Actor Michael Shannon Discusses Fanboys and His Prep For General Zod In Zack Snyder's Man Of Steel

@Gaston i agree with you. Terrance Stamp Zob to be honest was pretty lame when i look back at it so were the other villians. They were to one dimensional with no real feeling behind the acting. In todays socialty its nice when you can relate not to just the hero but to the villian in a way or at least see why they are the way they are, not just i'm a villian for no damn reason "Kneel to me!"

@gusto
piss drunk is better then poop drunk.
but what do i know, i'm always stoned

IF HE DOESN'T SAY "KNEEL BEFORE ZOD" AT LEAST ONCE IN THE MOVIE I WILL BE SO MAD.

@sjet yea I have the Lord of the rings triology but whuts that gotta do with anything i said. I like superman just not the biggest fan.

great [frick]ing actor.

Here are some of my speculations for the Man Of Steel. I like to know what you guys think.

Speculation 1: Jor-El will not be a scientist but a military man. Reason: His costume is similar to Zod and Faora, and if those 2 are wearing Kryptonian military garbs, it is reasonable to assume that what Crowe is wearing is a military uniform as well. Also, if there is conflict btw Zod & Jor-El, it is likely due to disagreements btw 2 military commanders. It is less likely that Zod's nemesis is a scientist. It is more likely that General Petraeus may have disagreements with McChrystal, but Petraeus vs. Stephen Hawkins...that is unlikely.

Speculation 2: Superman's costume may actually be Jor-El's old military uniform. Reason: Crowe's uniform underneath the outer armor looks like it may be the Superman costume that Cavill wears in the Smallville battle.

Speculation 3: Krypton's destruction may not be an ecological disaster like the Donner or the sun going supernova like the Singer version, but someone (possibly Zod) blew it up. Reason: The idea that the destruction of the planet or a supernova happening and no one knows about it except Jor-El is unlikely, especially for an advanced race. Look at the small issue like global warming, and we've been debating this issue for decades. And the sun going supernova in a few days and nobody know about it. They would know about that thousands, millions, if not billions of years ahead. We know our sun still have 5 billion years left before it goes supernova.

Speculation 4: (this one more of a stretch) Zod is not put into the phantom zone & baby Kal-El did not come to earth in a rocket. Reason: The idea of trapping Zod & goons in a floating mirror is silly. I've never understood the Phantom Zone idea in the Donner films or Smallville (TV). Is it an alternate universe? why is it still exist in the know universe as a mirror? If an asteroid or a comet or whatever hits it, then the criminals are free? Are there multiple mirrors out there floating around? How convienence that Zod's mirror happened to float to earth? are they really phantoms or some are phantoms but some still retain their human form?????? Anyway, no phantom zone in MOS for Zod & goons. How do they got to earth? A space/time portal. It is somekind of device, like a large chamber that may get launch through a portal (like Stargate or Timecop or Terminator, Back to the future). Zod staged a military coupe, it failed, he is sentenced to death, he escape, set the codes to blow up Krypton, get into the portal with his goons and get to earth (they know from past research that earth is the planet that that is similar to Krypton and can sustain life). The space/time portal may be a military expedition device. Jor-El tried to stop him but too late. He can't stop the bomb, it had already started to go off. He know he does not have anytime. However, there is a small experimental prototype of the space/time port device that they built prior to the large one. He put his son into it, along with his military uniform and set its destination to Earth, which is where he know that's where Zod headed. However, he set Kal-El's arrival 25+ years prior to Zod's arrival time, because by the time Zod's space/time travel pod get to earth, Kal-El would now already an adult in his prime. This would give his son a fighting chance against Zod as oppose to him being a baby. However, since Kal-El's space/time pod is small and experimental, it had a glitch and crashed landed instead of having a smooth entrance like Zod's.

Speculation 5: Clark has no intention of being a superhero until Zod's arrival on earth. He grew up, went to college, studied journalism, work at the Daily Planet, have a relationship with Lois but he never told her about his origin. Zod arrive on Earth, started to attack earth. Clark had to become a hero to stop Zod, thus revealing to Lois & the whole world his power. The media now discover that Clark Kent from Smallville is really an alien...like Zod. Zod found out too and along with the US military head to Smallville, KS. Zod recognize that this "Clark Kent" is really Jor-El's son because of his resemblance to Russell CroweSmile Zod kidnapped the Kents, kill Jonathan and almost kill Martha, Superman intervene. US military tried to stop both Zod & Clark, or at least kill Zod and capture Clark. Clark somehow was able to defeat Zod (maybe using Zod's space/time device and send him to millions of years into the past or into the sun.......) and destroy the control so Zod can never return for time travel again. The US military still want to capture Clark, and the media still hounds him. Some people regards him as a hero but many still fear this powerful alien "Is he friend or foe?" Clark Kent disappears and go into hiding. Lois goes in search for him and find him in a remote fishing village in Alaska. She tells him to come back, he said there is no place for him anymore. She tells him the world need a hero to be a beacon of light. Back at the Kent farm, Martha misses her son. Time passed and Clark does eventually return to Smallville and to Jonathan's grave. He remembers (in a flash back) what Jonathan said to him when he was a young boy. "When the time comes, you will use your power to assist humanity."

