Who is Michael Shannon? Meet the returning Man of Steel star in The Flash

Michael Shannon is a critically acclaimed actor, who will be seen reprising the pivotal role of General Zod in the upcoming superhero movie The Flash, which will make its debut in theaters in the United States on Friday, June 16, 2023. Shannon previously portrayed the character General Zod in the DC Extended Universe movies, including 2013's Man of Steel and 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Christina Hodson has served as the screenplay writer for The Flash, while Andy Muschietti has acted as the movie's director. The movie will chronicle the story of Barry Allen or The Flash traveling back in time to stop the heartbreaking demise of his mother, which will bring unintended and terrifying consequences.

Ever since the official trailer for The Flash showcased intriguing glimpses of actor Michael Shannon as General Zod, the audience has been quite curious to learn all about the actor's body of work.

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Michael Shannon has been part of several notable films and TV series

48-year-old Academy Award-nominated actor Michael Shannon is all set to make a return as the titular DC Comics villain General Zod in the upcoming movie, The Flash. Fans have been quite thrilled to see the actor reprise his role as Zod. However, Shannon disclosed in an interview with Collider that he was quite dissatisfied with his character arc in the new superhero movie.

"I’m not going to lie — it wasn’t quite satisfying for me, as an actor. 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," he said.

Apart from his role as General Zod, Michael Shannon is also best known for his portrayal of the role of Lt. Gooz Wood in Pearl Harbor, Aaron in Vanilla Sky, Greg Buehl in 8 Mile, Knows You're Dead, John Givings, Jr. in Revolutionary Road, Elvis Presley in Elvis & Nixon, Col. Richard Strickland in The Shape of Water, Det. Bobby Andes in Nocturnal Animals, Walt Thrombey in Knives Out, and White Death in Bullet Train.

Michael Shannon has also been a vital part of several other notable movies, including Grand Theft Parsons, The Woodsman, World Trade Center, Before the Devil, The Current War, Pottersville, 12 Strong, What They Had, State Like Sleep, The Quarry, Echo Boomers, Heart of Champions, Night's End, Abandoned, Amsterdam, A Little White Lie, Eric Larue and many more.

Michael Shannon has also been a significant part of an array of noteworthy TV series, entailing Nine Perfect Strangers, Little Demon, George & Tammy, Waco: The Aftermath, The Little Drummer Girl, Our Cartoon President, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Boardwalk Empire, At Home with Amy Sedaris, Early Edition, Turks and several others.

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The official synopsis for the new movie, The Flash, reads:

"Worlds collide in “The Flash” when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. 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."

It continues:

"That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he’s looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?"

Don't forget to watch The Flash, which will arrive in theaters in the United States on June 16, 2023.