Michael Shannon left underwhelmed by his role in The Flash

Michael Shannon wasn't satisfied with his role in 'The Flash'.

The 48-year-old star reprises the part of villain General Zod in the new DC Extended Universe (DCEU) blockbuster but felt that he did not get to explore the depth of his character.

Michael – who featured as General Zod in the 2013 movie 'Man of Steel' – told Collider: "Yeah. I'm not gonna lie, it wasn't quite satisfying for me, as an actor. These multiverse movies are like somebody playing with action figures.

"It's like, 'Here's this person. Here's that person. And they're fighting!' It's not quite the in-depth character study situation that I honestly felt 'Man of Steel' was."

The 'Knives Out' star continued: "Whether people think that's crazy or not, I don't even care. I really felt like 'Man of Steel' was actually a pretty sophisticated story. I feel like 'The Flash' is too, but it's not Zod's story. I'm basically there to present a challenge.

"It's pretty crazy. I didn't ever think I would be an action figure. I never imagined that for myself. I can't take all the credit because the action figure isn't me. It's General Zod. That would be weird, if I actually had my own Michael Shannon action figure."

The movie has been hit by delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, production setbacks and a multitude of legal troubles for lead star Ezra Miller but Michael thinks that the actor's performance makes the long wait worth it for fans.

He said: "Honestly to me, it's all about Ezra. I just think Ezra is a fascinating performer and actor. I can't wait to see this performance.

"I don't wanna give anything away, but what Ezra has to do in this movie is pretty crazy, and I think (they're) up for the task.

"I know a lot of times, with movies like this, people are excited about the big set pieces or the effects, but for me, it's always about performance. I don't care whether it's an Ingmar Bergman film or the 'Avengers'. It's always about performance."