Michael Shannon Reveals Why Returning to the DC Universe Wasn’t ‘Quite Satisfying’

Michael Shannon offered a surprisingly honest take on his return as Zod in the upcoming DC film The Flash.

When asked in a recent Collider interview about the supervillain's reprisal, the actor admitted that it wasn't "quite satisfying" as an actor. Audiences last saw Zod in 2013's Man of Steel, in which he met his demise after Superman snapped his neck. Through the artful use of multiverse magic, Shannon was able to return to the DC universe once more.

"These multiverse movies are like somebody playing with action figures," Shannon explained. "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."

Zod's return after his death left Shannon "a little confused," with the actor telling Looper in a March interview that he had to get some clarification before shooting. "I said, 'As memory serves me, I think I died in Man of Steel. Are they sure they got the right guy?' But then they explained to me the whole multiverse phenomenon."

Shannon's mixed feelings for his DC return do not extend to his co-star Ezra Miller, who made headlines over the years for reportedly exhibiting erratic behavior. While discussing The Flash with Vanity Fair, Shannon showed his support for the actor.

"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."

The Flash debuts in theaters on June 16.