Michael Shannon wont say Kneel before Zod in Man Of Steel

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Man Of Steel ’s villain, General Zod, will not be uttering the immortal line “Kneel before Zod”, actor Michael Shannon has confirmed.

In an interview with VH1 (via SuperheroHype ), Shannon was asked about the line, and admitted, “I don’t say that in the movie.”

The three word put-down was made famous by Terence Stamp’s incarnation of the supervillain in Superman II .

Perhaps it’s a good idea that Shannon won’t be impinging on Stamp’s turf, as that piece of dialogue has become so deeply associated with that film.

It has also become the subject of much parody over the years, so it's possible the omission is a statement of intent - will Shannon’s Zod lack the grandstanding, scenery-chewing pomp of the comic-book movie villains of old?

Man Of Steel is directed by Zack Snyder, and stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams and Kevin Costner, and it opens in the UK on 14 June 2013.

Matt Maytum is the former Editor of Total Film magazine. Over the past decade, Matt has worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at GamesRadar+. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.