Michael Shannon cast of General Zod in SupermanAfter months of speculating as to who will be the villain in Zack Snyder's upcoming Superman flick Superman: Man of Steel, we can now rest knowing we were all wrong.

Michael Shannon has been cast as General Zod, who like Superman, is from Krypton and has a bit of inside knowledge, making him one of the man of steel's most formidable foes. General Zod, the commander of Krypton's armed forces appeared in both Richard Donner's 1978 Superman and its immediate sequel, Superman II. The role was played by Terence Stamp in both of those  films.

"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," said Zach Snyder, the director of the new film. "Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role."

Michael Shannon is primarily regarded as a character actor whom you may remember from his Academy Award-nominated supporting role as mentally-disturbed man in 2008's Revolutionary Road.

Shannon joins Henry Cavill as the man of steel, Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Superman's adoptive parents, and Amy Adams as Clark Kent's love interest, Lois Lane.