Character creation and execution
First appearance and previous portrayal
General Zod appeared for the first time in Adventure Comics #263. Since then, Zod has been considered as one of Superman's greatest archenemies. Like Superman, he has the ability to fly, possesses superhuman strength, heat vision, frost breath and other powers. Zod made his live-action debut in the 1978 film adaptation, with Terence Stamp taking on the role of Zod and reprising it in the 1980 sequel with a more prominent arc. [3]
Casting and behind the scenes
American actor Michael Shannon was cast as Zod for Man of Steel (2013), a reboot of the Superman film franchise that would eventually become the first entry into the DC Extended Universe. [4] Viggo Mortensen and Daniel Day-Lewis were also considered for the role. [5] [6] Director Zack Snyder stated, "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". [7] When screenwriter David S. Goyer was asked about why Zod was chosen as the villain, he stated, "The way [Christopher] Nolan and I have always approached movies as well is you never say, 'Hey, which villain would be cool for this movie?' You start with the story first. What kind of story? What kind of theme do you want to tell? So we worked that out. Then, usually the villain becomes obvious in terms of who's going to be the appropriate antagonist for that. When you guys see the movie, the only villain we could've used was Zod and the Kryptonians. I mean, when you see what the whole story is, nothing else would have even made sense". [8]
Much like Superman actor Henry Cavill and Faora actress Antje Traue, Shannon trained extensively for his role, utilizing workouts that heavily featured goblet squats and barbell complexes under trainer Mark Twight. [9] General Zod's bodysuit was designed by Michael Wilkinson with an alien chain mail motif and his family crest in the front, similar to Superman, Faora, Jor-El, and other Kryptonian characters in the film. [10] The Kryptonian armor for Zod was constructed through CGI to allow Shannon "freedom of movement", due to the substantial weight that a practical suit of armor would yield. [11]
The death of Zod at the end of Man of Steel proved to be heavily-debated during the film's production. Originally, much like with Faora and his other henchmen in the finished film, Zod was going to be sucked into the Phantom Zone. As that ending for Zod dissatisfied the filmmakers, Goyer suggested to some DC Comics employees to have Superman kill Zod, even though Nolan had shown aversion at the idea and dissuaded Goyer from even trying to write such a scenario. Much of DC's staff, like Nolan, were opposed to the idea, but Goyer and Snyder ultimately convinced everyone involved by pointing out that Superman would only dispose of Zod because the former would give him no other options, forcing Superman to kill him quickly to save a cornered family from Zod's heat vision. [12]
For Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), the corpse of Zod appears in the film in a crucial role, being used by Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor to create Doomsday; however, Michael Shannon did not film any scenes for the film and the corpse was created using the physique of fitness model Greg Plitt and a head-shot of Shannon. [13]
Shannon was later approached by Andy Muschietti to reprise his role as Zod in The Flash (2023), the last installment in the DCEU before its soft-reboot in anticipation of the DC Universe managed by James Gunn and Peter Safran. Initially surprised at the offer for his character's death in his first appearance, Shannon was informed about how the concept of the DC continuity's Multiverse would enable him to return, a phenomenon Shannon wasn't aware of due to not particularly being a "superhero genre consumer". Shannon felt that revising Zod was enjoyable and that the few weeks of shooting at England he had were a "nice way" to spend some of his summer. [14] Working with Muschietti was something Shannon had been interested in doing due to how recommended Muschietti had been by some of Shannon's friends who had worked with him, praising Muschietti for being as creative as Snyder and a brilliant, visual artist who would often draw while Shannon and his co-stars rehearsed. Having so much fun filming The Flash, Shannon kept one of Muschietti's drawings at home with his permission and has expressed interest in working with him again if the opportunity arises. [15] Before accepting to return, however, Shannon requested to first be given the blessing of Snyder, with whom Shannon had sided with over his tumultuous exit from Warner Bros., as Warner's mistreatment of Snyder was a factor for which Shannon was hesitant to reprise his role, and Snyder gave it. [16]
Themes and characterization
Zod is portrayed in Man of Steel as a highly skilled, determined, and charismatic warrior, fiercely loyal to his race and its ideals and unafraid to act on instinct. Despite caring for other Kryptonians at times, he views those of other races, such as humans, to be inferior, disregarding their extinction when he attempts to terraform Earth into Krypton-like conditions. He also does not grasp the concept of free will, and when his plans are thwarted, is driven mad by the loss of his people and failing at what he perceives to be his sole purpose in life, vowing to personally wipe out humanity in revenge until Superman is forced to kill him. Writing for The Huffington Post , Colin Liotta compared Zod in the film to Adolf Hitler, citing: "He feels his vision for a pure Krypton (i.e. a society like the one Hitler envisioned with his eugenics program) is the only answer for survival". [17]
For his return in The Flash, Shannon stated prior to the film's release that his reprisal in the film was a "little different" than his Man of Steel one by virtue of Zod not counting with a long screentime than in his first appearance in order to not veer the attention away from Ezra Miller's Barry Allen / The Flash. Because of this, Zod's characterization isn't depicted as "deeper" like in his debut and the audience doesn't get to know what he's thinking. [14] As he later elaborated, Zod's appearance in the film serves more like a plot device, or an obstacle like Shannon referred to, than a pivotal in-depth role. [16]
