We’re still more than a year out from the release of Zack Snyder’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and even though the majority of prominent roles have been filled, the superhero flick is quickly becoming one of the biggest ensembles ever assembled. (Take that, Nick Fury!)
But one question that has loomed large over the production, particularly when you consider the end of Man of Steel, is how the film may or may not incorporate Michael Shannon’s General Zod into proceedings. Plot details are, of course, scarce on the ground, but speculation has suggested that Snyder’s historic clash will revolve around Zod’s body in some capacity — or, more specifically his armor.
In comic book lore, the Kryptonian guise is extracted by Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg, in this instance) and is morphed into a rather formidable suit of armor, which lends credence to Shannon being involved in the project, even if it is for a minor role. As a matter of fact, the actor was spied on the set of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice back in November of last year alongside his Man of Steel co-star, Henry Cavill.
Granted, this doesn’t mean that Shannon’s part in Dawn of Justice is written in stone — far from it. Still, his potential involvement could signal Warner Bros.’ desire to introduce Doomsday, a character found in The Death of Superman comic book arc. Essentially, the physical menace is created as a consequence of Luthor’s aforementioned experiments, trigging the Doomsday genome. If Snyder’s ensemble piece were to draft in the hulking monster, then it’s likely that Shannon will play a much larger part in the company’s cinematic universe that first anticipated. Time will tell whether this is the case.
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice will swoop into theaters on March 25, 2016.
