If anyone has their finger on the pulse of the comic book movies that audiences love these days … it’sLarry King?Batman v Superman: Dawn of JusticestarMichael Shannonappeared onLarry King Now, and the conversation eventually turned to his role in theMan of Steelsequel. What followed was an awkward exchange between two men who don’t seem all that interested in the nuances of comic book lore, but business is business.
When asked to explain his character inBatman v Superman, Shannon rehashed what happened to Zod at the end ofMan of Steel, which led him torepeating his assertion that dead Kryptonians are essentially “ghosts"who leave a sort of communicable consciousness behind. After that point was … well, not exactly cleared up, but at least settled, the chat then moved on toShannon’s infamous “flipper hands” comment. You can tell he regrets saying it, but what’s interesting is his comment on Warner Bros.' position on secrecy surrounding the film.
Watch the awkward conversation between Shannon and King below (viaComicbook.com):
Here’s a breakdown of what Shannon actually said:
Shannon: InMan of Steel, Superman viciously cracks my neck and leaves me dead on the floor, so…
King: So you’re not Zod?
Shannon: It’s the same thing like in the first one with Jor-El - Russell Crowe’s character - is kind of like a ghost. So I guess I’m a ghost. Kind of.
King: So you do … you are there as Zod?
Shannon: Yeah.
King: You can tell us some things.
Shannon: [laughs]
King: Is the film done?
Shannon: Yeah, I think they’re doing all the post, the digital effects and all that.
King: Do you have scenes just with Superman, or are you with Batman too?
Shannon: I did not cross paths with Batman, no.
King: You recently told Vulture that your character, who was killed off inMan of Steel, had flippers … what is that?
Shannon: [laughs] I was joking. I was being a little mischievous. honestly, it’s an awkward situation because Warner Bros. is always like, “Don’t talk about this, don’t say anything.”
King: Why? Why can’t you say something that entices you?
Shannon: I guess the pressure that I’m under sometimes leads me to say silly things like, “Zod has flippers.”
King: So you were kidding.
Shannon: Yeah, it was a false … it was a red herring, as it were.
Do you guys believe him now? Let us know in the comments, and catch up with our recentBatman v Supermancoverage below.
