The Flash Star Can't Wrap His Head Around Multiverse Concept

Fans are eagerly anticipating the release of The Flash, an upcoming new addition to the DC Extended Universe.

The story is inspired by the Flashpoint comic book storyline, in which Barry Allen, aka The Flash, travels back in time to prevent the murder of his mother, accidentally trapping himself in an altered parallel timeline.

Though the film will not be a full adaptation of the comic book, using mostly the basic plot, it will fully introduce the concept of the multiverse into the DCEU for the first time.

This turn of events brings with it the possibility of bringing long dead characters back into the story. One such case has already been confirmed with General Zod, the antagonist of the first DCEU film Man of Steel, released in 2013.

Portrayed by Michael Shannon, he acted as a nemesis to Superman, who was brought to life by Henry Cavill.

The fact that both characters were Kryptonians made Zod a formidable foe for Kal-El, who possessed the same superhuman abilities. Leaving Superman no choice, Zod was eventually killed at the end of the film.

Now, with the help of a time paradox created by The Flash, Zod is back in action. But all of this timeline mashup has led to a confusing situation.

When Michael Shannon received a call from director Andy Muschietti asking him to reprise his role, the actor was quite surprised.

"I was a little confused. I said, "As memory serves me, I think I died in Man of Steel. Are they sure they got the right guy?" But then they explained to me the whole multiverse phenomenon, which... I was a little behind the times on that.

I can't say that I'm a huge consumer of this genre of films – not that I have anything against them. If I'm going to watch a movie, the odds are it's not going to be one of those, but I sure love making them," Michael said in his Looper interview.

Fans are eager to see the iconic Superman villain return to the big screen. The Flash is scheduled for release on June 16, 2023.