In the weeks and months following, news stories report a Superman doing heroic acts, slowly people began to change their mind about Clark Kent and no longer see him as a threat but as an inspiration.

One day, after finishing writing up her story praising this heroic "Superman", Lois leaves the office and someone grabbed her. At first, she thought it was a mugger until she realizes that this guy off the street in a disguise with glasses is really her true love, Clark Kent. They exchange pleasantries. Then in the distance, they hear a police siren, Clark listens with his super-hearing, tells Lois that he is needed. He takes off the glasses, rip open his shirt and takes to the sky. A red and blue figure fly pass the Metropolis skyline and people shouts out. "Look up in the sky! ..... it's Superman!" as the sun rises over Metropolis.

@jenniferjuniper
I am not reading all that

@jenniperjuniper sorry for the double post but, a few points.

Phantom zone in another dimension. Only visible from ours with special equipment. That mirror thing was some crazy Donner ish.

Other than that: Jor-El as a military man, world finding out who Superman is... Fine ideas, but something I wouldn't wanna watch.

Now, if it was another character, a Millar tpe thing, than yes. But way chance a character so much and keep calling him something he is no more?

"You put all that work into something and everybody yawns or nobody bothers to come to the theatre -- that would be a lot more difficult to deal with." I love it! He even prepares for the disappointed fans skipping this crap fest!

@MrWayne - I know that Shannon's Zod won't be a 1 dimensional character like Donner/Stamp (i.e. I'm evil and I want to take over the world). Your deduction is really interesting. I assume that Zod doesn't think he is evil and he thinks what he's doing is right, at least in his mind. We know that he's on earth and he and his goons are causing destruction.

Option 1: Kryptonian council orders Zod to go to earth and take over, he is reluctant, but goes there and do it anyway? if Zod is reluctant and has a conscience, he just want to find his people a new home, you would think he would me more diplomatic with the humans. this is a more 3 dimensional character, but I am having a hard time making his motive and actions logical. Also, why would he want to find a new home for his people when they are all dead (presuming that he knows Krypton is gone).

Option 2: Zod is a "might makes right" kind of person and it is survival of the fittest, the strong rules? This is more 1 dimensional, but makes more sense. Perhaps Shannon is studying Grant because he wants to understand the mindset of a general and not because Zod is directly modeled after Grant.

Are there other interpretations that you can suggest?

Maybe Zod will be similar to Ras al Ghul in Batman Begins, his motives may be good, but his methods are not.

Kneel before Superman 2 reimagining.

You will bow down to Superman 2 reimagining, first you, then your ass!!

Maybe instead of Jor-El sending his son ahead of Zod, Zod could somehow get stuck in the wormhole/phantom-zone and that is why he got to earth later than Clark. Also, you could call this space/time wormhole device as the "phantom zone projector."

Also, in this interpretation, you are not getting rid off the Clark Kent glasses disguise, but you are just reinterpreting it in a more realistic and plausible way. Basically, when Clark isn't Superman, he goes incognito.

@jenniferjuniper why would he be ordered to earth the story should stay close to the original in that heis in the phantom zone, and gets released. His people I'm referring more to his own people not all kryptonians per say, but his wife who was also in the phantom zone. Maybe make her pregnant (Chris Kent) when she comes out. So he decides to take over Earth to give his family a home and achance to recreate Krypton. So he's not wrong in what he's doing just how he's doing it like you said about Ras al Ghul.

IF YOU DON'T LOVE SUPERMAN PLEASE JUST DIE ALREADY OR LEAVE THIS FORUM!!!!

@Juwon well, some of us are big fans of the character and we are worried about the direction this cluster[frick] seems to be taking..

@MrWayne cool story, bro

superman returns brandon routh is the remake of superman 1978, with the eartquakes etc. and now this man of steel is the remake of the superman 2 1980 with the 3 kryptonians lead by Zod. hahahaha