The upcoming Flash is more and more shaping out to become DC's Spider-Man: No Way Home next year, involving heroes and villains from other movies. One of them will reportedly be Michael Shannon's General Zod, who originally appeared in 2013's Man of Steel.
The source for the new hint is pretty reliable, as it comes directly from the updated Warner Bros. slate for 2022 on the official website. For The Flash, the cast lists not only Ezra Miller and Michael Keaton, who will reprise his role as Batman, but also Michael Shannon and Antje Traue. Both appeared in Man of Steel as Kryptonian warriors, seeking revenge on Jor-El and his son Kal-El, better known as Superman.
It's the first we've heard about Shannon and Traue's involvement in The Flash. General Zod and his loyal Faora-Ul were formidable opponents for Superman, so they can pose an even greater threat to Barry Allen and Bruce Wayne. It's worth noting that Zod was killed by Superman and then reborn as Doomsday, only to be killed by Superman again. For Faora, she was presumably sucked in the Phantom Zone for another eternity. However, it's nothing new for comic book films to bring back even 101 percent dead characters.
Michael Shannon, Antje Traue, or any other member of The Flash crew haven't confirmed their return as of the time of writing. Though Shannon's fierce performance as Zod is perhaps one of the most memorable parts of Man of Steel, meaning his return might be well worth it.
With more information revealed, The Flash gains even more similarities with the recent Spider-Man: No Way Home, which turns out the biggest success for MCU since the latest Avengers. Hopefully, The Flash will present a no less intriguing approach to the Multiverse. As originally announced, the movie is adapting the famous Flashpoint storyline, effectively rebooting the DC Extended Universe at the same time. We already got the brief teaser, clearly showing there will be more than one Flash.
Directed by Andy Muschietti, The Flash will premiere on November 4, 2022.