The villain in Zack Snyder’s Superman: Man of Steel is General Zod. Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire and Revolutionary Road) will play Zod.
“Zod is not only one of Superman’s most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don’t. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role.”
— Zack Snyder
I’m surprised by the addition of General Zod in the reboot. He has already been used in a prior Superman film, and one of the complaints about Superman Returns was that it followed too closely to the original movies. There’s plenty of other villains that could face Superman in a fight. Regardless, Shannon is an Oscar nominee, so he’s bound to bring a great performance to Superman: Man of Steel.
Michael Shannon joins Henry Cavil as Clark Kent/Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Diane Lane as Martha Kent and Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent.
I was hoping for Brainiac, but I’m still cool with Zod.
It’s a given that the fight between Superman and Zod will be visually stunning.