I Heard Man Of Steel Was Bad, But Was Shocked By What Disappointed Me Most About The Superman Movie

While I have never been a huge fan of Superman, James Gunn’s upcoming DC movie starring David Corenswet is one of my most anticipated upcoming 2025 movies. So, I figured now was a good time for me to finally get around to watching Zack Snyder’s 2013 interpretation of the last son of Krypton, Man of Steel.

The ridiculously divisive reception of the Henry Cavill-led Superman film led me to pass on checking it out for more than a decade, but I had a feeling my general lack of interest in the character would benefit me with an objective point of view so I could judge it fairly. Well, I ended up not caring much for it, and for many of the same reasons that disappointed even die-hard comic book fans. However, there was one aspect I assumed I would enjoy that sadly turned out to be the one thing I disliked most about Man of Steel. Allow me to explain…

Michael Shannon Was Wrong For Zod

Ever since I saw his performance in Take Shelter, a 2011 movie that gets honest about mental health, I have believed that Michael Shannon is one of the most talented actors alive. I have especially enjoyed some of his villainous roles, such as in Guillermo del Toro’s Best Picture Oscar winner, 2017’s The Shape of Water, so I was genuinely excited to finally see how he plays one of Superman’s archenemies, General Zod, in Man of Steel when I booted up my HBO Max subscription. However, my reaction to the performance may sound like heresy to other fans of the two-time Oscar nominee.

I recently wrote a listicle about miscast movie and TV villains, and had I seen Man of Steel then, I would have included Shannon’s Zod. Forgive me, but in my opinion, he lacks an authentic aura of menace needed to pull off an antagonist capable of creating such cataclysmic destruction. On top of that, I think he just feels generally out of place in the role, especially when interacting with fellow Kryptonians in the prologue. One could argue that is by design, based on the alien warrior’s opposition to how Krypton is governed, but it simply did not work for me, and that disappointed feeling lasted for the rest of the film.

Michael Shannon's Zod Might Have Worked In A Less Bleak Superman Movie

There is a part of me, however, that believes Shannon’s portrayal of Zod could have been an all-time great DC villain performance, but not in a movie like Man of Steel. You see, another major issue I have with the movie, which has also proved very divisive among fans, is that it takes itself just a little too seriously for its own good, especially when you consider that its lead hero is traditionally depicted as hopeful, positive, and fun. I cannot help but believe that the idea of having fun was also on Shannon’s mind.

While some of his comments in the past suggest Shannon did take his Man of Steel role very seriously, watching him, I get the feeling that he also wanted to ham it up a little bit with a more traditionally over-the-top comic book villain performance. Zod’s fourth, overexaggerated yelp of the line “I will find him!” in the prologue was enough to convince me of that. I am totally all for that approach, and I believe it probably would have worked if the tone of this Superman movie matched the tone of his portrayal, as I see it.

A movie that offered a perfect opportunity for Shannon to not hold anything back, as Zod was The Flash, which I think proudly leaned into its cheesiness. However, he seemed to have less enthusiasm for the role in that reprisal, and his comments to Collider in 2023 basically confirm that. I do wonder, though, if he were to give the role one more try–with Zack Snyder’s blessing, of course–how well his Zod would fare in an upcoming superhero movie set in James Gunn’s new DC Universe. It’s worth thinking about…