod. We’ve also seen enough invading alien military leaders in the past decade of comic book movies that this trope feels tired.

Perhaps Shannon’s role in The Flash allows him to go off and make smaller indie films like Take Shelter or Complete Unknown that he’s very passionate about, but focusing so much on the past seems like a misdirection on either his part or the film’s. It remains to be seen how well The Flash will balance its timelines, but the return of both Keaton and Affleck are at least iterations of the character that fans were begging to see more of. The cheering department in Zod’s corner seems to be much smaller, and a majority of casual viewers have probably forgotten him anyway. There are enough questions that everyone wants to be answered about The Flash, but the fate of Shannon’s Zod isn’t exactly one of them.