The Flash: Michael Shannon Seemingly Confirmed to Return

Michael Shannon's formidable General Zod was one of the most formidable foes in the entire DC Extended Universe, though he died in Man of Steel, only to be resurrected as Doomsday in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, with a new preview of Warner Bros.' 2022 movie slate seemingly confirming the actor will appear in The Flash. This will surely come as a surprise to audiences, as Shannon has played coy about returning to the franchise ever again and largely shared that his involvement was linked to filmmaker Zack Snyder, while The Flash comes from director Andy Muschietti. Given the time-traveling nature of the new film, it's also possible that Shannon will merely appear through archival footage. The Flash is set to hit theaters on November 4, 2022.

The Warner Bros. UK website lists the cast of the film as Ezra Miller, Ron Livingston, Michael Keaton, Kiersey Clemons, Michael Shannon, Antje Traue, Sasha Calle, and Michael Keaton. ComicBook.com has reached out to Warner Bros. for clarification on these details. 

The site describes the film, "Ezra Miller stars as Barry Allen, AKA The Flash, who pushes the limits of his superpowers in the DC Super Hero's first-ever standalone feature film."

When news emerged last year that Snyder would get the opportunity to complete his version of Justice League for HBO Max, various stars from the film returned to reprise their roles in new sequences. This resulted in speculation that Shannon could be filming more scenes as Zod, though he emphasized that Zod was definitively dead.

"Oh, I'd love to work with Zack again. I loved doing that movie. It was a special experience," Shannon shared with ComicBook.com about a potential return back in 2020. "I felt very fortunate that he called me to do it in the first place. So, I haven't heard anything. I don't know. I always tell people I'm dead. Zod's dead, he's dead. Unless you got a defibrillator or something I don't really see it happening. But, I love Zack and I'm happy for him that, that he's getting to do that."

With The Flash poised to potentially change the face of the DCEU as we know it, it's also possible that, while Zod is dead, his path crosses with time-traveling Barry Allen in the new film, potentially preventing the events of Man of Steel or Batman v Superman from ever happening in the first place. 

The Flash hits theaters on November 4, 2022.

Are you hoping to see Shannon in the movie? Let us know in the comments below!