8. Michael Shannon Is Awesome As Zod
Though a lot remains up in the air about Man of Steel, one of the few things I have never doubted is that Michael Shannon's presence would elevate the film considerably. The enormously talented character actor plays the iconic villain General Zod (famously played by Terrence Stamp in the Richard Donner Superman films), and though it's already been reported that he won't be saying the classic "Kneel before Zod" line, Shannon appears to have imbued the character with a manic sensibility that will make him a memorable villain that's all his own. Superman has a history of campy performances for its villains; Gene Hackman clearly had great fun playing Lex Luthor in the original run of films, and who can forget Kevin Spacey's utterance of "WRONG!" to Lois Lane's face (so beloved it even became an Internet meme) in Superman Returns? With Shannon's spirited shouting of "I will find him!", it seems like the actor will join the pantheon of entertainingly over-the-top Superman bad guys, and if there's any actor who has proven that he can do demented megalomania, it's undoubtedly Michael Shannon.