Michael Shannon drops a Zod tidbit about ‘Batman v. Superman’

By Hoai-Tran Bui | Gannett News Service

Dead is dead, right? Well, we’re not so sure that’s the case with General Zod in “Batman v. Superman.”

The Kryptionian, played by Michael Shannon, was brutally killed by Superman in “Man of Steel,” but it looks like he’s back for director Zack Snyder’s sequel, “Batman v. Superman.” From the looks of the trailer it’s just his body, but Shannon is telling some funny stories from the set that make us think that there’s something more to his role than just lying on a lab table.

Shannon told Vulture a hilarious anecdote about how he got stuck on a port-a-potty. Why? Because he has flippers on his hands.

Flippers? Huh?

It may be that Lex Luthor, who is in possession of Zod’s body in the “Batman v. Superman” trailer, is doing some weird Frankenstein-esque experiments on Zod, or it could be just a hand covering for CGI/green screen purposes. However, this story also may lend itself to the rumor that Luthor uses Zod’s power to create Doomsday, a powerful creature who kills Superman in the comics.

Either way, this does not bode well for Superman, who you know, is dealing with a really angry Gotham vigilante.

Shannon, a Chicago theater veteran, will announce the 2014-15 Equity Jeff Awards nominations on a video to be released Friday at www.jeffawards.org. He is scheduled to perform in “Pilgrim’s Progress” this fall at A Red Orchid Theatre, where he is an ensemble member.