The Flash Trailer Reveals The Return of Michael Shannon’s Zod From Man of Steel

DC’s The Flash trailer dropped during the 2013 Super Bowl – and it was certainly full of surprises! The Flash trailer revealed the DC[E]U version of what DC’s famous “Flashpoint” storyline looks like, and in this cinematic universe, Barry Allen’s (Ezra Miller) disruption of the DC timeline results in a world without metahumans – and therefore, a world unprepared for the eventual invasion of none other than General Zod, and his brigade of renegade Kryptonians!

That’s right: Man of Steel star Michael Shannon is once again back, playing General Zod in this alternate timeline of the DC Universe. The Flash trailer makes it clear that Zod is the overarching threat in The Flash movie – a twist on the original DC comic book storyline, in which Arthur Curry/Aquaman’s Atlantis and Diana Prince/Wonder Woman’s Paradise Island end up plunging into a war that consumes the world. 

Shannon is still regarded as one of the best villains in the DC movie franchise after he was (unexpectedly) tapped by Zack Snyder to play the central villain role in Man of Steel (2013). Snyder would get Shannon back for a brief cameo in Batman v Superman (2016) as Zod’s corpse, which was taken by Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) and transformed into the apocalyptic monster Doomsday, which ultimately killed Superman in battle. 

The fact that The Flash is bringing Michael Shannon back as Doomsday hints that rumors of the film being something of an all-out DC event film crossover may be true. Getting Shannon back for what looks like a substantial amount of shooting and action is no small thing – who else may be on deck for a re-appearance? The footage also confirms that Shannon’s Man of Steel co-star Antje Traue will also be back as Faora-Ul. 

While Zod is definitely a twist on the Flashpoint storyline fans know, the other twist is having Sasha Calle’s Supergirl take on the Superman story arc from Flashpoint comics – namely, a Kryptonian that was captured and imprisoned away from the sun (by Cadmus or S.T.A.R. Labs?) and weakened to the point of emaciation. In Flashpoint it was a major turning point when Flash and Batman finally freed Superman – and from the scenes of Supergirl taking on Zod and his forces, the same will be true in this film. 

Hyped to see General Zod back in The Flash? The film hits theaters on June 16th.