On Boardwalk Empire, Michael Shannon imbues even an offhand compliment toward his wife’s pot roast with a sense of deep psychological instability, so it makes sense that Zack Snyder would see in him an otherworldly threat. The Academy Award-nominated Shannon has been cast in Man Of Steel as the Kryptonian criminal General Zod, bringing his natural, unnerving menace to the megalomaniacal military man who’s most closely associated with Terence Stamp’s portrayal in the Richard Donner movies. While Stamp projected a sort of autocratic ennui and a nigh-sexual delight in dominating the Earth—he was equal parts Roman emperor and cosmic leather daddy—Snyder has not suggested yet how he plans to approach the character (and in fact, he’d been denying Zod’s involvement in the film up until today), only saying that Shannon “can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character." It’s also not clear yet whether Zod will be the main villain, or spend most of his time hanging out in the Phantom Zone. Still, Zod better order someone to kneel before him, otherwise what's the point?
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